More scans tomorrow...

Tomorrow I go to Swedish Hospital in Seattle for two more brain scans, a MRI and a CT scan. These are 'mapping' scans in preparation for the Cyberknife procedure coming up soon. We're praying for a clean scan, of course, so nothing further will need to be done, however... if the Cyberknife is necessary we're very thankful for the skilled doctors we're surrounded by and the amazing 'tools' available now.

Thank you again for your prayers for my family. As you can imagine, each scan is a nervous time for them and I would give anything for this to be over so they never have to worry about me again.

To God be the glory for the great things He has done, the great things He is doing, and the great things He will do!

Results of our conference call

Yesterday afternoon we had a conference call with my radiosurgery specialist to determine the best course of action. His recommendation is the CyberKnife with no chemotherapy.

The CyberKnife is a remarkable way to perform radiation with precision and without damaging neighboring tissue. The painless procedure takes about an hour and then I would go home.

With every treatment option there are possible side effects and long range concerns. The tumor site is on the brain stem so the precision of the CyberKnife is comforting. Radiation can cause swelling which can have various ramifications such as headache and possible seizures and they've assured me that if that happened they can help me through it. There is also the possibility of other problems that happen to approximately one in twenty patients. 

We're praying, as a family, whether this is best way to go right now. God is my Primary Care Physician and we take all the opinions and lay them at His feet. We have a couple of weeks before we must make a decision.

Once again, thank you all for your prayers for my family and me. I'll do my best to keep you all up to date.

God bless!

Dr. Foltz has passed away...

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2013/06/reverd-brain-surgeon-greg-foltz.html

It is with great sadness that I share the news that my neurosurgeon, Dr. Greg Foltz, passed away Thursday night, surrounded by his family. As many of you know, Dr. Foltz had been battling Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Foltz, who was 50 years old, had spent the last 20 years as a pioneer and champion for advancing brain cancer research in the hope of one day finding a cure. His compassion and dedication to his patients was, and is, an inspiration to us all. The Swedish Foundation has been working with Dr. Foltz and his wife, Luba, on a celebration of his life, which is scheduled for July 15 at Benaroya Hall. Please access the link below for more information on this event. We welcome your attendance in support of Dr. Foltz and his family.

http://www.swedishfoundation.org/foltz-event

Quick Video Update

Update 6/28/2013 Part One:

Update 6/28/2013 Part Two:

Update: 6/27/2013

There's a lot to talk about in this update. Please read the last entry to help understand this one.

My last MRI showed a spot that, when compared to the previous MRI, was growing a bit. If you look at the picture below, my original tumor was in the right frontal lobe and is stable and doing well, meaning, no changes since it was removed.

The new spot is in the pons area of the brain stem. It is relatively small, but it is slowly getting bigger.

The Tumor Board met on Monday and the consensus is that the spot is similar to the original tumor, meaning that it consists of slow growing, medium grade cancer cells. (To be clear, a group of cancer cells is referred to as 'tumor' even if it does not have 'mass'. For now, this area of cancer cells has no 'mass', but they 'light up' during the MRI.)

The Board recommended radiation and possibly chemo, just like before. The final recommendation will come after we have a conference call on Tuesday.

We may opt to do a low radiation approach, or a cyber-knife approach, depending on previous radiation 'maps'. Stay tuned for the final decision.

Thank you all for praying with us during this new adventure. As you know, God is my Father and He knows exactly what He'd like us to do. He may tell us to do nothing and trust Him. Or, He may ask us to heed the doctor's advice, or, whatever, and trust Him. He is my Healer and we'll do exactly what He leads us to do.

Check in with me around Tuesday evening and I'll have more information for you. :)