Cardiology Visit

We had Clayton's six month cardiology check up this morning. Getting vitals is always a challenge, and today was no exception. After that apparently traumatic experience, Clayton did great. He had an EKG, and he actually assisted the nurse in the placement of his stickers. Getting the stickers off is usually painful, but he did really well, and didn't even really complain until the last sticker or two. The cardiologist listened to him for a while and decided we could skip the echo today. That makes me a little nervous, but at the same time, it means he sounded really good, and there's no real need to check that tricuspid valve, which has been our main concern during this Glenn period.

We spent the majority of the time discussing Clayton's weight, or lack of weight. In the past month Clayton has been experiencing a lot of acid reflux, which has done nothing for his weight gain or appetite. Our pediatrician is currently in the process of getting us in with a GI doctor, and the cardiologist agreed it was needed. He said he would look forward to hearing any GI recommendations. Hopefully they will be able to find the cause of the reflux and help us with some weight gain. I'm getting so frustrated. Sometimes I actually find myself regretting not getting the g-tube placed when Clayton was an infant.

Other than that, Clayton's doing great. We talked a little about the new baby, and he said just to call him if we have any concerns after the baby is born. Then he said he'd see us back in six months and that we'd be in touch over the GI concerns.

Have I mentioned how much I love this cardiologist? We've met a lot of pediatric medical professionals in the last few years. You wouldn't believe how many don't make any effort to show they actually like kids. It takes a special person to be a doctor and have good bedside manner, but it takes an extra special doctor to have good bedside manner with a frightened two year old. This guy is always so friendly and compassionate. He really does a great job of distracting Clayton and making him feel a little more relaxed. Everytime I leave his office I'm so grateful for Ryan's assignment here, and for the string of people that led us to find this doctor.