We got to the hospital at 9:45am in preparation for Maria's MRI. She went in around 10:15am and came out just before 12:00pm. She said of all of the MRIs she's had, this was the most relaxed she had felt and actually experienced what was like her being wrapped up and hugged by the Lord.
I ordered a copy of the scan and received it a few minutes later, together with Maria's MRI of her spine and the CT taken of her brain when she was admitted on the 18-Nov.
We had a short break before heading to RT. They apparently had two of the three machines working, but one went offline again while she was there. It was a blessing that somehow Maria didn't have to wait like others.
I sat down tonight and had a look at the two MRIs. I ran comparisons between today's scan and her previous two (Sep, Jun) but I won't comment as I don't have the medical expertise and will wait for the neurosurgeon to assess it and speak with us next Friday. The tumour in Maria's spinal cord canal is approximately 16mm x 5mm. If you think that a long grain of rice is about 5mm x 1mm, that is like laying 16 grains horizontally and stacking them on each other.
Maria's symptoms have not improved. In fact there has probably been some regression. She is experiencing more head pain and has increased her need for pain relief in recent days. The numbness in her left leg has now migrated up to her hip. Her right leg is still unbelievably weak and she needs to lift it up with her hands to get it into the car or on/off the bed.
What I forgot to mention in yesterday's entry was that because of the issues, her Oncologist asked that we increase the steroids from 8mg to 12mg (we started today) to see whether that has any effect. The radiation will cause swelling around the treatment area and this could be the cause of the increase in symptoms. She 'soldiers on' around the house with her walking stick and walker, relying solely on the walker while we're out. She loves the idea that it is her favourite green.
