Wow, are we on a rollercoaster ride this week... First, the good news - today’s follow up call from Dr. Laack provided a more positive take on the MRI results. She feels that the radiologist was being very cautious when he told her yesterday that there was “some” shrinking of the tumor. After seeing the MRI scan for herself, Dr. Laack said she was “very,very pleased with the response of the tumor”. The contrast dye that was used during the MRI showed that it is “leaking” into the tumor which means that there is "significant change" in the cells from the treatment. So, Dr. Laack was upbeat and offered hope that the treatment is having the intended effect. The next MRI in two months time will hopefully show continued shrinking of the tumor. But, as we discussed with Dr. Laack yesterday, there is no magic bullet, no overnight miracle. Shannon beating the odds will have to play out over time.
Now, the bad news. Shannon has continued with the nausea and vomiting and was on a different anti-nausea pill today that really wiped her out. She was unable to even keep fluids down, so we ended up at St. Mary’s late this afternoon for a liter of IV fluids to help with the dehydration. Poor girl. Still no definitive answer on what's causing her to feel so sick. Could be the flu. Could be cells being released from the tumor and touching a nausea center in the brain. Hard not knowing and hard seeing her down and out.
Hopefully Shannon can rest a little easier tonight. She is perking up a bit as the anti-nausea meds wear off and the fluids take effect. She even managed to eat a piece of toast! We are headed back to St. Mary's tomorrow morning so Shannon can receive a second liter of fluids. Hopefully that will get her headed in the right direction.
