The Cardiologist

  The first appointment after my diagnosis was with my cardiologist.  When my OB/GYN told me about the diagnosis over the phone, she stated it was very important for me to follow-up with a cardiologist due to the possible risk of aortic dissection.  It was explained to me that about a third of women with TS have cardiac issues.  I called a cardiologist that was a friend of the family (long-time friend of my uncle) and his office actually got me in that same day due to a cancellation.  He completed an echo-cardiogram, or sonogram on my heart.  This procedure was completely pain free and not uncomfortable at all.  He was able to provide me with the results right away and said that the echo came back perfectly normal.  He recommended me to go ahead and have an angiogram, like a CT scan for your heart.  That was scheduled for a week later. 

 The angiogram was a little more uncomfortable.  It involves having some dye injected into a vein in your arm, which then spreads down the length of your body.  For me, it felt like my chest was very heavy and tight and then a warmth spread down my body into my abdomen.  At one point it really made me feel like I was going to urinate on myself.  Luckily the tech had warned me about this sensation before I started so I knew I wasn't a grown woman having an unfortunate accident on their testing table.  I remember just feeling very anxious throughout the test.  The cardiolist's office called me the next week and said that those results too were normal. 

  The doctor told me that with good results on both those tests, he was not overly concerned about my heart and that it looked very normal.  He recommended that I follow-up every two years for the rest of my life, just to make sure nothing comes up.  He also recommended that if I get pregnant, I should see a high-risk OB, just to monitor issues that may arise due to increased stress on the body during pregnancy. 

  If you are newly diagnosed with any form of TS, your doctor will tell you that a cardiac check-up is a must.  For more information on possible issues involving your heart, the Turner Syndrome Society has great information and suggestions.  http://turnersyndrome.org/resources/healthcare-topics

~T.