Echocardiography

When I was 12 years old my mom took me to the doctors for a routine checkup, but when the doctor was listening to my heart she heard a murmur.
“It's probably nothing, but just to be sure I'll send you to see a specialist.”
About a week later I went to meet with a cardiologist, and she ran an EKG and an echocardiogram on me. The echocardiogram is a little uncomfortable because it is cold and a great deal of pressure is applied to my chest, neck, and stomach. The cardiologist left my mom and me in a patient room for a couple hours, and when she came back, she told me I had something called atrial septal defect.
She said, “Before babies are born they have a small hole inside of their heart, which makes it possible to breathe, that is supposed to close by the age of two, but yours never did.”
The surgery was done endoscopically through my leg which left a tiny scar on my right thigh. If the hole was a little bigger than the doctors would have been forced to do open heart surgery- I am thankful that was not the case. I still meet with the cardiologist every couple of years just to make sure everything is well in my heart. My heart surgery was the beginning of my medical journey.
A couple months after my surgery I started having unbearable migraines, as I have gotten older the migraines grown more severe.
Even with the MRI’s, my doctors cannot detect the exact origin of my migraines, so they keep prescribing medicine until they can find what works best. My migraines are strongest when I am heavily active, I personally believe my migraines are triggered when I do not eat enough throughout the day. With both my thyroid problem and fast metabolism I do not have the luxury of feeling “full”. This would not be a problem, but seeing how I have played four sports throughout high school, I needed to find a way to control the migraines. Luckily I have been able to do just that with my medicine and a stable
diet. When I was 14 years old I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so the doctor prescribed medicine that I must take every day for the rest of my life, or my digestive system will be upset and make me sick. I also see an endocrinologist every six months, so she can check neck and draw my blood in order to be sure the medicine is working. Some people say I need to stop playing sports considering the several doctors I am under the care of and all the medicine I take. For as long as I can remember I have played sports, quitting is not an option. I keep telling myself it could be worse, and if I ever stop playing due to my medical issues than I want to know I gave it my all the entire time.