Symptoms?

We met with the local radiation oncologist today to review the MRI from Texas and just to follow-up on things here. I was glad we had the appointment, because remember how the doctors in Texas said E. had to report any symptoms immediately? Well ....

For the past few weeks, E.'s been having more and more "symptoms" ... short term memory loss, right leg weakness, balance issues, headaches, irritability and fatigue. It has been slightly concerning. No, make that HUGELY concerning. In typical fashion, E.'s been brushing them off and I've been freaking myself out.

The radiation oncologist put E. through a series of neurological tests, which he seemed to pass with flying colors. That is, except for walking heal to toe in a straight line. Let's just hope he doesn't get pulled over for any field sobriety tests any time soon.

The radiation oncologist reviewed the MRI that we brought back with us from Texas. He actually liked what he saw. Matter of fact, he said that if E. weren't having any of these symptoms, he'd of said everything looked great and that he'd see us again in three months. He indicated that recurrences usually occurred in the nodules rather than the walls, and that the cavities where the tumors/nodules had been looked great. He agreed that there was more enhancement in the walls, but didn't think it looked suspicious at all. He also commented that the walls looked fuzzier, which would be consistent with a delayed reaction from the radiation treatment. He remarked that while this was on the outside edge of the timeframe for the delayed reaction, it still wasn't unheard of.

He also noticed some swelling, particularly around the post-operative cavities. Again, he stated that it could be delayed swelling from the surgical procedure itself and the subsequent Cyberknife treatments. The symptoms E. is presenting could very well be the result of the swelling that is currently present. In order to treat that swelling, E. is going to have to go back on a course of steroids. Unfortunately, steroids have a tendency to make people cranky. A cranky E. is a small price to pay to get rid of these symptoms though. And if it means swelling over cancer, we'll take it any day!

Oh, and do you happen to remember what steroids do to blood sugar levels? You guessed it. They make things all out of whack. E. is already back on the insulin at a minimum dose to try to keep things somewhat stable before they get too out of control. He is not a happy camper.