(TE) at CHEO. Vicky's cardiologist asked that this be done
for a couple of reasons. Vicky is getting older and the usual echocardiograms
no longer provide the doctor with clear views of her heart. The TE, on the other
hand, provides an inside look at it, resulting in much clearer images.
Vicky is anti-coagulated. She takes
Coumadin daily, to keep her blood from
clotting as quickly as blood normally would. As noted above, Coumadin has
its drawbacks. The cardiology community is changing its collective thinking
on the merits of having children take Coumadin. A possible alternative is
Aspirin, which also helps to prevent blood clots. Unlike Coumadin, Aspirin
has few, if any, side effects and no blood tests are required to regulate
dosage. Needless to say, we were in favour of switching to Aspirin, if it
did not pose any risk to Vicky.
The second reason for the TE was to help Vicky's cardiologist determine
whether it was safe to have Vicky take Aspirin rather than Coumadin. The
doctor would use the TE to check for blood clots in her heart or blood flow
that might lend itself to clotting. Unfortunately, the TE did indeed show
that Vicky's blood is still prone to clotting inside her heart.
So, she remains on Coumadin. This is a little disappointing, but
at least it is not unfamiliar.
On a brighter note, this spring at school, Vicky was required to do a project on one of the human
body systems. She chose to do the circulatory system, with sections on
congenital heart defects in general and her own heart specifically. This was
the first time that Vicky had prepared work having to do with her heart and
presented it to her class. The project entailed doing research (books and
Internet) on the circulatory system and then documenting proper function,
protential problems, and healthy maintenance. Clearly, Vicky's heart fits into
this well!
We are quite proud of the work that Vicky did on this project. I have converted
it to web form and it can be found on Vicky's School Projects
page. (Note that this work is in French, as Vicky is in a French immersion program at school.)
Ce printemps à l'école, Vicky a dû faire un projet au sujet d'une système du
corps humain. Elle a choisi la système circulatoire, avec des sections concernant
des cardiopathies congénitales et aussi son propre coeur. C'était la première
fois que Vicky a travaillé au matériel au sujet de son coeur. Elle a présenté
ce projet à sa classe. Le projet a necessité faire de la recherche à ce suject
en livres et sur l'Internet et décrire la fonction normale, des problèmes possibles,
et comment maintenir un coeur sain. C'était un bon projet pour une élève avec
un coeur spécial!
Nous sommes très fiers de Vicky et de son travail à ce project. Je l'ai transformé
pour ce site web. On peut le trouver sur la page des projets d'école
de Vicky.
April 2005
Vicky had her annual check-up in March of this year. This year's visit brought another
new test for Vicky: an exercise stress test.
The stress test was very much like a trip to the gym for Vicky. She was hooked up to
heart, oxygen, and breathing monitors. The breathing monitor was a machine which essentially
measured her lung output, via a tube in her mouth. The test itelf was a 20-minute stationary
bike ride, up and down a long hill (so to speak). The purpose of this test was to determine
Vicky's level of endurance.
Vicky did very well during this test. She found it difficult, not because of the bike ride,
but because of the tube into which she had to breathe for the duration of the test. The
results were interesting: Vicky's endurance level is roughly 65% of that of a
"normal" kid her age. This is, apparently, just about average for a Fontan patient. I can't
say that these results made us happy, but we aren't concerned, either. We see Vicky working
and exercising daily, without difficulty. She's doing just great!