Heart ECHO
So we didn't get the news we wanted to hear today from the ECHO. As they were doing it I just kept getting more and more nervous. People kept coming over and looking at the screen and not saying anything to us. Ugh! Finally one of the cardiologists walked over and chatted with us about the results. Basically, they do not see any significant improvements. This was a blow to both of us. We had such high hopes for an excellent report. The doctor explained that his heart is not squeezing any better than it was when he came in. Our hearts pump at about 70%, when Brooks was admitted his heart was pumping at 8% so you can imagine their concern. The good news was that they could see blood flow in the artery that was repaired so that means that the left side of the heart is now getting the blood supply that it needs. We asked if a significant change at this point would have been expected and he said not really, but they were hoping because of how well he is doing otherwise. It's just that we see him doing so well from the outside we were sure that things inside were fixed. At the time of surgery they were also concerned about the mitral valve because of the defect it was not functioning properly and "leaking" blood. At the time of his surgery is was considered moderate/severe and now he said he would consider it just moderate...
So, what does this mean? They will continue to watch him closely. Once the second chest tube is removed another ECHO may be done. When should we "expect" to see improvements? Days, weeks, months, years...it's up to him. That is the standard answer, it's up to him. I feel like we have to start all over again with getting our spirits back up. We were flying pretty high this morning and now our feet are back on the ground. It sucks. We are going to stay positive though, Brooks is still looking really good for just having open heart surgery. Please continue to pray for Brooks, especially his heart. We want it to start squeezing at a higher percent. I would feel so much better if we could hear a higher number than 8%...
So, what does this mean? They will continue to watch him closely. Once the second chest tube is removed another ECHO may be done. When should we "expect" to see improvements? Days, weeks, months, years...it's up to him. That is the standard answer, it's up to him. I feel like we have to start all over again with getting our spirits back up. We were flying pretty high this morning and now our feet are back on the ground. It sucks. We are going to stay positive though, Brooks is still looking really good for just having open heart surgery. Please continue to pray for Brooks, especially his heart. We want it to start squeezing at a higher percent. I would feel so much better if we could hear a higher number than 8%...
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