MRI results

Kol's oncologist called us Wednesday afternoon with the MRI results. In short: no change. While it's not exactly what we were hoping for, it's definitely not bad news. It was also nice to get the results sooner than we had expected.

There is still a nodule in the ventricle space, hanging on the ventricle wall. It's still the same size as it was in the December MRI (which in turn was about the same size as it was in the previous MRI), oval shaped, about 1cm at it's widest, and about 4mm at it's narrowest. There is no way to tell from the MRI whether it's active tumour tissue, dead tumour tissue, or possibly scar tissue remaining from Kol's surgery. The only way to tell would be to go in and take it out for a biopsy, and the neurosurgeon who operated on Kol doesn't think it's worth the risk.

So, we're back to watching and waiting. Kol will have another MRI in 3 months, and in the meantime we'll keep a close eye on him, watching for any headaches, nausea, or other possible symptoms. The good news is that his PICC line will be removed on Friday - they won't be needing to use it over the next 3 months, and there's always a risk of infection, so there's no point keeping it in. We'll be glad to not have to deal with the PICC any more - daily flushes, weekly dressing changes, having to keep Kol's arm wrapped in plastic when he has a bath, etc. And we're definitely glad to not have to deal with chemo and all the extra trips into Saskatoon, especially with the recent jump in gas prices.

This also means that we should have the "all clear" for going to Arizona in April, which will be very nice. Again, thanks to all of you for your prayers and support.