Eli Heart Update:

Eli healing from his third open heart surgery, Aug 2011, at age 2. 

I've been thinking about Eli and his heart adventure quite a bit.  I'm surprised by this, for I thought once his last surgery was done, and his healing finished, my mind about this business would be at peace.  However I find myself always wondering, hoping, and worrying about this little man.  

5 years ago is when we found out about his heart defect, during a 21 week ultrasound.  The week before, at the 20 week ultrasound, the technician mentioned she could not see the other side of baby boy's heart.  We set up a more another ultrasound with specialized doctor and technician "just to be sure everything is there," just for precaution.  At this 21 week ultrasound, at a different doctor's office, we were told that yes, our baby boy did have a severe heart defect.   I'm continually grateful that we had this amazing blessing: having the defect caught and identified early in the pregnancy.  We were put on the right path of healing from the earliest point possible.  Made an amazing difference for Eli. 

(If the defect wasn't caught till after birth, he would have seemed a healthy baby and we would have taken him home.  After a week or two he would have started showing signs of heart failure--tugging of breath into the chest, unable to eat, pail and sweaty--and hopefully we would have gotten him to the right doctor in time.  If not, the pressure of blood to his lungs would have destroyed the lungs by 4 to 6 weeks of life, causing death. ) 

We are in a new area, with new doctors, and we are starting to realize how blessed Eli has been.  These Savannah, GA cardiologists are amazing by Eli's insides--how well and clean the surgeries and procedures look.  Recently we found out that Eli's surgeon, who performed all three surgeries on him at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, has been hired in the Boston.  Being a heart surgeon in Boston is a BIG. DEAL.  Yeah, he is THAT good.    

So at this last appointment was really, really good.  Eli is doing well.  Looks like nothing needs to be done in the future.  Even his minor leaking mitral valve is minimized to almost nothing!  Yay!  He only has one valve, so it's pretty important.  

-- Basically the only heart related affects we deal with now is Eli's amazing ability to bruise and bleed.  He's been on an aspirin regiment since 4 months old, so his blood is really thin.  (He takes a baby aspirin every night).  He gets hit and BAM a bruise.  He gets cut and BAM a gallon of blood.
He fell on a rock one after noon.  The pinky finger got smashed, and the tip of that finger was rock solid with blood for an hour or two.  It finally started to drain, but then an amazing bruise stuck around for like a week or so.  He's a colorful dude!
-- Still very sweaty when he exercises.
-- Also I worry when he gets in contact with someone with a throat infection.  That infection could be Strep Throat.  And the actual strain of bacteria for Strep Throat, if untreated, attacks the lining of the heart.  Kind of a big deal.

SO that's my update for possibly a year!  For the doctor told us he looks so good we no longer need to do 6 month appointments, just yearly.  Yay!  Hooray!  Shout for joy!