MRI #2

Today was our second quarterly follow-up MRI, to monitor the tumor size and/or behavior. The pictures looked really good and the neuro oncologist was "very pleased" and said the tumor and area seemed "stable." Yeah!

One nurse practitioner measured the width of Aidyn's spinal cord on screen and compared it with the last MRI (from March), and said it actually might be a little smaller now--which is great.

They also inject contrast to highlight the material of the tumor, and the contrast doesn't really seem even to show up anymore. Our understanding is that's great too!

Our next MRI will be in the fall, and Aidyn will officially be a middle schooler (this picture is from her 5th grade Continuation in June).

We're praising God for Aidyn's progress and for these good reports!

My Memory Essay

Here's a recent assignment Aidyn did for school...

My Memory Essay

Around Thanksgiving and Christmas was a hard time. I was in the hospital having surgery, shots, M.R.Is, doctors saying words that you have to be older then 35 to understand and really smart, pretty nurses, and a whole lot of family and friends.

There are so many things that remind me of this as you can imagine but I’ve had to narrow it down to three. The first is…. Wires. The disgusting, long, black, skinny wires. Now you might think that’s not so bad but let me show you what I’m up against: 1 catheter, at least 3 I.V.s, 3 heart rate wires that only let you turn 90 degrees and beep whenever you start to fall asleep, and more. Every time I see a stinken wire I don’t let it get near me but sometimes that’s a little hard. When ever I see a wire I gasp have a flash back and step away.

Another memory is the children’s hospital mascot, the little blue boy holding the balloons. He’s not as bad but still. The most annoying thing is that when I was there it was the 100th anniversary so that little kid was everywhere. Newspapers, bulletin boards, and even my milk carton. But what really stinks is my mom got my sister one of those things nurses keep their I.D. badges on and the little blue boy with the 3 balloons is on it.

The one good memory is my prayer tree. My prayer tree is a little fake Christmas tree with some verses and sayings on it. Ever time I look at it I remember all my family and friends that really were there. I had my Grandparents from California, my uncle from North Carolina, people I didn’t even now. Plus I had a visitor everyday.

It just goes to show how much people care and love me. And that I have friends and family who go out of their way to do so. It also shows not to forget your memories even the bad ones because they lead to good memories that no one wants to ever lose.

MRI #1

Okay, so today wasn't technically MRI #1 since we had several before/after surgery last November. But this was our first follow-up MRI that sets our "baseline" for future MRIs. They will be watching for growth from this point forward.

Anyway... today went really well!

The test went smoothly and Aidyn did great. The doctor said that the tumor and spinal cord looked very good. From a layman's perspective I would say things actually looked better. Her spinal cord was still a little thicker in that area but you couldn't really see the remaining post-op tumor material like you could before.

Thanks so much for praying for us! We weren't really nervous about today's visits (although Aidyn was a little nervous about getting in the MRI tube again), but today did bring back some of the crazy memories and intense feelings we had during Thanksgiving week. Can you have memories of feelings, or do they just become current feelings? Don't analyze that too much! Bottom line: we've really appreciated your prayers today.

We go back for another MRI in three months. And we're praying that what's left of the tumor just disintegrates. God is good.

Our first follow-up MRI

It's been a while since we've posted anything because, gratefully, there hasn't been much to report. In this case no news has been good news!

The new news is that our first follow-up MRI has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 18. It's been a little over three months since Aidyn's surgery and they want to keep a close eye on any tumor growth.

We've been praying for more than no growth; we've been praying for the thing to go away! We're also praying that Aidyn will be emotionally ready for a trip back to Children's Hospital and into the MRI tube again.

We should be able to meet with the neuro-oncologist after the MRI to get a report. We'll let you know what he says. Thanks for praying along with us!