May 28, 2010

Okay, for the full account of yesterday and today. Wow, what a long couple days it has been for all of us. We were to be in Pittsburgh at UPMC Presbyterian for a consultation with Dr. Lunsford and his staff to discuss Mom's options and the gamma knife procedure. The University hospital system was very impressive and the care and concern they showed towards Mom and our family is commendable. We arrived to the hospital and spent very little time in the waiting room. Once in an exam room we met with Dr. Jones, one of Dr. Lunsford's colleagues, who spent a great deal of time looking over Mom's case, as she was very familiar with the procedures and treatments she had already had and when she had had them. She spoke at length about the gamma knife procedure and did well to explain exactly what was going to take place, as well as any side effects or risks associated with the procedure. We then met with another of the gamma knife specialists, who further explained the procedure and answered any more questions we had. Next, a nurse came in to explain the admissions and pre-op procedures. Finally, we met Dr. Lunsford, who again explained what would happen with the procedure and spent time answering any final questions we had. We were finished within an hour, feeling very comfortable with and confident about what was to come. It was an answer to our prayers to be able to receive treatment from such professional and competent physicians. Dr. Lunsford brought gamma knife to the United States from Sweden, has been performing the procedure since 1987, and is the best gamma knife surgeon in the United States, and one of the best in the world! Makes you feel much more comfortable about putting your life in someone else's hands.

Based on the information they explained to us, the gamma knife is stereotactic radiosurgery, meaning that the radiation laser is very precise and concentrated to a very specific area rather than the general area of treatment of the radiation she had previously. The beam is very focused and will treat only the abnormal areas of the brain. In Mom's case, she had an MRI minutes before her procedure and all abnormal areas of the brain that appeared on the MRI would be treated with the procedure. This would include tumor cells, swelling, and a 1-inch border around this area in an attempt to cut off the blood vessels that are feeding the tumors, causing them to shrivel up and die. The theory behind the treatment is that the radiation will "zap" tumor cells just like a surgeon going in and removing them; however, the gamma knife is a non-invasive procedure that doesn't affect normal brain tissue in treatment resulting in a much smaller injury to the brain. Once these cells are "zapped" they should die and there's a very small chance of needing surgery to remove the necrotic tissue. What should occur is that the body's normal healing process will take over and the dead cells with be reabsorbed into the body, similar to how the body naturally heals a bruise. The risks to this procedure are relatively small, with a chance of having brain swelling due to the healing process, and headaches due to the halo that they put on the head for the procedure. They did explain that there is a chance that the treatment will not be effective, but because only the abnormal cells are receiving the radiation, gamma knife can be performed again as a treatment option as many times as needed.

Mom arrived to the hospital at 5:50 this morning and was given a sedative to calm her and make her comfortable throughout the procedure. A helmut or halo was screwed into her head, and then she was taken to have the MRI. At about 8:40 they called to the waiting room to tell us that she was ready to have the procedure done and it would take about 40 minutes. At a little before 10:00 they came and got us in the waiting room to tell us she was finished and we could sit with her in the recovery room. When we got there, she was alert and eating a snack. We sat and talked with her for about an hour. During this time Dr. Lunsford came in and told us that everything went just as planned, and that she would need a follow-up MRI in 6-10 weeks. We will be able to do all of the follow-up appointments in Morgantown through Ruby with Dr. Torres. We were then free to go and got on the road to head home no later than noon.

When we got back home we had some lunch and then settled in for naps, as it had been a long and tiresome day. I had to work this evening at Michaels and Mom felt well enough that she wanted to come along and attend the monthly crop, so she and Allison joined me at work. We've since put her to bed for the evening, as she has big plans to attend our cousin, Jesse's graduation from Pocahontas County High School tomorrow. While we're down that way, we're planning to stop by and visit the Mastrogiuseppe's, as well. It will be another long day, but as long as Mom feels up to going, I suppose we'll be taking her. It's a blessing that she has the desire to go, so we're happy to assist.

I will continue to provide updates as she recovers. Continue to remember us in your prayers, as well as giving thanks for the miracles and healing that God has already performed! Thanks to all of you for all your concern and support. We feel very fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family!