Remember this?...
This picture was taken two years ago at Walt's cardiology checkup (He hates EKGs), after he had been on his current SVT medication (Sotalol) for about a year. He has been doing great, so great in fact that I forget that he has a heart problem (except for the fact that I give him meds three times a day everyday). I was curious what would happen if I backed off his meds just a little because it had been so long since his last run of SVT. Well, my child proved to me today that he is indeed medicine dependent and has not "outgrown" this condition just as his cardiologist said that he would not. He had an episode that he himselft caught while playing over at a friend's house. He went inside and told this friend's mother that his heart was beating too fast and she, in turn, promptly gave me a call. I didn't think he knew what he was talking about because sometimes he says that his heart is beating too fast when in fact it is beating a "normal fast". When I got there and hooked him up to the monitor, his heart was clipping along at 233 bpm--indeed in SVT. I had to get the ice and try to get him to flip out of it. I hate icing him. It seems so mean, but it worked and no ER---yeah! No more experimenting for me, but it does beg the question...when will we consider ablation?
I've been following this blog for a couple of weeks. It has become fairly famous in blogdom and has caught my special attention because the writer has a small son with SVT that has been in the hospital for five weeks and undergone ablation surgery that was unsuccessful. He is home now and on the medication Sotalol (wouldn't you know it). It is helping him like it has helped Walt and hopefully will continue to until he is big enough to undergo ablation again--maybe with a successful outcome. It was weird that Walt had been so long with no episodes and then, bam! I had been reading about this little boy and hoping the doctors could help him too and thinking the whole time--Walt hasn't had an episode in forever.
I know that the day is coming when we will need to decide how to proceed. Our doctor wants to wait as long as possible for ablation to procure the best outcome and I agree, but that day is coming. I have decided to begin praying now for that DAY, whenever it may be, for God to watch over my son and guide the doctors hands and heal his heart. I want to commit and bathe that request in prayer. Want you please pray with me?
