Today on my way down to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center I tried to figure out how many brain MRIs I have had. My guess is anywhere from 30-something to 40. I remained pretty calm for this MRI. I kept myself busy and surrounded by good positive people. My neuro-oncologist request a different MRI this time- a perfusion MRI. From what I have read it is a great tool. They change the timing of the contrast dye and somehow can see how much blood the tumor is taking up. This is very important because as tumors grow they need more blood. Research has shown that monitoring this can show the changing of the tumor before an MRI can show its' growth. I am really happy that my neuro-oncologist is up date on the research. The result of my MRI showed that my tumor is STABLE!! Yeah! The only better news would have been NED (no evidence of disease), which was not possible right now. I am ecstatic with this news. When I Asked my NO she said there is no real way of determining if this "abnormality" is residual tumor or scar tissue. When pressed she said she would assume it was residual tumor, but she is not too concerned of it growing because it is "really low grade." I feel like a million tons of rocks were taken off my shoulders. She also really listened to my concerns about my cognition issues and seizure problems. It is nice to have a doctor consider how you perceive your quailty of life and your concerns. She gave me her email address and is sending me information on cognitive rehab. I do not know if I qualify or anything, but I like to know that I can try. I am glad that I have a plan of possible steps to get myself headed in the right direction of healing. Here is to 6 months of watching and LIVING! Cheers!
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