What is a VSD?

We found out that we were expecting our second child in October 2008. Katie our daughter was so excited when we told her. She had been begging for a baby brother for two years. My pregnancy was going so well. I couldn't complain about anything because everything was going great for me. In January we found out that we are having a baby boy!

Then durning our ultra sound in February we found out our son had a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) aka "hole in the heart". I was really torn finding this out because naturally you want a healthy baby. It was so hard coming out and saying that they think he has something wrong his heart. From there my doctor referred me to a high risk OBGYN in Lexington to confirm what he seen. Marc and I decided to keep things quiet for a while only telling our close family and friends.

It seemed like it was all I could think about and everytime I got on the internet I would reasearch VSD. Which I found out it was the most common treatable heart defect. This did give me hope and a peace of mind. The more I read the better I felt and I had a huge comfort that everything was going to be ok. I know that was coming from my faith in God. Really there isn't anything the Doctors can do until he's born. Then I told Marc that I felt like everything was going to be ok and he said he had the same feeling. God is in total control and even if he has a VSD God will give the Doctors the knowledge and steady hand to fix his heart. We've just got to turn it over to him.

"For I know the plan I have for you, " declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Our next appointment was with Dr. Milligan from Central Baptist Hoptial. He did comfirm the VSD and refered us to a Pediatric Cardiologist. We made our appointment with her and a follow up with Dr. Milligan in April. Still our faith and knowlege of his heart condition kept our hopes up that everything will work out. My pregnancy continued to go well just gaining weight and watching my belly grow. Our visit with Dr. Cottrill quicking approached and she seemed to think that the VSD was a moderate size and would get smaller when he was born. She explained that the blood pressure change when he starts to breath on his own will force it to be smaller. We went home that day with great hopes because she didn't see any reason why we couldn't deliver in Somerset. We scheduled a follow up visit and went home.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Our next appointment was May 19th with Dr. Cottrill. We arrived for our appointment expecting to hear that everything was ok and come back after the baby was born. But durning the ultra sound the Dr. and ultra sound tech was searching for something and couldn't get Kody to lay still long enough to get a clear view of his heart. At this point he has gotten so big that when they could get a good view they would have a shadow. Not to mention that he is so active that he couldn't be still long enough for them to see everything. An ultra sound with them would take about an hour. Finally they gave up and called my Dr. which I was fixing to go see and asked them to check out his heart that they seen something suspicious. She scheduled us another appointment for two weeks.

At Central Baptist we seen Dr. O'Brian who done the ultra sound. Just our luck Kody ended up with the hiccups and was still long enough that he was able to see his heart. We waited quietly as he done color graphs of the blood flow and spent a long time looking at everything. Not knowing what to expect he finally finished the ultra sound. He explained that he was seeing a Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV). Instead of the lung artery (pulmonary artery) and aorta coming out of separate chambers, both arise from the right-sided ventricle. Then he told us that the artery supplying the blood to the lungs was larger than artery to the body. Both of these would require surgery to fix. He said that it would be best that we deliver at UK and have a medical team ready to observe him as soon as he is born.

We left that day feeling like we had took one step forward and about ten back. We had accepted that fact that he was going to be born with a VSD and that he wouldn't have to have open heart surgery to fix that.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Psalm 103:2-3

That brings us to our appoinment on June 2nd. We seen Dr. Cottrill first who once again tried to get Kody to stay still long enough to see what was going on with his heart. She had got the papers from Dr. O'Brian with what he discovered two weeks before. After about 30 mins of turning and trying to get a good look she said that she had seen enough. She explained to us that she seen an Interrupted Aortic Arch. In which a portion of the major artery arising from the heart (aorta) is absent. With this he will require Open Heart Surgery the first few days of life. She explained that as soon as he is born they will take him to ICU and start giving him medicine to keep the Ductus from closing. Then they will do surgery to correct the interrupted artery, then close the ductus and repair the hole in his heart (VSD). These are the plans for now. She didn't mention anything about the Double Outlet Right Ventrile (DORV) that Dr. O'Brian had seen two weeks ago but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

Once again we left just speechless. We had went from something that wasn't so major to something that would require surgery. It has been one big emotional roller coaster for me. I've been so thankful that I could continue to work through all this to keep my mind off things. Plus having Katie to keep me busy in the evenings has been a blessing too. We just had started telling other people about Kody's heart. It's been so hard to tell someone for the first time and explain everything to them. Not knowing what all he'll have to go through. We've asked everyone to keep us in their prayers for God knows what's best. I still have a great comfort that he's going to be ok. I couldn't imagine going through this and not believing in God. They haven't been for sure about anything and there is still a possibilty that he'll be born and not required to have surgery. I know God answers prayers.

We've tried to keep things from Katie because she worries to much to be just four years old. But Sunday night we asked her to say her prayers and to say one for Kody. To our amazement she asked God to fix the hole in Kody's heart. I was in tears we hadn't told her that he had a hole in his heart. I guess she's just overheard us talking to other people about it. We had been talking to her about him going to a nusery and that she might not get to hold him for a few days. Just to prepare her for that part. Children are so amazing and I know that prayer for her baby brother was straight from her heart.

So now we just wait for Monday to come and we'll finally get to meet Kody. I hope he can prove the doctors wrong. Everyone keep us in your prayers.