Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by… Josh Garrels
The word is in and the news is out: we’ve been given the gift of more time. It’s a heady feeling and a deep one too as the responsibility of shepherding such an incredible, atypical life is something we do not take lightly.
In the last two days, Chase has had a complete brain and spine MRI, an ECHO, a hearing test, a procedure to clean his ears and check for tubes, and a hearing re-test – in addition to meeting with his endocrinology and neuro-oncology teams. The days have been physically and emotionally packed and Chase did an AMAZING job – even undergoing an IV and the MRI sedation process with less medicine than usual; a decision that made him far more cognizant during needle pain and separation from us.
Chase’s hearing is going, but is stable for now (no more excuses about “not hearing you say to clean up, Mom“…) and the ventricles of his heart are strong (something we do not take for granted in a post-chemo body).
And now, the moment of truth: the MRI…
STABLE.
The monitored growths continue to expand, but all teams involved feel optimistic that they don’t show cancer characteristics. The biggest concern right now is that the largest growth is getting close to a ventricle and that scenario requires both careful monitoring and possible intervention. There are also a few cavernomas (a cluster of abnormal blood cells) that are making themselves known and grown on the last few scans and those too will bear watching. In other words, for good, bad, and broken, Chase’s brain is showing the scars of its battle wounds.
This farther along day brings some answers, some more oxygen with which to breath, and a few things on which to take action.
First, while Chase’s official scans will be moved to even further intervals (a year!), he still needs to have small scans of the ventricles every six months to monitor growths and cavernomas.
Now, it is the time to prayerfully, carefully pursue growth hormone with the endocrine team as Chase’s poor, little body can’t do this on its own. More on this in the coming months, I know.
And last, well, the last thing I have to tell you deserves it’s very own written space. Stay tuned…
Moment by moment.
