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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

6 Weeks Post-Op

We had a follow-up appointment with Riley’s cardiologist this afternoon.  It was the first echocardiogram for her since leaving the hospital last month.  Her first follow-up with cardiology was a couple of days after we returned home and it was mainly to make sure that her sternum was lined up correctly and that there were no signs of infection.

Normally I do not get nervous when it comes to office appointments, but for some reason today I had butterflies in my tummy while we were getting ready to head to the doctor’s office.  I know that she looks great, and hasn’t given us any reason to think there was something wrong, but then again, you’ve never been able to tell there was a problem just by looking at her.  I guess I was nervous because it was the first serious checkup to make sure everything was okay since the surgery. 

Riley on the other hand was all smiles and sassy poses this morning, as if to say, “I’ve got this mommy!” She is such an amazing little girl.  I am in awe of her.  She is happy, strong, smart, and beautiful!

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Riley was a little nervous once she realized we were at the doctor’s office, but that didn’t last long.  It was “Princess & Pirate” day so there were pretty decorations everywhere and all of the staff was dressed up.  IMG_20150120_160735311She got to pick a prize from the treasure chest at the downstairs reception area, and she picked a pretty purple bead necklace.  The receptionist also gave her a sticker, and her invitation to the royal celebration in the cardio department and directed us to take the Princess elevator to our destination.

There are two elevators and one was decorated with pink and silver ribbons and the words “Princesses Enter Here” over the top.  The other was decorated for boy pirates, but we only paid attention to the princess elevator.  When we got up to the cardiology department, the receptionist gave Princess Riley her very own Princess bracelet, complete with sparkling silver crown.  It was truly amazing to see all of the details the staff had put in place to make a doctor visit a magical experience for the children.

We had our echocardiogram first, and Riley began to panic a little when we first went into the room, but once I got settled with her on my lap and the tech put Frozen on the television she calmed down.  In fact, this was the fastest echo we have ever had done.  Riley didn’t fight, squirm, cry, or push the tech’s hand away like she normally does.  She was really happy when Daddy surprised us by walking into the room.  He had been working, so we didn’t expect him to be there today.  The echo went so fast that we ended up waiting longer than normal for the doctor, but that was okay because Mommy brought animal cookies and Gatorade to snack on and we watched Wreck It Ralph on Mommy’s phone while we waited.

When the doctor came in, we knew it was good news immediately.  She was very happy with the way things look, and told us that we can stop one of the medications that Riley has been on since the surgery.  An even better indication of how good things are is that we do not have to go back for 2 months instead of the normal 4 weeks!  It was such a relief!

Our warrior princess is doing great, and we could not be more proud of her!

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