More Progress

Yesterday was another great day for Mike; he was just a Chatty Cathy and talked quite a lot. He has progressed from one word responses and has tried talking in sentences. His speech is very soft and in whispers, so it can be a little hard to hear him, but he most definitely knows who is in the room and what he is being asked. He laughs at appropriate things as well. He was very awake and alert yesterday from about 1:00 until he went to sleep shortly after 11:00. He’s been sleeping most of this morning. (At least I think that’s the case—I’ve been napping quite a bit myself and every time I wake up, he’s asleep. He wanted me to stay here with him last night, so I got up about 5:30 this morning to run home, take a shower, and get dressed, so I wouldn’t scare anyone around here. I was pretty tired, but I feel rested now.)

When I talked with the oncologist (the doctor who agreed to take Mike as a patient from Duke) this morning, he said everything is still on go to start with the radiation and Temodar. The radiation doctor just came in, and he seemed to think that we had to wait longer for the wound from the biopsy to heal before they could begin. I told him that the neurosurgeon came by on Saturday and said it was fine to go ahead with treatment. He actually said it takes “several days” after the simulation to get the computer straight before they begin the treatments. I’ve always interpreted several to mean seven or eight, so I said, “It will be another week before he gets the radiation?” He said it wouldn’t be that long, but it would be “several” days. I’m thinking maybe he’s confusing the definition of “several” with “a few.” Who knows? His teachers growing up must not have had a literacy coach to teach how to understand the difference between the two words. As I’m writing this post, the radiation doctor just came back in and said they have simulation scheduled for 2:00 today. They will do both a CT scan and an MRI. Once I know something from those results, I’ll let all of you know.

Taking the Avastin is still not out of the question, but we have to wait a bit longer since the last MRI showed Mike was hemorrhaging; if he takes it now, it will make him bleed more. Mike’s cousin has been in continued contact with one of the neuron-oncologists at Duke, and she said it will probably be four to six weeks before he can safely start taking the Avastin.

My parents brought the girls to the hospital again yesterday, and they were here for a few hours. I’m beginning to think Ava and Savannah are a most helpful medicine. Saturday night after they visited, Mike started trying to talk. Last night after their visit, Mike was taken off the oxygen assistance. If he keeps this up, he may be turning cartwheels before the week is over.