Cardiologist

Well I went to the cardiologist on Tuesday. He said I have a slight murmur along with my prolapse. On a scale of 1-6, mine was a 2. He is going to see me back in a month to check again. He told me that some women can have trouble with baby #1 and never again. Others get worse with each pregnancy. He told me the only thing that could make it permanently worse was weight gain or high blood pressure. Well I am usually very low (11/60 and was 90/60 on Tuesday at the doctor) and am seaming to have trouble gaining weight at all this pregnancy.

Anyways...He said this is something that I am always going to have and I will die with it and not from it...meaning it is not going to be what does me in, but like my stretch marks, I will get to leave them here when I go to meet Jesus.

Okay...back to the doctor...I mentioned to him my high blood pressure/headache issues that I had with Paige and the meds I was on during her pregnancy. He said the high blood pressure could have caused the prolapse becoming worse and giving me a few problems with Peyton and more with my little baby girl. He told me the meds I was taking helped fight off any symptoms that I might have had otherwise during Paige's pregnancy.

Just like Paige...she causes drama...cause drama in her pregnancy and more for the babies to follow. Trooper needed no proof she was a girl because of all the drama and even speculated this was a girl (and hoping a little that it was a boy for less drama...and Parker wanted another brother to go hunting on his Grumpy's land...my dad) because of the drama she was/is causing. Are we gals that bad?

He told me that there is medication I can take (I could not have early on because of brain development in our baby girl, but it is safe now. It is a Beta blocker and they wanted to give me that with Paige, but I was not far enough along at the time I started so they put me on a Calcium Channel Blocker...for those medical people who know anything about what I am talking about...I just know the names and not what they really do...) if it gets bad. Right now I am good and most of my days are just fine (minus the few minutes I have a spell a few times a day). I have had a few harder days, but those are very few and far between.

Please continue to pray that I have few (or no) long spells during the days and that I do not have my several small spells either. He said that the last 2 months of the pregnancy will be the hardest for the breathing/heart issues, but is hopeful that it will all go away afterward just like with Peyton. Please pray that he is correct!

Echocardiogram

As many of you know (and I am sorry for the full out post to everyone without an ealier on, but you know…3 kids, pregnant, I can't seem to blog otherwise, and I can’t seem to catch my breath to talk on the phone…ha ha) and some do not, I have had trouble breathing with this pregnancy.

I had the same thing with Peyton, but it was towards the end of the pregnancy and only seemed to happen when I was going up the stairs. With having 2 kids, pregnant, teaching between 2-4 aerobic classes per week, and having stairs that pregnancy vs. none the first 2, we (the OB and I) wrote it off as just part of the pregnancy.

This time it is different. I am having trouble breathing during singing at church, talking on the phone/in person, while making breakfast or lunch, putting on a 5 year old’s shoes, shopping for fans at Home Depot, and so on. It also seems to be worse in the morning/before noon. Not that I have not had it in the afternoon/evening as well. I mentioned this to my OB at my appointment that was almost 2 weeks ago now. As I mentioned it I even was writing it off as pregnancy. She wanted me to go to the hospital the following Monday to have a echocardiogram done on my heart just to check things out. That was last week.

Today I talked with my doctor’s office. They had received the results from the cardiologist that I have mild mitro valve prolapse. They referred me to see the cardiologist (the office was closed when I received word of the need for a visit so I do not know when I will be going just yet). As soon as I know more, I will pass on. Also, this (I believe) is exactly what my sister has and was brought on during her pregnancy and she has no problems with it otherwise. If this is something I had during Peyton’s pregnancy, it was something that did go away after giving birth. I will know more soon.

Again, if anyone is finding out about this for the first time in this post…I am sorry…again, 3 kids, pregnant, can’t seem to catch my breath to talk on the phone…but it has also been a crazy few days since I found out and had my test and did not want to keep answering 20 questions until I at least had one answer.

Please be in prayer that it is something very manageable. Thank you for all your prayers from before and those of you have asked as well as helped watch kiddos while I was having my Echo done (Thanks Brandi and Tiffany).

On a lighter note…Sonogram on Friday and we will find out if the baby is a boy or girl (and see if I gained back any or all of the 4 ½ pound I lost from my last visit or Ensure and I will become daily friends my doctor threatened).