Doctor's Appointment

What did the doctor say?

Dennis saw his doctor today.  The doctor, after reviewing all of the MRI reports said that what they show is pseudo-progression.  In essence, this is a false progression.  This is what he had expected to see at this point. 


He told us that his observation of Dennis in general was encouraging.  He felt that Dennis was doing better functionally than he was the last time he saw him.  Dennis has also been saying that he feels like his walking is better recently but this confirmation of that from the doctor was encouraging.


Dennis will continue on the current treatment until mid-April when they will do another MRI. 

What's happening now?

We don't have a lot planned right now other than the normal day-to-day things.  Like everyone, we can't wait for this winter to end.


On Saturday, our small group from church was at the house and helped us with a couple of projects.  The men installed railings for the steps from the garage into the house, installed a new water softener and fixed our kitchen light.  The ladies helped me organize Brooklyn's toys.  We loved the fellowship and time with these precious friends. 

What should we pray for?

• Pray that this treatment continues to work.
• Pray for Dennis' walking and balance that it continues to improve.
• Pray for peace and encouragement on an on-going basis for each of us.

The Doctor Called

I don't have a lot of details at this point but the doctor told Dennis that what he is seeing is most likely pseudo-progression.  (See previous blog for details on that.)  In short, this is what we were hoping we would hear.  He will see the doctor on Monday and get more information but will be proceeding with the current treatment.  We will update this blog more after we have seen the doctor.

We are thankful for this report as it is the best case scenario at this point.  Please keep praying.

Delays

Dennis had an MRI last week but unfortunately the specific type of MRI the doctor needed was not done and they will have to repeat the MRI this week on Thursday. 

What We Know

The MRI that was done last week shows some change.

What We Don’t Know

Because the correct MRI was not done, we don’t know what these changes are.  There are three possible situations:

1. The tumor is growing – if this is the case, it would most likely mean the current treatment is not working.
2. The tumor is about the same but the last MRI was not accurate – this is a possibility because the medication Dennis was on at that point worked by starving the blood supply to the tumor.  Therefore, the contrast they put into his blood to do the MRI would not have reached parts of the tumor and it would not have shown up well on the MRI.
3. There is pseudoprogression – this is a common occurrence with the current treatment.  It makes it look like the disease is progressing when it is not. 

The new MRI should enable the doctor to sort out what is happening.  We are praying it is pseudoprogression. 

Now What?

Dennis has the new MRI on Thursday morning.  We may hear as early as Thursday what the results are or it may be Friday.  We will see the doctor on Monday.  If he determines this is pseudoprogression, Dennis will most likely continue the current treatment.  If it is tumor growth, we will need to discuss other options.  With each treatment that fails, our options moving forward are fewer. 

Prayer Requests

Pray for a good report from the new MRI. 

Pray for peace as we wait.