T-man's Heart
Tyson had a follow-up cardiology appointment to check on his heart...Our last appointment was 6 months ago and at that time we were left with the following results...
-Has RPA Stenosis, levels are lower ~20's (has had RPA Stenosis since November of 2009)
-Has MPA Stenosis, almost completely subsided (has had since some time in late 2010/early 2011)
This time around things are a little different, we got a bit of both good and bad.
Good news is...his MPA Stenosis is not a factor---Woot-Woot!!
Bad news is...his RPA Stenosis has worsened. Per his Cardiologist, 95% of his heart is in great working shape, but the 5% has become worrisome. Basically the "kink" in his right pulmonary artery (the RPA Stenosis) has become more constricted. Therefore his gradient level has increased. In a normal heart-- that level is at 30, he is measuring 40 above that. That places him in a more risky stage. So now 2 years after the last surgery, he's measuring at 70 and this has been the highest level it's been at since that surgery.
Now again, it could possibly be his growing pattern...his body grows, but the heart doesn't or the heart grows, but his body doesn't. After thoroughly checking everything with the ECHO and EKG; they started asking questions like; how his appetite is, how his behavior and energy levels were, has he had an MRI/Catscan, a Cath procedure, etc. And then he began checking his internal organs and I started to worry :( To be honest, they seemed more worried than we've seen them in a very very long time, which really threw Rob and I for a loop.
You could see it in their faces and here it in their voices, which makes us so sad for Tyson and super angry---we know not everything always follows the "plan" you were originally given, but it's very hard to forget that original plan when things were supposed to be so easy and quick and now, not so much.
Dr. Pophal said to give him 6 more months and threatened that if his numbers increased we will have to intervene. We may have to have an MRI/Catscan done to better see what is going on with the "kink" and then a Catheterization procedure to open the artery. Obviously, they would rather do nothing at all, but that solely depends on how his heart is doing. On the brighter side, he did say that if we come back in 6 months and he was at the same level he would highly consider leaving it as is and just continue to watch it.
I pray that whatever comes our way in 6 months we are given the strength to handle it; whether that be surgery of some sort or the acceptance that he will have the RPA Stenosis and we'll just have to keep watching it.
-Has RPA Stenosis, levels are lower ~20's (has had RPA Stenosis since November of 2009)
-Has MPA Stenosis, almost completely subsided (has had since some time in late 2010/early 2011)
This time around things are a little different, we got a bit of both good and bad.
Good news is...his MPA Stenosis is not a factor---Woot-Woot!!
Bad news is...his RPA Stenosis has worsened. Per his Cardiologist, 95% of his heart is in great working shape, but the 5% has become worrisome. Basically the "kink" in his right pulmonary artery (the RPA Stenosis) has become more constricted. Therefore his gradient level has increased. In a normal heart-- that level is at 30, he is measuring 40 above that. That places him in a more risky stage. So now 2 years after the last surgery, he's measuring at 70 and this has been the highest level it's been at since that surgery.
Now again, it could possibly be his growing pattern...his body grows, but the heart doesn't or the heart grows, but his body doesn't. After thoroughly checking everything with the ECHO and EKG; they started asking questions like; how his appetite is, how his behavior and energy levels were, has he had an MRI/Catscan, a Cath procedure, etc. And then he began checking his internal organs and I started to worry :( To be honest, they seemed more worried than we've seen them in a very very long time, which really threw Rob and I for a loop.
You could see it in their faces and here it in their voices, which makes us so sad for Tyson and super angry---we know not everything always follows the "plan" you were originally given, but it's very hard to forget that original plan when things were supposed to be so easy and quick and now, not so much.
Dr. Pophal said to give him 6 more months and threatened that if his numbers increased we will have to intervene. We may have to have an MRI/Catscan done to better see what is going on with the "kink" and then a Catheterization procedure to open the artery. Obviously, they would rather do nothing at all, but that solely depends on how his heart is doing. On the brighter side, he did say that if we come back in 6 months and he was at the same level he would highly consider leaving it as is and just continue to watch it.
I pray that whatever comes our way in 6 months we are given the strength to handle it; whether that be surgery of some sort or the acceptance that he will have the RPA Stenosis and we'll just have to keep watching it.
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