Random thoughts from me – Pie and hearts and thankfulness

I saw my daughter’s heart today. Well not literally.

Pie had an EKG and an echo cardiogram this morning. Last Monday, out the clear blue, she fainted during gym class. She said she just felt weird and then everything went black and down she went. This is not normal people! Definitely NOT the call you want to get at 10 o’clock in the morning from the school nurse. She says she was only out for a second and then fine. My thought was, Hey! fainting is NOT normal so her father and I rushed her over to the doctor’s office to beg them to squeeze her in. 

They did. Living in a small town is awesome, the kids have had the same family doctor for sixteen years. He knows us. Probably remembers those frantic 2am calls he received from us when our son was an infant and we I was a paranoid first time mother. Hmmm, we’re probably lucky he still sees us!

She was fine at the doctor’s office. Doctor knows she had a heart murmur when she was born. She had and echo around age two because he thought he heard it again but it didn’t show up. SO the tests she had today were just precautionary. He doesn’t expect them to show anything abnormal. But he also knows us. Knows we need to be sure, as does he. The technician hinted around that we shouldn’t be too concerned so until I hear otherwise, I believe her little heart is just fine. 

It’s scary though. Frightening in fact, to be sitting in a dark room with a your child, seeing her heart pumping away on a screen. Listening to her heart beat, the rush of blood in and out. Trying not to assume, or listen too closely because honestly you have no idea if what you see is good or bad. I had to remind myself several times that it was only a “just in case” visit.

I am so thankful that our children are healthy. Sitting in that room I couldn’t help but think of all of the children, and their families, who may not have good news. Who go through these tests often and whose lives are turned upside down with doctors and hospitals and pain. And while we are not a highly religious family, I do believe there is a God. I thank him that our children are safe and happy and healthy. I thank him every night and ask him to keep it that way. 

Sitting there just makes you realize how vulnerable life is. The insides of us are made up of all of these little things that keep us going. Organs and veins and pieces that we take for granted while we stroll along without worry until a blip happens.