Brainy pictures!

After much bugging of the MRI/CT people, (and a $15 fee), we were able to get copies of the reports and pictures generated by my multiple visits to those obnoxious machines.  I'm pretty sure that by the end of all this I will have had a pretty extensive love affair with the MRI machine.  First of all, tumor size.  According to the first report my tumor was "10 x 6.3 x 5.4 cm area of edema  predominantly involving the left temporal lobe." That is HUGE!!!!  I thought that the doctor was a bit negative by saying how it was a miracle that I had never had a seizure, now I agree with him. When I do tumors I don't do them half way.  Here is a picture of my pre-surgery MRI.  The tumor is on the right:

It is pretty gross to look at, but also sooooo cool.  Is it bad that my first thought when I finally saw these images today was that they would be an excellent teaching resource in my science classroom?

I was also able to get the MRI images of my head post-surgery.  I never thought I would be so happy to see a hole in my brain.  The white area is where they had my drainage apparatus installed.  Some of the MRI images showed my staples, but I didn't think the men out there could handle it :).

On another note, the meeting with the "tumor board" that was supposed to happen tomorrow was delayed until Wednesday.  They have yet to receive the needed report from the specialist committee that they had to send my tumor samples off to.  Since my tumor had decided to be so obnoxious with all of its indecision, I am now going to call it the "rebel-tumor".  It will put up with being mostly removed, but not fully removed; cancerous, but not cancerous; loving blood, but hating quick growth.  Stupid tumor.