Hard to believe Chad had yet another surgery on May 1.
We made our way to Winston-Salem today for a 3pm appointment.
All is well.
Dr. Tatter reviewed the MRI Chad had yesterday and said that hydrocephalus (excess spinal fluid) was down, thanks to the shunt.
The incision sites from both surgeries look great, and Chad is feeling pretty good.
He still has a headache constantly, but it’s not as bad as before the shunt placement. This could be from the steroids – or from the shunt itself causing irritation. Time will tell.
I asked him today if he felt better than before his March 20 tumor resection. I wasn’t surprised when he said he felt worse. He’s been through a lot in two months. And I know he doesn’t feel quite himself, still. He’s tired. Yet, he can’t sleep. The combination of medications all have varying side effects that counteract and exacerbate each other.
Let’s see….
What else did we learn today?
Chad got driving privileges back. Yea 🙂
He can start his steroid taper & wean off in 1 week.
And he got the green light for radiation, in conjunction with low-dose chemo.
Next Tuesday, he will have a dry-run for his radiation appointments.
Then on Wednesday, he starts a regular treatment schedule at 1:30 Monday-Friday for 6 weeks. He will take low-dose Temodar for 42 consecutive days, too.
According to Dr. Tatter, there is no strong evidence that taking low-dose chemo with radiation is beneficial with Chad’s tumor type/grade. But why not try it? We have one shot at radiation – we might as well try something we know works in higher grade gliomas. It’s definitely not going to hurt anything.
I guess that’s all for now.
Back to our regular posting schedule in a few days.
I’m taking Carys to a mommy&me camp this weekend, Cailyn is staying with her Nana & Papa, and Chad is going to try to relax and get some work done, too. We’ve had a busy week, so I welcome a little bit of R&R.
Have a good weekend!