The First Emory Visit - July 22

We'll start here:  Today was a very good day.  We had an amazing experience at Emory today, and that's good cause Bev's gonna be spending a lot of time there for the next few months!

We started with the visit to the Neurology Oncologist.  (After a walking tour of the Emory Clinic, we finally found the right place but that happened more than once today, so we're kinda used to it at this point!).  First hint that this is the right place for Bev - when they called her name, and all 6 of us stood up to go into to the appointment, they didn't even flinch.  They're used to large groups, apparently.  We prefer the term "posse" in case you're interested.

This physician confirmed much of what we already knew - the type of cancer, the treatment options, and so on.  He also very patiently answered our many questions and described how the treatment will work.  He talked with us about nutrition, supplements, driving restrictions - on and on. He helped us all decide that aggressive chemo and radiation is the only option for this (the survival rates without treatment are really awful). Then he went and got the Neuro Oncology Surgeon to come visit with us - and as it turns out, they believe that there is a possibility of doing surgery to remove a large part of the tumor.  So here's the rundown...

This coming Friday, Bev will do a Functional MRI.  This will help them decide if the tumor is fully involved in the part of her brain that controls speech, language processing, and her ability to paint (they said her right hand but we all know that means her painting hand).  The Functional MRI will involve Bev having to read, count, move her fingers and all sorts of stuff while they're watching her brain light up.  

Early next week, she'll get the results from this MRI.  There are two possible outcomes:

1.  Surgery IS an option: if this is the case, then after she gets the results, surgery will be scheduled as quickly as possible.  After surgery, she would have to heal for 4 weeks before starting radiation and chemo.

2.  Surgery IS NOT an option:  if this is the case, then on Tuesday, Bev will go for her "Planning Session" to get her markers placed for radiation.  She also gets her very own custom mask thing that will help hold her head in the same position every session of radiation.  The following week, she'll start the radiation and chemo.

Radiation and chemo will go like this:
The chemotherapy is an oral drug that she will take every day for 6 weeks (42 days).  The side effects are mild, and rumor has it, she'll even be keeping her hair!  Yippee!!!!  Radiation will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks at Emory Hospital.  Each appointment will take about 30 minutes, so her commute back and forth each day will take about 4 times as long as the actual appointment.  But that's ok, she gets free valet parking while she's doing radiation!!!  (It's the little things, don'tcha know?).

The Radiation Oncologist spent at least an hour with all of us today, and he won the prize for Beverly's favorite doctor so far.  He was very dear, and very kind, and made us all feel much better about the road ahead.  He talked through every little detail of all of this until we could understand it, and that meant a tremendous amount to the whole family.

SO.  Lots of info, lots to process, there are a million details not included here because it would take a week to write it all down and we're trying to get something out so that Beverly's adoring public can see how today went.

Next stop - Functional MRI, Friday!!  We'll keep you posted!