What Living Day-to-Day is Like for the Parent of a Child With CHD
Unfortunately, congenital heart disease, or CHD, does not follow a specific path with outlined procedures and repairs. It often throws us for a loop and causes us to react in the moment and then live with the fear and flashbacks going forward. About 6 months ago, Faith told me her tummy was shaking. When I placed my hand on her chest I realized her heart was beating very fast. I called 911 and the paramedics brought us to the local ER. Fast forward through all the details and they ended up performing a cardioversion (shocked her heart back into normal rhythm). We have since developed a plan with her cardiologist about what to do next time which put my mind at ease. That last part is a lie. It was supposed to put my mind at ease but my mind is never at ease. In the last 1-2 months my husband and I have noticed that her heart rate is lower than her baseline, and even drops into the 40's when she is sleeping. For reference, a 4-year-old's heart rate should not go below 65 beats