Wonders Never Cease

So Mom and Dad and Aunt Cindy went to see Dr. Warnick Friday.  He looked at her lab results and decided that low thyroid levels may be the culprit (for all the speech difficulties/confusion/exhaustion).  She will see her family doctor tomorrow and he'll start her on some thyroid medications.  Dr. Warnick (the surgeon) thinks that this alone may take care of these issues, so he wants to try that first before exploring any other options.

Meanwhile, she has been cheerful despite all the aforementioned ailments.  Many of you have probably seen her out and about.  She's been to Aunt Nancy's birthday celebration, church, and of course, our house.  :)  She's also been hanging out with Esphyr two afternoons a week, and Esphyr has learned to build marvelous block towers by herself while Grandma snoozes.  Her sense of humor is very much intact.  She laughs and smiles a lot, especially with the kids.

Thanks to all of you for thinking about her and asking.  Thanks to the small army of food-bearers.  Thanks for the prayers.  We appreciate all of you!  In the words of Tom Kelly, "Take care of each other."

Much love,

jk

Post-Op Update

Hello all!

Sorry I have been so late getting an official update posted.  Dad and Mom went to see Dr. Warnick on Friday and he was thrilled with how well she is doing physically.  She passed all her gross-motor neurological tests with flying colors.  He was baffled by the other concerns: Mom's lack of fluent speech and a little confusion about ordinary tasks.  Dr. Warnick didn't think these things should be happening based on the area involved in the surgery (the cerebellum), so he ordered blood tests, which will take place Monday (tomorrow), and speech therapy, which they will schedule soon.  He thinks these side effects should pass with time, but he's only giving it two weeks before he calls in another neurology colleague who specializes in these areas to help out.

That's the latest.  The best part is she always says "yes" if you ask "are you happy?" and "good" if you ask "how are you feeling?"  So at least she's not in any physical pain. :)  She doesn't seem too frustrated when she can't find the right word for something.  I think it's harder for those of us who are trying to understand her and wish we could do more.  (Yes, that's me.)

So thanks for all your kind thoughts and inquiries.  We'll let you know what we find out tomorrow.

Thanks!
jk

Seeds of Hope

Hello dear readers,

A friend of mine called tonight to say she'd heard my mom "wasn't doing well."  I was delighted to hear from this friend, but I was shocked to hear that my mom wasn't doing well.  Despite the fact that she is having her third brain surgery tomorrow, she seems to be doing very well.  I guess "well" is always relative.  And the key is perspective. 

This month, she started having headaches and feeling unsteady on her feet.  She and Dad let the doctor know this was the case, so they bumped her regularly scheduled MRI up to last week.  The day of her appointment was a tough one-- lots of nausea and dizziness.  So the doctors re-upped her steroid dose (Decadron-- they had been experimenting with weaning her off of it, which told us what we needed to know: she needs it!).  The Decadron made her feel better very quickly, but the swelling that the MRI picked-up indicated some activity in the cerebellum.  A follow-up MRI showed some tumor growth, so the tumor board voted for surgery.  Dr. Warnick will be the lead surgeon this time around.

Mom and Dad have checked into the hospital and will report for surgery first thing tomorrow morning.  Dr. Warnick said to expect a four to six hour surgery.  They will remove all visible tumor cells and try some radiation "seeds," or internal radiation, to help prevent further growth.  So we have every reason to feel good going in.  Mom admitted to being a little nervous but feels good about the decision and the team.  UC has been so good throughout this little adventure; we expect them to continue their streak. 

Thanks for all the queries and well-wishes.  Sending love right back atcha.

From all the family,
jk

Our trip to Cincy to see Dr. Morris (Rixe’s replacement) went well.  He said what we were hoping for …. “there will not be any follow up treatments”.  Can’t treat something that you cannot see.   We will be going back on April 17 for PET and MRI scans in the morning and an afternoon appointment with Dr. Morris.  Then again on April 22 to see Dr. Theo.    If everything is clear in April,  we’ll be back to scans every 3 months.  That is about as good as it gets.    So much to be thankful for !   

