MRI on 6/20/09

posted by Mary Lello, Monday, June 22, 2009, 9:00 PM

Good news today! The tumor has shrunk a wee bit, but even a wee bit - and we're talking point-something mm's - can be dramatically different for the brain. It looks very different now too. Dr. Weisburg showed us the images of the MRI taken on April 22 and explained what we were looking at and the tumor had a lot of whiteness around it. She called this calcified - or something like that - though I don't think that's what is was. Maybe I didn't hear her right. But it just looked .... healthy. The MRI from saturday 6/20 showed a tumor definitely a wee bit smaller with no whiteness around it and looking very different. Not sure how to explain it but it was most certainly .... different. Maybe less alive looking?

The hydrocephalus vastly changed from one month ago too. The waters have receded! The tide has gone out! However you want to look at it, this is great! Dr. W. was also very happy that Jim no longer has double vision. She was pretty sure that was going to be a permanent problem due to the swelling from the hydrocephalus damaging the optic nerves. NOPE!

Yes, I'm relieved. We would both like to see his speech begin to improve. Jim is horribly frustrated these days with the inability to make his mouth work and say the thought or word that he's got in his head. He can remember some great swear words when this happens though! I think it's time for speech therapy to help him begin to make new connections and find new tools to use. Jim didn't push for this before and didn't seem to really want it but he's ready now!

He's walking a bit better these days. I think the PT may be helping him get stronger. He still can't bend that leg and I still feel I need to be close by when he's walking to catch him if he starts to fall but this Is slowly improving and, if he seems real steady, I might back off from my hover craft mode.

That's the scoop.

Loving you all back!

Mary