Another Update

I know I have so much more to blog about and eventually I will try to catch up! But for now I will just update on what we have found out this week. We met with the cardiologist, Sherman Sorenson. Before we met with the doc, we had to repeat the bubble test and do some additional testing in his office. The ultrasound guy was awesome and explained everything to Jayden and I. He explained what he was looking for, what different things meant, and showed her where everything was in her heart. When we got to the agitation part, he described what was normal and abnormal before he started the test so we knew what we were looking for. Based on the results of those tests we found out that she does not have a PFO but an ASD. A PFO is something that everyone is born with that is used in utero. Within the first 2 years of life it is supposed to close. If it doesn't, it creates a small "trapdoor" to allow blood clots and unfiltered blood to pass through this hole. An ASD is a hole in the wall between the top two chambers of the heart. This defect allows "dirty" blood to bypass the lungs and go straight into the other chamber of the heart and be recirculated within the blood stream and to the brain. This "dirty" blood causes a host of neurological symptoms and migraines.
There isn't truly a large difference between the two and the surgery is exactly the same. Jayden has a severe ASD but we won't know the exact diameter until surgery. We have tenatively scheduled it for Feb. 22. She will stay overnight in the hospital and come home the next day if all goes well. It is SO nice to know that there is something wrong and she is not just "crazy", and that most if not all of her symptoms should disappear after the closure.
Last night Jayden and I were talking about how grateful we are for this diagnosis. I am sure if we had not been given different the potential MS diagnosis first it would have been much scarier. I know that we have truly been blessed to have gifted doctors who continue to search for answers. I am grateful that we have had this growing experience and everything that we have had to go through to get to this point. (There is no way I would have said the same thing 3 months ago!!)
It seems like surgery is so far away but it doesn't really bother us. We are willing to wait to have a skilled surgeon perform this amazingly simple heart surgery and are looking forward to being able to hopefully get our lives back to normal soon!