Gemma's heart update

At the end of February, we had our heart check up for Gemma. We went six months between the last appointment and I was nervous going in. I always am nervous. Gemma hates doctors and that hasn't changed in the past six months. Thankfully, the cardiologist had Frozen to watch and that kept Gemma from screaming the entire time. This time, she just whimpered and whined off and on. I still had to sit with her during the Echo but she did better than last time.

Our cardiologist did the measurements and imaging. Gemma's levels continue to stay the same as the past year or so. The numbers kept progressing until about a year old. She is in the high moderate range and intervention isn't done until she hits "severe." At this point, Gemma is almost two and it's likely the valve won't worsen after this age. She will always have the heart defect and it will never improve. But we shouldn't need surgery anymore. We will continue to have annual cardiology appointments at least until 18 and then Gemma can decide if she wants to continue seeing a doctor.

Time will tell if Gemma tires easier at physical activities or not. So far, she doesn't slow down compared to her siblings. She still gets pretty sweaty but our cardiologist and pediatrician agree that she is probably just a sweatier kid. We're grateful for answered prayers in helping Gemma's heart. It's been a constant worry on my mind since we discovered this defect nearly two years ago.

A picture right after her first heart appointment