I figure since it has been a few months since my last entry, so I should probably catch everyone up. To make it short, everything is good! It has been about a year and a half since I had brain surgery, about six months since I finished my chemotherapy, and according to my last MRI the left side of my brain has not changed. This means that against the odds, my tumor is on a siesta! However, there is a still an area of the MRI where the tumor was that looks different from the normal brain tissue. After discussing these results with my oncologist (Dr. Wagner) the options as to why that spot is still there are because the tumor cells are dead, tumor is still alive but dormant, or it just looks weird as a result of the surgery/radiation/chemo. I am a big fan of options one or three. Either way, those are all good news. (Yes, I am being an optimist . . . the world must be ending soon if I'm doing that).
On another happy note, I went back to the eye doctor today who was the first person who spotted the suspicious swollen optic nerve November 2012. I am now a big fan of Costco ophthalmologists. The doc happily looked at my eyes and let me know that my left optic nerve is not swollen, and very surprisingly, that the vision in my left eye is actually significantly better than my right eye. There went my plan of being a pirate with an eye-patch for Halloween. Since my vision has improved by A LOT, we are going back to our original goal of a few years ago; to hike/camp a new trail in Glacier National Park every summer weekend. There are pictures below of my husband and I on a trail called "twin falls". We were unfortunately unable to make it to the falls due to the trail conditions, but it was fun anyway. Being able to get out of the house again without having to worry about health issues is a dream! (Pictures of the washed-out trail below).
 |
| Rock (the brave husband) |
 |
| Me (the wet but happy wife) |
Well, that's it. I have another MRI coming up next month to check up on things, but I am thinking that it should continue to be good. My husband and I are now looking over our options for adoption/foster kids since it has been almost two years since surgery. Thanks to the tumor and chemo I am entering menopause a lot earlier that average, meaning that becoming pregnant and giving birth to a healthy child would be slim. I originally thought that having hot flashes when I was younger would be better than having it as part of the stereotypical mid-life crisis. Nope. I was wrong. Say a prayer or two for my husband, he has to put up with a menopausal wife who isn't even thirty yet. Either way, life is looking good; happy 4th of July everyone!
