I'm learning SO much! Parden me if I assume that you are keeping up. On one hand it is quite fascinating, on the other, it can't possibly be ME they are looking at!!
The esoph-o-gram....my term not theirs....went well. At least that's what I was told, I don't remember it since I was half sedated. A different cardiologist did the picture taking and spoke with me after I awoke. He said they got a good look at the hole and it appears to be small enough to do the non-surgical route, if we choose. He said the ASD measured 25mm. That seemed pretty small until I realized later that was about 1 inch!!! How big is the whole wall between the atriums??? If my heart is the size of my fist, then....that seems enormous!
I was delighted to find Marcia as an assistant for my esopho-o-gram. She was the kind tech who had done my echo cardiogram on Tuesday evening. She had taken lots of time to talk and give me a "tour" of my heart. She had known immediately about the ASD and had wisely taken appropriate pictures and allowed the cardiologist to pass that shocking news to me. It seems kinda funny now that she could describe my heart like a blueprint of 4 rooms with 4 "doors" in between and I would not have noticed the blood flowing through one of the walls? I suppose, we can only learn so much at once.
After the esoph-o-gram they wanted a few more specific echo pictures, so Marcia wheeled the machine back to my hospital room for a second echo cardiogram. For those that have had prenatal ultrasounds, these are exactly the same.... images, gel, wand, and all. Only the name & location are different and, of course, there's no baby jumping around.
This time, since I was informed of the real problem, she could show me and Tim the details and talk freely of what was not quite right. It looked like a lot of blood was going through the wall but because of our view, we could only see from the top down, not the actual hole. Again it just doesn't feel like that could be me displayed on that screen.
Marcia was a God-send. I thanked her profusely for going above and beyond her "job" to teach Tim and I so much about the amazing muscle of the heart. We shared several comments about how only God could create something so complex. I am in awe. Psalm 139 means even more than ever now when God says "my frame was not hidden from Him....even when I was woven together...." He is amazing.
To finish the day, I was released to go home after Marcia was finished. This was especially wonderful, since I had not been allowed to shower while covered with heart monitor "stickers". Five to be exact. I'll be picking sticky tape glue off for the next week. I'm sure I'll have more before it's all over.
Home sweet home!
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