Congenital Heart Disease: How I Learned to Cope
worse than it is, and it certainly blew my mind on that horrible morning. She was sent to the Montreal Children's Hospital for a thorough cardiac evaluation, and I was informed that she will likely have to undergo corrective surgery to patch the holes and ligate the ductus at approximately six months of age or perhaps at age one. Either way, the prognosis for her condition is excellent. Though open-heart surgery always entails certain risks, the procedure she will be subjected to is fairly common and relatively safe. Barring all complications, I am told that she should be able to leave the hospital within three to six days following her surgery. Thankfully, her lifestyle should not be adversly affected, because this interventional technique is entirely curative. As can be deduced from above, the outlook is very positive.
Despite all of the optimism, there are still times that I resent the fact that this has happened to MY baby. The initial guilt I experienced has not dissipated entirely: in spite of reassurances from Morgan's cardiologist, I still feel that I may have done something to cause her condition. Though I have faith, I am scared; though I am optimistic, I have a good cry every now and then. Upon the discovery of my daughter's problem, I became feverently determined to learn as much as I could with regard to her condition. In the process, I discovered the intellectually fascinating world of cardiology and congenital heart disease. In further articles, I will explore some of these issues. For now, I would like to share with you some of the techniques that have helped me to cope with this difficult situation. Hopefully, they will serve you as well as they have served me.
Express your emotions
If you try to suppress your feelings in an attempt to be "strong" for your baby, or other members of your family, your pent-up emotions will assume a life of their own and may even take a destructive path. Avoidance of the fact that your baby is afflicted with a serious condition will not make it go away. While I certainly do not advocate that you spend all of your time thinking about what is wrong with your child, it is important that you face the problem for what it is. Denial and avoidance are very powerful defense mechanisms, and while they may serve to temporarily alleviate your pain, they are not
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