Echo of my Heart and 8 Weeks

Yes, I do indeed have a heart. I saw it yesterday. The ladies that did my echo were fantastic :) One was having trouble getting a 3 chamber view, so she had to call someone else in. They told me what the measurments of my aorta were before I left (though they said 'Shhh! We didn't say anything! The cardiologists love to disagree with us') When I got measured in March it was 3.8, yesterday it went between 3.3 and 3.5. 4.0+ is where they start to think something is wrong, so thus far it's nothing to worry about. They both saw the mitral valve problem, which is funny to me because the pediatric cardiologist I saw in March said it wasn't there! Given that those 2, and the 2 other cardiologists in that practice, plus the cardiologists I had in Germany all saw it, I'm going to hazard a guess here and say that Dr. Stone wasn't paying enough attention.

Anyway, I am hoping that because of what they told me I will be done with Dr. Hickox after my next appointment. I really, really didn't like him. And if I am done with him, that means I can keep everything local as far as appointments go. Not to mention it means no more seeing specialists! I'm already getting sick of going to doctors!

I am 8 weeks, 2 days today if all is still going well. Here's a little peek at Shrimpy: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-8-weeks_1097.bc?intcmp=SPBirthClub_BCStagePagesExpertModule_textlinks

Starting to wish I hadn't mentioned the Marfans...

The cardiologist went okay, I guess. He didn't believe that I have marfans because my fingers aren't that long. Essentially he's saying that 3 other Cardiologists, 2 Opthomologists, an optometrist and a Genetics doctor are wrong. So I went on to explain I have the vision problems, the heart problems, the stretch marks and the crowded teeth/high palate (among other things) and he still seemed skeptical. There's only something like 25 markers for Marfans, and I probably have 20....but whatever.

I have an echo scheduled for tomorrow (RAWR!), and then I follow up with him on November 12. All these appointments are driving me nutsssssss!!! The good news is, once I am done with these, I should (in theory/kncok on wood) be done with the specialists and such for the remainder of the pregnancy. I'm tired of e-mailing to take time off work, so here's hoping!

Cardiologist

My Cardiologist appointment is scheduled for this Tuesday. I am hoping they can do an echo on-site. I will be very mad if I have to make yet another appointment just to get an echo done.

Time Line of What Has Happened so Far

October 7, 2009 - I had been having some problems with my legs swelling, and was not sure what to attribute it to. I wondered if it was work related or if something else was going on. It was suggested that it could be hormonal, or there could be something wrong with my kidneys. Not wanting to go to Urgent Care just to find out I was pregnant, I bought a test while Travis and I were out getting a new shower curtain rod (which is a story in itself). Long story short - the test was positive. Travis didn't believe it though, so we had to go out and buy a digital one, which was also positive. Travis' immediate reaction? "I'm calling my mom."

October 19, 2009 - My first OB/GYN appointment went well. It was basically an intake appointment. They took the family history, did a physical exam (much to Travis' chagrin), explained what screening we could get done and went over what to expect on next visits and in the future. Since I have Marfan's Syndrome, I was referred to a Perinatal Genetics Counselor at the University of Michigan Children's Hospital. They got me an appointment for the same week, which was nice. I was a little disappointed they didn't try to listen for the heart beat, but I didn't ask them to, either because I forgot. So I will definitely ask next time. My next appointment is on November 16.

October 22, 2009 - Today we had an appointment with the Perinatal Genetics department at the UofM Medical Center. It was a long drive, but they did give us a lot of information that was useful. Ultimately it comes down to me needing to see my new cardiologist so that I can get an echo done to determine how large my aortic root is. If it seems to be getting worse, than I may have to be upgraded to high risk and do all of my appointments and deliver at UofM. If it's not seeming to be a problem, then I can stick with the Lansing area for everything. I also got my official approval letter for Medicaid today, and should get my card in a few days. Yay free insurance!

For The Purpose of Easier Communication...

I have created this blog to help cut down on the "How did the doctor go?" IMs, phone calls and e-mails. I will try to keep it as up to date as possible with everything I know about what is going on, that way it's all kept in one place.