What an emotional day today. After what felt like HOURS sitting in the doctors office waiting for his arrival, Dr. Hake finally came in to see us about the MRI results. The results are in: the MRI shows NO cancer! It appears she is cancer free and has beaten this very rare form of cancer in only one round.
HOWEVER...
This is a very trick and sneaky form of cancer. What happens frequently is that some of the cells decide to 'head for the hills' and can show up months later in another part of the body. That's why mom will be going for pt scans every THREE months for the next couple of years.
The rough news is that this cancer typically runs and hides in the brain. We will have an in-depth meeting with the radiologist on Friday but the plan of action is to do a careful brain scan to see if any small areas of cancer are detected. If they are - then pinpoint radiation. If no sign - then a 'bath' of radiation will be given to the entire brain. They call his prophylactic radiation, or preventative.
Now - why would you purposely submit to radiation to the brain if it absolutely is not necessary? That is one of the many questions we will have for the doctor. What long term effects could we expect? Will this bring about any cognitive issues? You weight the options and make a decision.
Mom had a round of antibiotics today because her body is not responding to any of the other treatments for her thrush. Since she's not able to eat and swallow foods yet, even taking a 100% natural approach is not an option. So today, tomorrow and the next day she will receive intravenous medication.
We will keep everyone posted on what is decided on Friday.
Either way we take a few days to rejoice that Mom is an amazing fighter and it appears she has won the first round in this fight.
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