Wednesday, March 07, 2007

End of 3rd year tests look good!

About three weeks ago Anthony went for his three year post-chemo tests and everything looks good! He did a blood test, echocardiogram, and CT scan. Everything is normal... Yeah!

I didn't write about this in my last entry because I thought it was nothing and did turn out to be nothing in the end, but the last echocardiogram in September showed something weird (according to the cardiologist). He noted that there was a slight difference in movement around the left ventricle and this could signal possible problems. As a little background, one of the drugs they gave to Anthony (adriamycin a.k.a doxorubicin) can cause enlargement of the heart, also called cardiomyopathy. This could possibly be serious and would eventually result in the need for a heart transplant. So, when the cardiologist said he saw something funny, I kinda worried. When he told me that he saw this difference in movement though, I immediately thought about the apparatus in Anthony's chest. The material they put in there to take the place of the ribs can block ultrasound waves and make it difficult to see everything. I mentioned this to the cardiologist and he did not want to go back and look at the previous echo. He was convinced that he saw something real. I was not so convinced, though.

The cardiologist wanted us to go back for another echo in Feb. to see if anything had changed. We did, and surprise...the cardiologist said "it is really hard to see things in there, but I see no sign of any problems". He originally wanted Anthony to come back in 6 months for another echo, but now he says we should come back in a year and possibly not again after that. He repeatedly said "everything looks really great, he looks very healthy and I don't see any problems at all". I was gracious and didn't say "I told you so", but I was definitely thinking it.

As for the rest of the scans, we go back every three months for CTs during this last year and then switch to every six months for the next year. After that, Dr. Masterson said Anthony is considered cured and won't have to go back every year for CT scans! I had thought that he would have to go every year for the rest of his life, but he will finally be free of all the poking and prodding in another two years. That was news that made me very happy.