Anna Update

So Anna's appointment went as perfectly as they always do.  She could run the tests herself at this point since she was telling the cardiac nurse everything that she needed to do next.  She was a trooper through all of the tests and very patient while we waited in between.  We had really no wait before the appointment which was nice.  Her heart is doing well and only showing a slight change from last time.  Her left ventricle is what they are really watching at this point because it is where the damage will occur.  For now there is only slight dilation and it's only a fraction more dilated than six months ago.  This is good news despite sounding like more damage is happening.  This change is what they expect and her ventricle is still within the normal range.  It's just a little bit bigger than it was last time.  Of course it is starting to change which isn't great but the cardiologist said that she is so happy with her exam that she doesn't need to see her for a year instead of six months.  The other good news we got was that after staying at the same weight for a year she finally gained weight and is now big enough to have the repair done when the time comes.

Here's the flip side of it though.  When it's time for her to have it repaired she will be going back to Sick Kids Hospital (Formally known as Hospital for Sick Children) in Toronto.  It's one of the leading pediatric hospitals in the world and has some world class doctors.  The doctor that her cardiologist wants to do the repair was an integral part of inventing the heart catheter.  He might be retiring before the year is up.  Interestingly, he had a heart attack.  What does this mean for us???  Even though she is doing so well she might be facing the procedure to repair the tunnel sooner rather than later.  Ideally they will go in through her wrist or groin and close the tunnel.  There is always a small percentage (something like 2%) of a chance that this will not be possible and they will have to do it the old fashioned way but they won't know until they try.  Is this scary?  Hell yes!  Despite the fact that her defect is something that is a fairly routine fix it's in a very odd place and could be more complicated to repair than the average tunnel.  However I know that she is in the best possible hands and that people from all over the world come to this hospital everyday.

I'm happy with the outcome of her appointment despite all of the ups and downs.  Every time we go for her check ups I wait for the news that there has been a drastic change in her heart and that it needs to be repaired immediately to prevent permanent damage.  Every time we leave without that news is a good visit:)