Blessed (part 2)

Sorry it has taken me 3 days to finish my post but my house is like a zoo sometimes. When everyone is at home, I can't get a word in edge wise must less type out my feelings with 4 other voices ranting and raving about something. The husband is in the recliner watching a movie and the 3 boys are gone fishing so I thought I would finish my previous post and make even make it to another one...lol.

So anyway..... we continued with check ups every 6 months and it was Dec. before Derek turned 3 in March, we went in for what we thought was a normal routine check. Everything was going as normal....weight check, ekg, echo and then consultaion on findings of the procedure they did that day. I had notice on the echo. they were taken longer than usual, going over some places twice and really paying close attention to what they were doing. When they were through, we were ask to go into a room and wait on the cardiologist which was not out of the ordinary. When he come in, he sat down and said "things look a little different today than they have in the past" and my husband says "As in?" Well............it seems as though Derek has what they call an Coarctation of the Aorta and needs to have surgery to correct it. We were devastated....after the initial shock, tears, comforting, questions and more tears, the dr. explain to us that the Aorta which is the main artery in your heart that leads to this bi-cuspid valve was blocked or restricted. they explain to us that one of the ways to determine if something is going on like this is checking blood pressures in all extremities. With Derek, his pressures in his legs were lower than in his arms which let them know that the blood supply to the lower part of his body was being restricted. They told us in some cases if the difference in the two were 15 or below they would just watch him extra careful....15-20...they would discuss surgery and anything higher would definitely have to be corrected. Derek was 32. To try make this a little shorter we spent the next 2 1/2 months getting appointments in Charleston and the surgery scheduled and finalized for March 20. they explained to us that they would cut him from the center of his back to under his arm and go in that way, cut out the restricted part and stitch the 2 pieces back together. They couldn't give us a specific time frame that we actually spend in the hospital. It was according if all went well. I had a five year old son that I had to make arrangements for and when leaving him not knowing when I would see him again. This was one of the worse things I had ever had to go through as a young mother.
March 18 , 1995 was Dereks 3rd birthday. We gave him probably one of the biggest birthday parties he has had yet....lol We packed our bags that night, left for Charleston the next morning and checked in the hospital the next day the 20th. When we got there they told us that it was part routine that they do a MRI. Dr. Horne (ped. cardiologist from greenville) had flown down to be with us and he and the cardiologist from Charleston discussed that the blockage did not have to be corrected with surgery, that they felt real positive about doing an angioplasty (ballon procedure) and it would correct it. Well......there were tears again but this time they were tears of JOY. He said that if they had of went in and cut the blockage out and stitched it back the the scar from the procedure would cause the artery to shrink and basically cause the same problem. He felt real sure that the angoiplasty would work. Actaully the blockage Derek had was not like the blockages you hear of today but a restriction of blood flow due to a birth defect. Later on that day they did the angioplasty, we spent 3 days in the hospital and was back home with a healthy boucing 3 year old that has to this day to slow down...lol.

It has been 13 years and we have not any problems since. We went to check-ups every 6 months after that for a while that later on moved to once a year and then every 2 years. He has had one stress test they he passed with flying colors and has done extremely well. He is now 16...goes and does anything he wants, no restrictions, plays football, baseball and golf. He will do anything in the world for you. Very sweet child and no, I am not partial......lol. Actually we go back in August and two years from now will be released to an adult cardiologist.

We serve an awesome God. If it had not been for his grace we would never have made thus far and since then we were blessed with yet another baby boy. Our 3 sons and we would have it no other way.

Lisa,
A mom with a Purpose