Praying For Adam {The Next Steps}

Today we had our consultation with the Neurosurgeon and though we did not receive a complete comprehensive plan to proceed we certainly are learning more than we ever imagined (or ever cared to know) about the glioma family of brain tumors.

I thought that everyone would like to hear a little bit from Adam himself on this so, here it is straight from the source :)

As you all know Sunday Sept 25th I had a seizure. Proper procedure for a first time seizure is to run tests (MRI and CTscan)...both which revealed a low-grade mass on the right side of my brain which is called a glioma tumor. I had a follow up appt today and below is what we discussed.

I spoke with the neurologist today and right off the bat he referred me to Duke University Medical Center or MD Anderson (Houston, TX) as they have the top rated Glioma Tumor specialist.
(and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.)

A little background on the type of tumor I have…

These types of tumors originate from glial cells in the brain (which begin to grow abnormally). We looked at the scans and although it is low-grade it looks pretty big in size (in my opinion) 6.3 cm. There were two shades in the scans which makes doing a successful biopsy to get a read difficult. Since these originate from glial cells sometimes even when a biopsy is taken it may not get the right tissue which could be difficult to reveal cancer vs. non cancer. However, cancerous vs. non-cancer didn’t seem to be his main concern (which I take as a good sign) as glioma tumors are not necessarily defined in that category from the beginning. But that’s not to say it isn’t cancerous, so I still want to do a biopsy once I consult with the other specialist and get their take on the treatment plans.

Couple things, it has been there for a while (he stated years, although he cannot pinpoint exactly how long…his guess 2-4?). The fact that it is low-grade is positive and it doesn’t seem to be intensifying, being on the right side is good as well. However I will eventually be faced with two options in his opinion depending on how aggressive both the doctors and I want to be.

Option 1. Surgery to remove...Surgery has several risks (1) remove the tumor, but there’s a possibility due to the size and the fact it originates from a glial cell there is a chance that after surgery it won’t all be removed (2) it could possibility come back over time (3) It could possibly affect my speech, motor skills and movement on the left side of my body which in turn affect my overall quality of life. (4) Its completely removed.

Option 2. Leave and monitor over time. The fact that I feel normal and haven’t experienced any effects other than the recent seizure is a good sign since I’ve been living with it for some time now. Question is how long before it intensifies and could turn to high-grade which has far worse implications.

We asked what is the timing of this type of tumor until it could possibly intensify…he mentioned on average 7 years. This doesn’t mean I only live for 7 years it means the time frame the glioma intensifies. The questions lies with where am I in this time frame from it going from low-grade to possibly high grade which has much more serious effects? This is hard to answer as we don’t exactly know how long it’s been there.

If I have surgery and the risk far our weigh the rewards then I could be faced with a decreased quality of life that could affect work and my everyday life and family. Whereas if we monitor over time there is a chance I could go who knows how long with the normal quality of life I am currently living. I asked him straight up what would he do in my situation and he responded, “At this age, I am the sole provider for my family, the risks of surgery and my ability to provide for them is important…I would take monitor approach”. I understand where he is coming from, as no matter what is happening to me, my family is more important and what I can do for them in the meantime. I could go another 10 years w/o complications or minor complications. Making sure my wife and kids are being taken care of is extremely important however my own health is as well. But as I mentioned surgery can have implications…then on the other hand surgery could solve the issue. It would be nice to know what I’m looking at in terms of which fork in the road I take…If I go one direction will it inevitably lead me to the same direction as the other choice?

But those are some things that will be answered with my next opinions and recommendations with the other doctors, so for know the next steps are sending my scans to MD Anderson, Duke University Medical Center & Emory University Hospital. They highly recommended Duke. So once I hear back from them I’ll get a better idea on what I’m looking at as far as treatment and where I should go. The best treatment I can receive in the meantime is your prayers and positive thoughts, because it’s out of my hands as well as the doctors. One way or the other the greatest doctor known to man will make sure I receive the proper treatment and that’s the Lord Almighty!

I’ll continue to keep everyone posted. As I said I feel normal and fine, which I know to some of you isn’t really normal :P

We would really like to thank everyone for all their prayers and encouragement, you have no idea how much it means to us and how much of a difference it has already made in our lives. God Bless you all and please keep praying for Adam!

xoxo