Responding In Faith

Hey!  Guess what?  I have a new title.  I just found out I’m a MVP!  Most Valuable Player?  No.  Most Valuable Parent?  No.  Actually, I have been diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse.  Sounds worse then it actually is.  I actually was diagnosed with this in college and was put on beta blockers.  A couple of years later I saw another doctor and he said I didn’t have it because he couldn’t hear anything.  The first doctor had done an echocardiogram and 24 hour heart monitor.  The second doctor just didn’t believe it, I guess!  Well, some 17 years later, guess what?  I still have it!!  For whatever reason, they did not pick up on this when I went to the emergency room a few weeks ago.  The ER doctor did suspect something with my heart because after listening to my heart for awhile, he ordered an EKG.  MVP will not show up in an EKG.

Its nice to get the diagnosis as I have exhibited many of the symptoms for quite some time.  Nice to know there is a reason behind my madness!!  :)  I have had episodes of syncope for years, fatigue (not just the normal fatigue of having 10 children!), migraines, low blood pressure, irregular  heartbeat, over active autonomic system.  Yep, that’s me!  But really I am quite functional despite the length of the list!  Really though, it doesn’t bother me that much.  It is just the way I am made and I have learned over the years to keep moving forward.  The diagnosis, for a second time, is nice because now I know its not all in my head!

When I did a follow up  with my doctor this past week, I went in with my diagnosis.  My sweet husband had remembered that I had been diagnosed with that back in college and had me look up the symptoms prior to the appointment.  The two of us had read the symptoms and just nodded our heads knowing that I have MVP.  When I went in and explained this to the doctor’s assistant, he looked at me like I was a big goob!  He went in to talking about my headaches and blah blah blah blah…..Then he went into discussing the three places that you could hear a MVP if you were to have it.  So he said let’s listen in the first place that you are least likely to hear it.  “Oh!  You have a classic case of MVP.”  I immediately lost my title of being a big goob and was taken more seriously!  He let me listen to my heart, “THUMP, THUMP, CLICK.  THUMP, THUMP, CLICK.”  Yep.  There it was!

So now I have an appointment with the cardiologist on Tuesday, April 1.  I get to go have an echocardiogram done.  Sounds like a good homeschool experience for a couple of my kids!  See mom’s heart on the monitor!  Sounds like a field trip!!

They are going to do the echo just to make sure everything is ok.  There are rare,  I repeat, rare, cases where valve replacements are done.  I really think I am ok.  I have had this for a very long time.  There are times when it acts up worse then other times.  But really, I am good.  I really appreciate everyone’s prayers!  I know there have been quite a few people worried because when I left church that Sunday I didn’t look so well.  Thank you again for the prayers.  I would appreciate the continued prayers as we move forward with seeing the specialist.  Thanks for all the meals and extra hands with the kiddos as well!  We really appreciate our extended church family!  Thanks sis for setting things up!!  I love you!