The MRI shows that the tumor in her spinal canal hasn't really changed (which is good). There is still some tumor in her abdomen that the surgeon was not able to remove. The pathology from the surgery shows that the tumor is on its way to maturing, but not there yet. Neuroblastoma is strange because it does mature completely on its own given enough time. However, it also can do a lot of damage if left untreated because it can still grow.
Because the tumor in her spine is in such a sensitive area the doctor doesn't want to risk just letting it mature on its own and possibly causing more nerve damage or something should it start to grow. Chemotherapy will push the tumor to mature faster than it will if left untreated. So, we're looking at two more rounds of chemo. Not what we were hoping for, but I had suspected this would be the case. We are disappointed, but if she needs it, she needs it.
She will get chemotherapy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. After that we wait three weeks for her to recover and then she gets round two. During that time we will go to clinic once a week for labs to make sure that she doesn't need blood or platelets. She did so well with her previous four rounds that the doctor doesn't expect her to have any complications. After these two rounds she will get another MRI and we will go from there. Her urine will also be tested to measure the rate of maturation.
This treatment is a little bit like Grad school. It never seems to end, and you don't have any idea of when it will actually end.
4 comments:
Hi there.
I'm sorry about the disappointing news but I know you are on the downhill side of things now, and that's certainly something.
You sound like you are in good spirits and I cannot wait to visit you guys. See you next weekend!
Sorry to hear Mad needs more chemo, but I'm glad the outlook from the docs is positive. If you need anything else for these next rounds, be it platelet/blood donors, treats and toys, or anything, let us know. You'll of course always have our love and support no matter what :)
I second becky's offer for platelet/blood donor (or anything else). Please don't hesitate to ask. It's easy to specify donations for a specific recipient (and lucky you, I happen to be a universal donor). ;)
Hang in there momma.
Good to know. I believe she is O- also (universal donor) which means that she can only receive O- blood (but can donate to anyone). I don't believe that she will need anything, but I'll let you know if we decide to set up a direct donor thing. Thanks for the support.
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