murmer

I don't know how many of you know that The Babe has a heart murmer. She was diagnosed with it while we were still in the hospital when she was born. She's had many tests done, and we go to the cardiologist every year for a check up. From everything I've been told, she has the most ideal kind of murmer, in type, size, and placement. So, yay! At her very first cardiologist visit, when she was one week old, they gave me a medical card to carry with me. The doctor explained to me that if The Babe were ever in an accident, needed surgery, or major dental work, that special precautions would need to be taken to prevent infection. Complications from said infection could be fatal, so I would always want to be sure medical professionals were aware of The Babe's condition.

The Babe is almost 5 years old now, and her murmer has never been a problem. Until today.

Today we saw the dentist. The Babe has been going to the dentist since she was 3. The first few times, they just poked around in her mouth a bit, but last time we went, they actually polished her teeth. So, we've had this appointment on the books for weeks now, and we've been talking it up. You know how it is with kids, you have to build them up to big things like this. About a week before any of her dentist appointments, we start talking very excitedly about how fun it is to go to the dentist, and we all practice making our best dentist faces, holding our mouths wide open for long periods of time. This madness works for us, and The Babe was very excited to go see the dentist today.

Because we had taken her to the dentist several times in the past, I was not even concerned about taking her today. Her murmer didn't even cross my mind, as certainly a routine cleaning does not qualify as major dental work. Wrong I was. At her very first visit to the dentist, back when she was 3, I had given them a copy of her medical card from the cardiologist to keep in their file. Glad I did. Apparently, the card says right on it (in medical speak) that The Babe needs to take an antibiotic an hour before routine dental cleanings in order to prevent the possible dreaded infection. I guess it's right there, you just have to speak medical-ese to understand it. This was never an issue before, because the most the dentist ever did was polish her teeth, but today they were planning to clean them with the metal tools and everything. So, we were a no-go.

I was worried that The Babe would be terribly disappointed, but our wonderful dentist understands kids very well. I've actually been seeing him since I was a kid myself. He looked in The Babe's mouth for a bit, told her how beautiful and perfect her teeth are, and gave her the usual goody bag with a new toothbrush and flosser. Thank goodness he's so good with the kids.

I, on the other had, felt like a total dumbass. I had brought my child to her doom without even knowing it. I know that's dramatic, and it wasn't that bad. Thank goodness the dental hygenist was on her game and read that card. But, I still felt stupid for not realizing that today would be a problem. Nice parent I am.

The plan now is that I need to speak to her cardiologist at her next visit (coming up!) and get updated written instructions on what is necessary before she has her teeth cleaned. If an antibiotic is needed, I need to have a scrip written so I can give her the dose an hour ahead of her appointments. The up side of this (I guess), is that the dentist is of the opinion that if the antibiotic is needed, her dental visits should be limited as a child. He doesn't want her to build up an immunity to the antibiotic as a child, because apparently it will be far more important when she is older... so, he says he'll only want to see her once a year, rather than every 6 months. He even said that depending on her teeth, he may only want to see her once every 2 years. So, at least there's that, for her.