6 Weeks Post-Op Cardiology Appointment

Today Levi had his six week post-surgery cardiology appointment. Levi is officially cleared of all restrictions, so he can resume normal play and activities and return to preschool!  He was very excited to ride his bike this afternoon after a long time without it.  The doctor says he looks good and she doesn't have any concerns about his recovery.

That being said, they were unable to get an EKG because, even on Ativan, Levi screamed and fought every attempt to put the stickers and leads on.  So the cardiologist said to pass on it and we'll try again at his next appointment.

In three months, he'll go back for a complete check-up.  Specifically the doctor will look to see if the aortic stenosis has increased.  Hopefully it stabilizes and stays moderate.  Once it bumps up to severe, he'll head in for surgery again.  We certainly hope that's far off, but you never know with Levi. We've had a number of unexpected twists and turns in the past few years.

Levi had blood drawn today to check his CBC and sed rate. Levi is still running an unexplained very low grade fever. It was an especially hard draw for Levi and he was very shaken up by it all. There was a kink in the tubing, so it had to be done twice, once in each arm, which made it that much worse. His platelet level was high last time, so the doctor wants to be sure it's coming back down. That's really the last missing piece of data, other than the EKG, for me to know he is really doing okay. I'm eager to get the results of the blood tests.

I had a long list of questions to ask the doctor. We are thankful she is very patient and understanding, taking the time to answer all of our questions and concerns. She reassured us that Levi is doing well from a heart standpoint, and even though we didn't get the EKG today, the one we got three weeks ago did look just fine. Last week's echo also looked good except for the moderate stenosis--but that was unchanged from the April 10 echo. 

I'm tired and drained from the appointment, but I know a good night's rest will do me good. 

I'm happy for the three month break and hopefully with the return to regular activities, things will start to feel somewhat normal again.

**Update:   Levi's blood work came back and showed that he platelet level was coming back down and approaching normal. His sed rate was normal. All good news!