Status update

Day 2 at Hamilton General Hospital almost done.

So last night I slept reasonably well. A combination of painkillers and anti-inflammatories seemed to have put the headache on hold.

I came to the hospital yesterday with the expectation of a speedy MRI, which turned into this morning, which turned into sometime today, which turned into hopefully tonight and maybe tomorrow. Hurry up and wait can wear on you. At the end of today I know little more than yesterday. For those interested, I was put on some new drugs today:
- Decadron, a chemotherapy drug used to reduce inflammation and edema due to spinal and brain tumors.
- Dilantin, an anti-seizure medicine, to reduce or prevent the hypothetical seizure-like episodes that can result from brain tumors.
From our good friend Andrea, I learned that temporal lobectomies are a relatively common option, which replaces trying to scrape out individual tumor cells with a more radical removal of surrounding tissue. Sometimes side effects, but the brain can surprise with its ability to learn around damage. I'm right-handed and perhaps more left-brained than right, which maybe reduces what impact a removal of my right temporal lobe (where the growth is seen) I could expect. I imagine the benefit is that you can have greater certainty you've removed all of the offending cells, and thus less need for chemo/radiation, and less chance of relapse. I'm leaning slightly in this direction, though I haven't discussed with the neurosurgeons as of yet (they haven't been around much today).

I had a number of visitors today, all of which I was very happy to receive. Ray and Laura and kids Joe and Olivia, and Doug and Marie Clarke, all friends good enough to be family, came dispensing stories, hugs, smiles, cards, and some books. Thanks guys. A lot.

Later my parents arrived from Manitoba via plane and drove over, followed by my good friend Mark from Fergus, and my brother Jonathan, also from Manitoba. Good times indeed. Much more talk, a few more books, some Wendy's contraband. :)

And of course Sonia spent most of the day here.

At the end of the day, I must say I'm feeling a little down. The parade of visitors is gone. Sonia's at home with Evan, and calling in I can talk to them and hear Evan's fun but not take part. Sonia's bringing him in tomorrow; I've been missing the guy. The waiting without finding out anything extra, and being away from home are getting to me. Need to spend some time re-centering myself. Time for some navel-gazing.

I'm off the food and on the IV fluids again at midnight, to maintain readiness for a possible, though seemingly unlikely, surgery tomorrow.

In spare moments I've been doing some online shopping. :) I first ordered one of the new, slimmer, cheaper Kindles, to keep me in reading material. :) Then I ordered a genetic test from 23andme.com, which will send me a tube into which I will spit and then send back. 4-6 weeks later, based on a check for man SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) which correlate with conditions and metabolic characteristics, etc, I can visit their website for the details. Something I've wanted for a while, but now my own health is more of a focus, so... Should be interesting

On a side note, this is Friday the 13th in the summer. Apparently a significant day for motor-bikers, as on each of these days a large number of people on Harleys and crotch rockets gather in Port Dover on the north coast of Lake Erie. What with bikes and alcohol, it sounds like the neurology department here at Hamilton General Hospital has come to expect a sizable influx of biker dudes with head injuries. :( Sad something fun like that can result in such suffering.

Anybody can think of good jokes about tumors, I could use em. :)

Also, anybody have any experience with using MRI facilities in Buffalo, etc.?

Love,
-Chris
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