A full, anxious day brings good news

Posted on March 14, 2007
Filed Under All, Photos, Technology, My Brain |

Tumor w/box
Yet another MRI of my brain, taken this afternoon after 90 minutes in a GE Signa 1.5 Tesla MRI machine (actuallly among the more comfortable machines for long procedures). The tumor is near the top of this image just left of center, and it shows a void where once it showed a dense mass of rapidly dividing cellls. That’s good news. We’ve had some weakness and other symptoms lately, but it doesn’t appear to be caused by the tumor growing.

So, we worked with Dr. Chang, our oncologist, through the thicket of side effects that have left me more fatigued and weaker than previously. The weakness culprit, it turns out, is the steroids that I’ve been taking: now that they are ramping down close to zero, they’ve left hip and knee muscles weak, and I’ve got to get to work building them back up. Fatigue kind of goes with the chemo, but exercise should help that, too.The good news is exercise helps most of what ails me. And of course, we’ll need to keep our keep our eye on anemia and opportunitistic infections…..

Comments

5 Responses to “A full, anxious day brings good news”

  1. pauldwaite on March 15th, 2007 1:08 am

    Woo hoo! IN YOUR FACE, tumor. I know the side effects suck, but still. Chris: 17*, Tumor: 0.

    * Just a rough estimate based on how fabulously you’ve treated the experience. Still blogging, still creating new photo series, still working, still enjoying life, still appreciating every single blessing, and treating every misfortune as just another new challenge to tackle.

    On second thoughts, crank the score up a few thousand. I’m trying not to gush, but I’m so full of admiration for you. Delighted for you and your family that the thing that started this all off has taken a bit of a pounding.

  2. gfbird on March 15th, 2007 4:40 am

    . . . ditto + . . .

  3. cg on March 15th, 2007 7:31 am

    Thanks, Paul and Greg…

    The real hero in all this is one Linda Hubbard Gulker, who somehow has been jugggling me along with a thousand other things… I just take things one day at a time… Linda shops, works, fetches me from the train, is on our church’s Vestry and otherwise keeps up an amazing schedule… she’s often stil going full tilt at 9 PM at night….

    I’m a very lucky guy (I married well)…

  4. Edward Padgett on March 15th, 2007 2:09 pm

    Greetings Chris,

    I’m still lurking from the Los Angeles Times, and I’m happy too read your positive words of wisdom.

    Peace,
    Edward

  5. Anonymous on March 25th, 2007 11:12 am

    Would like to see a series of MRI images showing progress of the tumor.

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