Cardio Report
Trying to grab two minutes to blog while I remember it all - it’s likely that after tonight my brain will be too fried 
Toby’s appointment went well. The first nurse we saw told us that he was having an echocardiogram - we’d already said he wasn’t unless there was justification for it (e.g. an abnormal trace on the ECG). “Oh well it’s the doctor’s decision,” she said. “No,” I thought, “it’s ours.” During the ECG another nurse (or possibly a technician, not sure) came in and tried to convince me that ultrasound exposure was completely safe. He wasn’t successful
We waited for ages to see the consultant, but eventually got called. I was expecting more pressure to do an echo, and there was a bit initially, but once I said that we would consider an echo if there was actually any indication for it, but weren’t doing it otherwise, he was fine. He listened to Toby’s heart, said the murmur sounded entirely innocent to him (having already told me his ears were probably better than an ECG trace anyway). Given that Toby has absolutely no symptoms of any kind of heart issue, that he’s now gaining weight (slowly, but still gaining), that his chest x-ray and ECG are completely normal, the echo was out. The cardiologist said the chances of anything being picked up on the echo that had been missed otherwise was “infinitesimally small”, and that if it was one of his children, he’d do the echo, but that if his wife was concerned about the ultrasound exposure and didn’t want to do it, he’d not do it. That all seemed very reasonable to me
He’s asked to see us back in a year, to have another listen and make sure the murmur’s going. Otherwise cardiology is off our list, unless we have a concern, in which case he said he’d be happy to see us again.
Barney came with me, because his new glasses were ready and the hospital is reasonably close to where they were ready. We got those afterwards, then I treated him to lunch out, it being his last pre-teen birthday and all 
I can’t believe he’s 12. It just doesn’t seem possible. Party tonight, lots of kids sleeping over again - so I’d better go get stuff prepared!
Posts
Glad Toby is Ok, and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Barney!!! (And good luck to you as you enter the teen-mothering years! Brace yourself!! LOL)
Esther
Nonononono - I have one more year before teens! Stop making it go even faster than it already does!
ditto, ditto, ditto
Happy birthday Barney
(Slightly belated as we’ve been celebrating Violet’s 10th, lol!)
12’s a fine age
To be twelve is an attainment worth the struggle. Hope it’s a great year 
Twelve is an attainment…. erm, yeah, okay…
Hope Violet had a great time too
And glad to hear reasuring news about Toby - not surprised you were somewhat anxious about it beforehand, but the cardiologist sounds like a trustworthy sort of person.
ditto ditto ditto too!
Shouldn’t that be ditto ditto ditto ditto?