MRI Results

The whole family went to meet with Dr. Thomas today.  He said the results of the MRI showed a possible spread of the cancer to Jeannette's brain lining, though not the brain itself.  Tomorrow Dr. Thomas is going to try to do a spinal tap in his office to confirm the diagnosis; if he cannot complete the spinal tap, Jeannette would then go to Fletcher Allen to have it done.  The point of having Dr. Thomas attempt the tap is to cut down on time Jeannette would have spend away from home tomorrow.

If the tap does show cancer, there are several possible options, including chemotherapy delivered directly to the site via port.  If the tap does not show cancer, Dr. Thomas said he will have to rethink what could be causing Jeannette's symptoms (nausea, fatigue, dizziness, etc).  Either way, Dr. Thomas said many patients with this inflammation of the brain lining do well with steroids, so Jeannette is going to take some both tonight and tomorrow morning before her appointment. 

Tim and Jeannette are going to try to make headway on a serious sleep deficit; checking this blog would be the best way to keep up-to-date right now, rather than phone calls.