Maria's parents came over in the morning after they stayed at a friend's place the previous evening—having been to a funeral yesterday. The four of us went out for lunch to allow us all to relax a bit with the exception of Maria who was already in that zone.
The appointment was at 3:30pm, but we weren't seen until nearly an hour later. Time seemed to slow down as we waited. Eventually we saw one of the neurosurgical registrars who was involved in treating Maria during her hospitalisations. The computer didn't seem to be working—which was adding to my anxiety—so we passed the time covering off on questions while waiting for the PC to reboot.
Maria's Neurosurgeon came in just as the computer sorted itself. We chatted briefly, then he brought up last week's MRI. He then pulled up her previous two scans (i.e. before and after her surgery) for comparison, with the main focus on how it looked against the one taken two days after her surgery on 17 June.
Without going into all the technical discussion, the tumour has SHRUNK!!! Although there is still tumour present, overall it is smaller than post-surgery. The neurosurgeon was very happy with what he saw in that in his view (comparing size and aspects of the tumour) it is "under control" at present. The other great news is that we are going to cut Maria's dexamethasone (steroids) completely from tomorrow and her Oxycontin (pain relief) next week. We'll see how that goes. Maria has more pronounced shaking in her hands, which is more than likely a side effect of one of her many drugs. We will be seeing a Neurologist in the near future (recommended by the Neurosurgeon) to examine this issue in a bit more detail.
He wants Maria to continue her chemotherapy and ordered another MRI in three months (early December), after which we'll meet with him and go through this again. PRAISE GOD for this result!!! You can imagine the emotion of Maria's parents when we arrived home to share the news with them.
The appointment was at 3:30pm, but we weren't seen until nearly an hour later. Time seemed to slow down as we waited. Eventually we saw one of the neurosurgical registrars who was involved in treating Maria during her hospitalisations. The computer didn't seem to be working—which was adding to my anxiety—so we passed the time covering off on questions while waiting for the PC to reboot.
Maria's Neurosurgeon came in just as the computer sorted itself. We chatted briefly, then he brought up last week's MRI. He then pulled up her previous two scans (i.e. before and after her surgery) for comparison, with the main focus on how it looked against the one taken two days after her surgery on 17 June.
Without going into all the technical discussion, the tumour has SHRUNK!!! Although there is still tumour present, overall it is smaller than post-surgery. The neurosurgeon was very happy with what he saw in that in his view (comparing size and aspects of the tumour) it is "under control" at present. The other great news is that we are going to cut Maria's dexamethasone (steroids) completely from tomorrow and her Oxycontin (pain relief) next week. We'll see how that goes. Maria has more pronounced shaking in her hands, which is more than likely a side effect of one of her many drugs. We will be seeing a Neurologist in the near future (recommended by the Neurosurgeon) to examine this issue in a bit more detail.
He wants Maria to continue her chemotherapy and ordered another MRI in three months (early December), after which we'll meet with him and go through this again. PRAISE GOD for this result!!! You can imagine the emotion of Maria's parents when we arrived home to share the news with them.
After dinner, Maria's parents headed back to their South Coast home (3 hours away). Maria went to bed early as it has been a huge day for her. The kids and I are kicking back, watching a football (Rugby League) semi-final.
I want to take this opportunity to first and foremost thank those who have uplifted Maria (and our family) in prayer to our Lord, Jesus Christ. We also thank those who have expressed their love and support by email.
