In one of my earlier posts informing my followers of the new activity with "Timmy" I also stated I was going to rededicate myself to staying more active/working out. I renewed my membership to our local recreation center in late February and can share since March 1st through today I've only missed 2 days of working out. The first was when I took a red-eye flight back from Hawaii and although I arrived before noon that Friday, Kristine and I had our taxes done that day and by the time I got home I was exhausted. I would miss another Friday workout to spend some time with my beautiful bride. Needless to say I am getting stronger again which is what I wanted to happen so if I do have surgery I believe being in shape will aid in my recovery. Along the way of getting back in shape not only am I losing weight I'm also joining a Marine brother (Brian W.) on the Face of America Ride which begins at the Pentagon on Saturday the 27th ending in Gettysburg on Sunday equating to 120 miles in 2 days. I've been riding but the longest I've gone of recent is 25 miles so this weekend should be interesting.
The the following week we have the Race for Hope and with the help from family, friends, and strangers alike "The Gunny's Team" is going to reach it's goal of 10K this year. To all that have donated thank you very much for your support.
I've also purchased new t'shirts this year and if you wish to get one please make a donation of $20 dollars to "The Gunny's Team" and let me know and I'll get it to you. This year's shirts are navy blue with white print screening and I can honestly say I think this is the best looking shirt we've had to date.
There are many of you which wear past years shirts and post pics on Facebook and I can't express how touched I am by your continuous moral support.
I'll post pics from this weekends ride and will give you an update.
SF
JD
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
MRI results (Good news but still unsure how to proceed)
Today was the follow-up appointment to get the results from the MRI scan I had on Monday afternoon. I can share that I received the news we could hold off but the Dr also opened the door for me on when to do it. Her first comments after coming into the room was the tumor was stable and the hot spot where dye had leaked from the February scan was not as prominent and looked to be smaller and admitted she couldn't explain why.
Some of you are probably thinking that is good news and I agree; however, she also shared the bridge between the left and right frontal lobes indicates the tumor is migrating to the right side. This was something Kristine and I were made aware of when we first learned of the tumor three years ago. Unfortunately, it's not been a major topic of discussion in previous appointments at least not what Kristine or I can remember.
Nonetheless, today was more about focusing on this new piece of information and leaves Kristine at a lost on what to do. The Dr's position is to still have surgery its just when. Of course Kristine and I were at odds in the room with the doctor and struggle on what the right answer is or course to follow regarding my treatment.
Before I left NIH today I went back and signed the necessary paperwork to have my scans and notes sent to John Hopkins and going to get an additional consult with Dr. Holdhoff who I met in March and get his opinion. If he has a different opinion and suggests to continue to monitor I'm most likely going to stick with his opinion and most likely move to John Hopkins for further monitoring and treatment. If he agrees to continue with the path of surgery then I will it will be just a matter of when.
Most would think I would be excited to have gotten the news today and to a certain extent I am but I'm also perplexed because I'm struggling to determine what is the right course to pursue. If I had a heart disease or broken limb there is a set of procedures which doctors all over the world follow. However, with this disease it's on a case by case basis and although medicine is a science there is not specific set of procedures on how to deal with brain tumors.
So I'm off to bed to wonder about this even more.
SF
JD
Some of you are probably thinking that is good news and I agree; however, she also shared the bridge between the left and right frontal lobes indicates the tumor is migrating to the right side. This was something Kristine and I were made aware of when we first learned of the tumor three years ago. Unfortunately, it's not been a major topic of discussion in previous appointments at least not what Kristine or I can remember.
Nonetheless, today was more about focusing on this new piece of information and leaves Kristine at a lost on what to do. The Dr's position is to still have surgery its just when. Of course Kristine and I were at odds in the room with the doctor and struggle on what the right answer is or course to follow regarding my treatment.
Before I left NIH today I went back and signed the necessary paperwork to have my scans and notes sent to John Hopkins and going to get an additional consult with Dr. Holdhoff who I met in March and get his opinion. If he has a different opinion and suggests to continue to monitor I'm most likely going to stick with his opinion and most likely move to John Hopkins for further monitoring and treatment. If he agrees to continue with the path of surgery then I will it will be just a matter of when.
Most would think I would be excited to have gotten the news today and to a certain extent I am but I'm also perplexed because I'm struggling to determine what is the right course to pursue. If I had a heart disease or broken limb there is a set of procedures which doctors all over the world follow. However, with this disease it's on a case by case basis and although medicine is a science there is not specific set of procedures on how to deal with brain tumors.
So I'm off to bed to wonder about this even more.
SF
JD
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