Cardiologist Visit...

I took Tyler this morning for the EKG and Echo to check up on his heart murmur. Rusty is in Florida, so my mom went with me. They found a few things with Tyler's heart.

First, they found a coarctation of the aorta. This has to do with the artery that runs out of his heart and supplies blood to the bottom half of his body all the way to his feet. There is a section of the artery that narrows, and this causes irregular blood flow. The cardiologist(Dr. Gillette) said at his age it's not an extremely serious concern but it will become a bigger concern the older he gets. The good news...it is something that can be fixed. The bad news...it is fixed surgically. So what this means is Tyler will be having heart surgery in the next couple of weeks. They will go in through is armpit, cut out the narrow section of the artery, and then reconnect the normal section of the artery. Apparently this is common, and Dr. Gillette said he had a baby do this same thing about a month ago. He also said that Dr. Squires did a great job of finding the murmur because it was very hard to hear. He also said there is no reason or cause for this issue. The doctors at Cooks in Ft. Worth will have a meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss Tyler. They will then decide what step needs to be taken next. We should know Thursday morning by 10 what they decide.

They also determined the cause of the murmur that Dr. Squires heard. One of Tyler's valves is leaking. Dr. Gillette said it's only leaking about 10%. He thinks the coarctation of the artery is adding more pressure to the heart, which is causing the leaking valve. So, if we get the artery taken care of, the valve will more than likely stop leaking on it's own.

This is all of the information I got this morning, quite overwhelming as you can imagine. I cried lots at the thought of Tyler having heart surgery at four weeks old. There have been lots of feelings and emotions that I have experienced today. But, as the day has gone by I have felt more comforted and at ease for many different reasons. Mostly because God is answering my prayers and giving me comfort and strength. I have also had a chance to talk with several people in the medical field today. All of which have told me the same thing. It's common and a routine procedure. Also, I'm very lucky that they caught it so early and we can take care of it. Also, my friend Jacquelyn's dad, Al, is a Dr. in Ft. Worth. Al is good friends with the pediatric heart surgeon(Dr. Tam) at Cooks in Ft. Worth, and Al called him today to let him know about Tyler. Dr. Tam is going to call me tomorrow so I can ask him any questions I have. I have already started making my list. There are only two pediatric heart surgeons at Cooks and he is one of them. So, there is a good chance he may be the one to do Tyler's surgery. This gives me comfort as well.

So, in this whirlwind of a day, a part of me is feeling at ease and thankful. I'm thankful that Dr. Squires heard the murmur and the cardiologist was able to determine exactly what is wrong. I'm also thankful that it's something that can be fixed and healed. Mostly, I thankful that even with all of this, we still have a precious baby boy.

Please say your prayers for Tyler, his heart, and the doctors. I hate to be selfish but I would love a prayer for comfort and strength as well. I'm afraid I might cry myself to the point of dehydration if I'm not careful. Rusty will be home Thursday around noon and I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival. I will keep you updated. Thanks for all of the love, support, and prayers.