The month of June is almost in the books, and the month of July is arriving this week. With the month of July, comes some pretty big medical appointments for several of the Dahl kiddos. The first BIG appointment will happen on Wednesday.
In May, I took Bella for an ear re-check from an ear infection she had. While her ear had improved, the doctor was concerned about the ever present heart murmur that she was hearing. The doctor said it was common for 5 year olds to have murmurs because as the chest cavity becomes thinner it is easier to hear. But the sound of the murmur was loud enough to cause the doctor to want to have Bella further evaluated. So, on Wednesday we will venture to Legacy Emmanuel Pediatric Cardiology to have Dr. Chang perform a full exam and ECHO on her heart.
I've been doing pretty well emotionally regarding this situation (as it is not life threatening or an emergency); however, this same scenario played out with Luke when he was 3 years old. I took him for a well child check and they doctor heard a murmur. He was referred to Legacy Emmanuel Pediatric Cardiology for a exam. They found Luke to have a hole in his heart causing one side to work harder than the other and his heart required surgery to fix the hole. It is difficult for me to "not go there" in my mind with Bella's situation. Watching your child go through heart surgery is difficult. Thankfully, Luke is completely fine now. I have found it encouraging that he is so caring to want to go and be with Bella during her appointment because he has done it before. He takes the "helper" role very seriously. So, if you think of us....around 8:45am on Wednesday, we would love your good thoughts and prayers.
The 7th of July, is Luke's Casey Eye glaucoma check. He will be taking a new visual field test to track his peripheral vision, I believe it is called the Humphrey. This is the machine he has been working up to with the other visual fields. The Humphrey will give more accurate information on his visual fields. I am a bit nervous because his regular, fabulous doctor is on an extended leave, and he will be seeing someone else. It is always reassuring when your children have chronic health issues that you connect with the doctor that has been monitoring them. In Luke's case this has been the last 5 years. He has some special notes and needs in his file and I am hoping that the new doctor doesn't freak me out with anything he/she might say. Just nerve wracking for me.
We are officially on summer break and enjoying our time together. The kiddos went to VBS last week at Grace Church and had a wonderful time. We are preparing for 4-H at the Clark County Fair and I am super proud of Luke and Grace for the hard work they have put in to learning about their rabbits and projects they have done. I am excited to see them earn ribbons and be rewarded for all their dedication and hard work.
In May, I took Bella for an ear re-check from an ear infection she had. While her ear had improved, the doctor was concerned about the ever present heart murmur that she was hearing. The doctor said it was common for 5 year olds to have murmurs because as the chest cavity becomes thinner it is easier to hear. But the sound of the murmur was loud enough to cause the doctor to want to have Bella further evaluated. So, on Wednesday we will venture to Legacy Emmanuel Pediatric Cardiology to have Dr. Chang perform a full exam and ECHO on her heart.
I've been doing pretty well emotionally regarding this situation (as it is not life threatening or an emergency); however, this same scenario played out with Luke when he was 3 years old. I took him for a well child check and they doctor heard a murmur. He was referred to Legacy Emmanuel Pediatric Cardiology for a exam. They found Luke to have a hole in his heart causing one side to work harder than the other and his heart required surgery to fix the hole. It is difficult for me to "not go there" in my mind with Bella's situation. Watching your child go through heart surgery is difficult. Thankfully, Luke is completely fine now. I have found it encouraging that he is so caring to want to go and be with Bella during her appointment because he has done it before. He takes the "helper" role very seriously. So, if you think of us....around 8:45am on Wednesday, we would love your good thoughts and prayers.
The 7th of July, is Luke's Casey Eye glaucoma check. He will be taking a new visual field test to track his peripheral vision, I believe it is called the Humphrey. This is the machine he has been working up to with the other visual fields. The Humphrey will give more accurate information on his visual fields. I am a bit nervous because his regular, fabulous doctor is on an extended leave, and he will be seeing someone else. It is always reassuring when your children have chronic health issues that you connect with the doctor that has been monitoring them. In Luke's case this has been the last 5 years. He has some special notes and needs in his file and I am hoping that the new doctor doesn't freak me out with anything he/she might say. Just nerve wracking for me.
We are officially on summer break and enjoying our time together. The kiddos went to VBS last week at Grace Church and had a wonderful time. We are preparing for 4-H at the Clark County Fair and I am super proud of Luke and Grace for the hard work they have put in to learning about their rabbits and projects they have done. I am excited to see them earn ribbons and be rewarded for all their dedication and hard work.
