Today Atlas had his 3 week post surgery checkup here with his cardiologist in Missoula. Atlas got to see his doctor, nurse and echo tech today and show them his big scar and how well it’s healing. He was a champ for his ECG, super still just like we like him to be. Dr Sticka talked with us about the surgery and did his exam which was quite different than it normally is. Then he got to watch Bluey while Katherine did his echo and we chatted about our Seattle experience.
The news from the doc is that atlas’s surgery went spectacularly well and his outlook is really good. If all goes according to plan, he will likely need his pulmonary valve replaced in his teenage years through another open heart surgery, but after that there are pretty good odds that most of his future heart intervention will be through cath procedures.
It all felt kind of full circle today. A little bit of closure from this crazy process and time in our lives.
Today the closing statement on his Echo report read “the patient has undergone a Ross procedure with no residual aortic stenosis!” He’s always had aortic stenosis. And now he doesn’t.
As we walked out of the office it felt like the end of one of those cheesy football movies where the star player walks off the field after the winning game. No one was actually there clapping as we walked out of the office, but this enormous moment was happening and inside my heart was exploding. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
ATLAS NO LONGER HAS AORTIC STENOSIS!!