Paul

Love and Recovery

from Paul:

Rose is bouncing back.  Since the doctors were able to do something this
time when they opened her up,  the recovery has involved more pain and more
headaches.

What appeared to be a growing tumor in her cerebellum,  proved to be all
dead tissue as a result of her gama-knife treat for a tumor in that area in
2012  ...  2/3 necrosis and 1/3 SNUC.
SNUC is the same wicked tumor that first appeared in the front part of her
brain and nasal area in June of 2010.  We were hoping for 100% necrosis.

The scan after surgery indicated that all is clear.  That means the scan did
not pick up any living cells of the SNUC tumor throughout her brain.  That
also means that Rosie has earned her second "new lease on life".  Thanks be
to God and the many prayers. 

She is feeling better and better every day.  Daughter Allie spent 8 days
assisting the healing process.  We are celebrating Valentine's Day with
some dear friends by going out for a nice dinner and some good music (the
one and only Ladysmith Black Mambazo).

Rose is an inspiration ... we give thanks.

Paul 

The Morning Report

Hello All,

Thank you so much for all the well-wishes, prayers, good energy, and love.  I just got off the phone with Mom and Dad, and they sound very chipper and up-beat.  Dad said Mom was feeling "spunky" this morning, which was especially good because last night she was not so comfortable.  His exact words were, "She feels like she got hit by a truck."  So today she has already walked to the bathroom and back.  Nurses are still on hand to steady her.  She is a little wobbly on her feet, but the fear that she might need rehab in order to walk again after the surgery has at least been laid to rest.

As for the surgery itself, Aunt Cindy reported that Dr. Theo came into the waiting area with a big smile on his face.  "Surely he can't be delivering bad news," she thought.  And he wasn't.  Everything went better than expected-- a nice change from the previous surgery!  He did less cutting than he thought he would have to.  The suspicious "spot" appeared to be all necrotic tissue from her gamma knife surgery last year.  Aunt Annie compared it to a bruised apple-- once bruised, it continues to bruise and get bigger.  The initial reports from the microscope matched Dr. Theo's observations-- all dead tissue.  So we are waiting for pathology to give the final confirmation. That should be back in a day or two. 

There is an outside chance that Mom will be discharged tonight.  She will probably be ready, but some of the doctors are hesitant because of the long drive.  So sounds like if not tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest.

She has her breakfast ordered and is getting "good rest," in her own words.  And she says she can't wait to see everybody!

Thanks and thanks and thanks again for all your love and support.  Right back atcha.

Love,
jk

Surgery Tomorrow

Hello everybody,

So the spot in the cerebellum that they had been watching was growing enough that the team decided it was time to take action.  All agreed that surgery was the best route, even Dr. Rixe, whom mom and dad consulted in Georgia, despite the fact that she has zero symptoms (no loss of balance or coordination) and is doing very well clinically.

Mom has been a little anxious leading up to the surgery, as we all have been, but she is eager to have it done.  One great benefit of doing the surgery is that the doctors will be able to biopsy the "spot" and then we'll know what it is.  Today she was more calm and very focused on getting everything done so as not to delay surgery.  There was a problem with the MRI machine at the place where it had originally been scheduled, but they were able to reschedule at a different location.

MRI was achieved this afternoon.  Mom and Dad will spend the night in Cincinnati, where they will be joined by Cindy (mom's sister) and Tom and Melinda (dad's brother and sister-in-law).  Surgery is scheduled for 7:00am tomorrow morning.

I plan to light a candle at that time and keep it burning until the surgery is over.  Feel free to join me in my little vigil if you'd like, or just send light and love in any form that you wish.

I will post again as soon as I know something tomorrow.

Thanks for reading,
jk