May 30, 2013

Hello, everyone...I am sorry it took me so long to post an update, but sometimes I have a hard time believing that anyone actually reads this blog until someone asks why I haven't posted! Ken had his MRI and appointment with Dr.M. on Thurseday. The MRI results are a bit complicated, so the following is my attempt at an explanation. The Avastin affects the blood vessels in the tumor, so it absorbs less contrast during the MRI. This makes it appear differently on the scan...actually, when you look at the scan (compared to the previous month's scan) the tumor almost looks like it's dissappeared. In fact, the official read from radiology shows no significant increase in size. However, the reading is somewhat misleading, and in reality the tumor may have actually grown slightly. Due to the new growth, coupled with the fact that Ken is now beginning to show some symptoms, Dr. M. has decided to change his chemotherapy regimen. He will continue to recieve the Avastin every two weeks (which will now be administered locally), but he will now be receiving BCNU (instead of Carboplatin) every 6-8 weeks. The tumor seems to be growing into the Occipital Lobe, which explains some of his symptoms (some of his balance issues may be related to a deficit in his visual field). He also has been having some headaches as well as some tingling and shakiness along his left side. Other han that, he is feeling pretty well, and continues to enjoy volunteering at the kid's school - for some reason, all of the kids there treat him like some sort of rock star! We are both looking forward to spending a few days away as a family in either Cape Cod or Rhode Island in the near future!