(Who notices the typo above? Really, they could use a proofreader!)
Dr. Shaffer quickly showed us the before and after MRI pictures, but he didn't make it clear to us what the differences were. When Dr. Gardner came in, it all made sense. I remember a shot from pre-op MRIs showing how the tumor was pushing the base of the brain to the side. He found that one and then, side-by-side, showed us how much the brain is already expanding.
I don't know if you can tell below, but on the left is before: the dark L-shaped thing in the middle is the base of the brain/top of the spinal cord. On the right is after: the L-shaped thing is "puffing out" to take up space where the tumor used to be.
This one is a couple mouse-wheel turns away on the MRI and not as clear. Maybe you can use it to get a good look at the tumor. I was surprised that there was still a white area where the tumor used to be. But you can see that the texture is different and Dr. Gardner said that was fluid filling the space formerly occupied by the tumor.
I can't remember his exact words, but they were to the gist that the success of Michael's operation was "remarkable". With the improvement he's already seen with his double vision, Dr. Gardner thinks it will for sure correct itself in the coming weeks.
But he didn't sugar coat that Michael is still in real danger of getting meningitis. We have to watch for liquid running out his nose or feeling it run down the back of his throat. He said if Michael was feeling well the next couple of days he would leave it up to us when to leave. But we had to promise him that if anything went wrong, we would turn around and come back immediately.
Other than that, though, we may have seen the last of Dr. Gardner. If all is well, we don't do anything until six months when Michael gets another MRI. That can be done in Kansas City and the results sent here, or we could come back here to see him.
As of right now, we're thinking about getting up and heading out first thing Friday morning. That would put us in Chicago overnight Friday and then home SATURDAY NIGHT!!! Part of me is surprised that Michael didn't want to get in the car tonight and drive away; however, he is first and foremost concerned for his health and doesn't want to jump the gun and regret it. If we can finagle dog sitters for three more days, I think at this point Michael, Toby and Cosmo can wait a little longer.
I asked Michael if there were any sites he wanted to see the next two days. He replied, "Only if they're in the rear view mirror!" We never made it to any of the museums or on a movie location tour, but I think all I want to do is make one more pass through Eide's entertainment tomorrow (new comic book day). We've been here long enough to have a good feeling of the city; besides, if we saw it all now, we'd have no reason to ever return (ha, ha).
Again, Michael claims all his pre-surgery symptoms are gone: he can swallow, he can walk without stumbling, he can feel the fingertips of his left hand and he can button his shirt. It remains to be seen if he's still going to be falling asleep all the time. Of course he is now because he's just had brain surgery, but if we can extend our nightly bedtime to 9:30 or 10:00 in a couple months, then it will have been a complete success.
If nothing goes wrong, there will probably be only a few more short posts on the blog... about him, anyway. Now that I've hooked you, please come back to read about other subjects, also. I'd hate to put someone in the hospital again just to get readers...
No comments:
Post a Comment