Back to Cardiology and a Thyroid Test

Maddie had a follow-up appointment with the cardiologist today. We had to go back in February because she had some blueing around her lips, hands, and feet. After Maddie's first echocardiogram, the doctor told us she was 99% positive that she had a flap in her heart that was supposed to close after birth and that hers hadn't done that yet. She also told us that most of the time the flap fuses shut on its own, and other times it doesn't. Apparently, there are adults walking around without the flap fused shut. She wanted us to come back when Maddie was 6 months old so that they could take another look and double check that it wasn't a hole in her heart.

I was pretty positive, going in, that nothing was wrong. Since her first appointment, she has not had any of the blueing around her mouth, hands, or feet. She also has not been having any other symptoms that have lead me to worry. We have been so lucky this far that her heart has not had any issues. For those of you who don't know, heart issues are common in children with Down syndrome, and many have to undergo surgery at a young age.

While I was at the Children's Hospital last week getting Maddie's blood drawn for her Thyroid test, I noticed a sign for The Sibling Center. Apparently you can drop off siblings ages 3-11 at the playroom for up to 2 hours while a patient is being seen. I wish I had known about this service earlier. Last time we took Aiden with us and it was extremely stressful trying to keep him entertained during the appointment. This time it was wonderful! He felt like he was getting to go do something special while Maddie had her appointment, and he didn't have to sit quietly while we talked to the doctor. Even though the appointment was longer than the 2 hour playroom time limit, it made him much more cooperative to come back and sit for the remaining few minutes.

As for Maddie, she did an amazing job! She ate during the first part of the appointment and then fell asleep during most of the echocardiogram. If there were a room in the hospital that she were going to sleep in, this would have to be the first choice. The lights are low and calming, it's warm, and Sesame Street was quietly playing in the background. During the part where Maddie was awake, she patiently stayed still and smiled so the technician could get all the pictures of her heart she needed to. She is such a good baby!

As for the thyroid test, she did just as well during this appointment as she did with her Cardiology appointment. I was afraid that she would cry as they stuck her with the needle, but she just smiled at the technician the whole time. Even the technician was surprised. She told me that usually they are the most disliked people at the hospital. Due to her constipation issues, there is a higher chance of that coming back positive. However, I feel extremely confident that her thyroid is easily manageable, but we won't know the results for a couple more days.

Here are just a few fun (and grainy... sorry) pictures of Aiden being a great helper this week. He sure does love his baby sister! And I think she's pretty in love with him, too!