And That's a Wrap for His Fifties!

Brain cancer is...

 ...cleared by Dr. Cloughesy. Phew.

This morning's telehealth appointment with Dr. Cloughesy went very well.  He confirmed the radiologist's impression that there was no evidence of recurrence.  Phew!  (Above is the traditional complimentary breakfast.  Zoom in to see the doughnut.)

Because we were at home, we had the luxury of just sitting and decompressing a bit when the meeting ended.  I watched Darrell think and could see the doors of the future opening one by one in his mind.  June:  Open.  July:  Open.  August:  Open. It didn't really occur to me that those three months were not on Darrell's mental calendar yet.  I teared up a little.

Darrell wants you to know that this scan was the last MRI for his fifties.  Barring changes, the next time he has a scan, he says, he'll be an old man:  60.  I predict that, for me, there won't be anything better than being married to an old guy!

Tomorrow is the final appointment for this Cancer Course:  A telehealth appointment with Dr. Park.  That's when we'll schedule the next scan and round of appointments.

Let's celebrate today, Team D, the gift of growing just a little bit older.

Fun Human Brain Facts

Here's a picture of the scan while Dr. Cloughesy explained it.  Red circles indicate the tumor site.  The current scan (top) looks similar to the previous scan (bottom).  Yay.

Dr. Cloughesy is great at answering questions, so we asked about another finding noted by the radiologist:  Loss in brain volume.  Wondering if shrinkage is a result of normal aging, we asked, "What accounts for the loss in volume?"  Not aging!  Treatment effects!

The black areas in an MRI are voids, or the lack of solid matter.  See the blue arrow above?  It's pointing to Darrell's left ventricle.  (Recall that L and R are reversed in a scan.)  See how that "wing" of the black "butterfly" is larger than the other "wing"?  That "wing," or space, has been enlarged by some part of Darrell's treatment, probably the radiation.  We've seen it every scan, and I never asked.

Just what does a brain ventricle do?  It creates spinal fluid.  Who knew?  We are fascinated by this 3D gif of the brain's ventricular system.  (In case you need encouragement to click that link, just know that you have a system that looks a lot like the Starship Enterprise in your brain.)

Other parts of Darrell's brain, such as the surgical cavity, also might continue to grow (show more black) over time, which results in the loss of total brain volume.  Who knew?

Skunk Wars

Dear Skunks,
Just wanted you to know that Roene recommends coffee grounds.  We're happily pouring you a cup right now.
Cheers,
Darrell

Today's Bloom