Hole in My Heart

On Thursday the kids all went to see a pediatric cardiologist, for a baseline check recommended by their doctor. He thought it would be a good idea because both hubby and I have slight mitral valve prolapse. So the Three Amigos had an EKG and echocardiogram in addition to a physical exam.

Son #1 was the only one whose exam showed anything of any concern. He has a small gap in his atrial septum (membrane connecting two chambers of the heart). The cardiologist said there was no enlargement or evidence that there were any ill effects, so we will just monitor the situation once a year. No restriction in activities etc.

Hubby was upset by this news, as he recalls what his parents went through when he was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM, or Type I) at age 9. In 1972, the older generation recalled how diabetes used to be a death sentence, and at that point in time checking your glucose meant peeing in a cup and putting in a strip of litmus paper. Parents who receive the news that their child has been diagnosed with a medical condition can no longer hide behind the illusion that they have created a perfect little mix of their DNA. And so it goes. They all lived through that, and are here more than 35 years later to tell about it. We will too. Luckily medical science has advanced by leaps and bounds and is still galloping along.

We have counseled our eldest that, even though his heart is healthy at this time, he shouldn't "push the envelope." What does this mean? Eat a diet of predominantly heart friendly foods. Exercise moderately. Don't carry excess body weight. No smoking or recreational drugs. Limit alcohol intake. At age 13, he's only partially in tune with what most of this means, but he was very quick in Hermione Granger fashion (a.k.a. "insufferable know it all") to rattle off an exact list of several chemical substances he should avoid, courtesy of his 6th grade health class and his own pursuant curiosity. I guess I can't complain since I also have a fascination with medical facts. The trick would be to make sure he takes it all seriously.

As a dear friend of mine pointed out the other day, I can just add this to the long list of thoughts that are continuously balanced on my full plate in life. Ah well, life ain't so bad if one considers the alternative. Or, as my great grandmother is rumored to have said (translated from the old world Italian): these are things that only happen to the living.