- Joined
- Dec 8, 2010
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Muse, the next surgery could be next week or in two years. She has a pacemaker and the battery was pretty well done, so that was replaced last month. The lead (wire from the generator that is screwed into her heart) was functionally perfect, but short. They could have replaced the works, which would have been more invasive, at least a partial sternotomy, and a few nights in the hospital. Instead, her cardiologist decided to just swap the generator. She went home that night and within three days wasn't even taking ibuprofen for pain. The lead will likely fail before the generator needs to be replaced. There's not much room for growth and because she does things like flops on her belly (her pacemaker is in her abdomen instead of the shoulder, which is where older kids and adults get them placed) and tries to slide down the stairs. At first, I was upset he didn't just go through with the more invasive surgery, since that's what we'll have to do next and we weren't really saving ourselves a procedure. But what's done is done. Maybe we'll get another year or two out of the lead.
She's still at the age where the whole thing seems sort of fun. Between doctors appointments and having surgery, she got two stuffed animals, lollipops, a new fancy pillowcase, and lots of stickers. That's just from the cardiologist's office. She asks every week when she gets to go back to see the doctor. I haven't the heart to tell her it stops being fun the older you get. Last appointment I had for myself just included a script to get blood work done and a printout with my BMI on it.
She's still at the age where the whole thing seems sort of fun. Between doctors appointments and having surgery, she got two stuffed animals, lollipops, a new fancy pillowcase, and lots of stickers. That's just from the cardiologist's office. She asks every week when she gets to go back to see the doctor. I haven't the heart to tell her it stops being fun the older you get. Last appointment I had for myself just included a script to get blood work done and a printout with my BMI on it.