Yesterday Ben had his cardiology check up.
Ben had open heart surgery on 9-2-12- Ventricular septal defect repair. He was 18 months old. The surgery happened at the hospital in Vilnius.
As we were waiting for the appointment, I noticed this sign in the waiting room. The specialties our boys frequent at Children's Hospital of WI are:
1. Ben: cardiology and endocrine (thyroid)
2. Jonah: endocrine, pulmonology, urology (no longer since his kidney/bladder surgery in 2011) and ENT.
The only department not listed on this sign is ENT. However, we have experienced amazing care through that department also.
We are so grateful and blessed to have this incredible top notch facility only 45 minutes from our house! They have taken good care of our boys!
So now on to Ben's cardiology appointment. Ben had an echocardiogram and then met with the doctor. The doctor says everything continues to look great for Ben's heart. He is still very impressed with the surgery done over in Vilnius in 2012. Ben is doing so good that our next cardiology check up will be in 3 years!
I'm obviously very happy and relieved to know that Ben has no heart issues. However, what impressed me most about yesterday's appointment was Ben's behavior. He was so relaxed and friendly to everyone.
Ben gets very nervous and scared about doctor appointments, especially ones that require stickers/wires and scanning. Ben is very weird about physical touch.
We really tried to prepare Ben for this appointment since his fear translates to him being a very strong and angry/mean wiggly worm on the exam table- in other words hard to control and not nice to be with.
His first echocardiogram back in 2016 when he first arrived home was quite a struggle...many doctor/dentist appointments since then have been struggles.
He is very fearful about being hurt. We try to be sympathetic and remember that this little boy faced all things medical (including open heart surgery) ALL ALONE for 6 YEARS! Obviously that shows he is quite a brave boy, but he also may have some negative baggage from all those experiences that make things even worse now. However, as is the case with Ben quite often, scared/sad presents as mad which makes comforting him very challenging.
So to prepare for yesterday, we watched a YouTube video showing what is involved with having an echocardiogram and talked lots about what to expect. We also made it clear that we expected him to be nice even if he was scared. We used the phrase "Quiet means Quick" to encourage him to cooperate. And we dangled the Culver's carrot- if the appointment went smoothly, we would stop for a hot dog on the way home.
Ben started out a little shaky when the wires were being place, but then he pulled himself together and was able to lay very quietly for the scan. He went on to be very friendly and polite to the tech, nurse and doctor.
Ben really amazed me today! He looked to me for comfort and assurance, and he showed great bravery in facing his fears and anxieties. We love you Ben!
His scar from his heart surgery.
And of course, what is Ben without his faithful sidekick Jonah, right?
Love these boys!
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