Eden's heart update

Eden did so well at her doctor's apt this morning. She has a doctor's kit that she loves to play with. She wanted to take it with us this morning to show the doctor. She let the nurses take all of her stats and do an EKG without complaint. The nurse even said she was the best two year old she has ever worked with.

When Dr. Fairbrother came in the room Eden beamed! She was so proud to show him her doctor tools. And Dr. Fairbrother played along! He was so sweet and played with her for a few minutes and did an exam all the while using his tools and Eden's tools. She was smitten by time she left and wanted to hug and kiss him goodbye. I love having a doctor that treats my child like he would one of his own. Taking the time to be loving and tender. That is such a blessing.

As far as check ups go, we did find out that Eden has a heart mummer. We have never been told this before, so I was a little alarmed. Dr. Fairbrother explained everything to me and this is just part of Eden's little heart. Not unusual for a child in her situation and age. Eden's heart beats differently to begin with. If any of you with medical knowledge want to hear an interesting heartbeat, you should listen to Eden's.

We also discussed a surgery time line. We have decided to delay it until Eden is between 4 and 5. Part of me wants to go ahead and just get it over with. Hoping it will be less traumatic on her at 2 than 4 or 5. However, the reality of the situation is she needs time for her heart to continue to grow. This year and a half will allow her heart to grow in size. Which will help to make it more easily operable. And there is still a small, though very unlikely, chance she could outgrow this.

The problem is we don't know how often Eden is Tachycardic, and to what level. The episodes we have caught her heart rates have been in the 270 range and she has been sleeping or resting. Imagine running a marathon and having your heart beat so fast it feels like it might explode out of your chest, then go to sleep. That's what Eden does b/c she doesn't know any differently.

We pray that the medication is doing it's job, and that she can continue to use it without side effects. The doctor increased her level today, but that's just to maintain it's effectiveness as she grows. We also hope that Eden will become aware and verbal enough to tell when her heart is racing. With a little age and training we hope to have a more accurate idea of how often this occurs.

This is one of those times when I have to trust the Lord with the most valuable thing I have, my child. I am so thankful that God has given Eden to us and that he has given her this heart condition. We are much more aware how how special each moment is in light of this. We know this situation could be much, much worse. Seeing the other children in the waiting room makes me thankful that Eden is able to run and play and be normal 2 year old. What a tremendous blessing!

So I choose to rest in the Lord, Knowing He cares for Eden much more than I do. Knowing He created her heart, with a plan and purpose in mind. It is not easy. As the days draw near to her having surgery, I'm sure my faith will be weak and I will be fearful. But for today and the next few months to come, I choose to enjoy my child and not allow the fear to destroy joy.