Good visit with the cardiologist

And it looks like someone is all tuckered out!

Going into today's appointment, we weren't sure what to expect. We've done several of these visits, and this is our second since leaving the hospital in Rochester. But he has been gaining a lot of weight, and his oxygen levels have been holding so well, and on the other side, he has some coughing spells that sound more like the end is near. Only one of those 3 things really caused the doctor any excitement. When he walked in the room, his eyes popped open and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "He looks so good!" "No, really, he looks really good!" We can't count the number of times he told us that. 

We asked him about the oxygen levels being higher. Obviously a good thing, but nothing unexpected, per se. It just means the blood in his heart is flowing more the other direction through the holes and leaking valve. The weak side of his heart is doing better at pumping, but it doesn't mean that side is growing or getting stronger. It is just a sign of how good Timmy's health is right now. "You two really have him tuned in good right now at home, just look at him!" "He looked so sick when he came home from the hospital, but he looks really good!"

We asked about the coughing, and he told us "When he gets a cold, it will take him a little extra time to fight it off, but he'll bounce back." What?!? We were told by the surgeon that a cold would probably be a life threatening illness! But the doctor told us with as healthy as he is now, he would struggle, but he would bounce back. (Which makes dad feel better with his running nose and sneezing) 

He thought he looked so good he said "What do you think, see you in 3 to 6 months?" A very nice thing to say when we thought we might not even have that long with him. Mom spoke up and requested a 2 month visit rather than going a full 3 months. He agreed that was fine.

When we talked about Timmy's long term outlook, he told us that he agrees more with Dr. Vermillion (who told us he might live months, he might live years). But also said his book isn't written yet (we know that) "I don't want to give you any false hope, . . ." but he knows patients with unfixed AVSD who are in their 30s and 40s. We feel more uncertain than we felt before the appointment, but it is a good uncertainty. That cloud may still be hanging in the background, but it feels like it moved a little further away today. We are praising God for good news and for a 'healthy' Timmy.