Diagnosis

For months my husband, David Eric, was plagued with strange growing symptoms and numerous tests that culminated in a New Years Day visit to the after hours clinic. I'll save the long sordid story for another day.. if ever... The 4th dr we saw was an internist and he thought there could be a problem in his thoracic spine. The next day led to a new MRI and ultimately a trip to the hospital where 3 days and a biopsy later David was diagnosed with Grade 3 Glioma in his spine. They told us it is incurable and inoperable but treatable. 

This rare cancer is most likely due to a family anomaly known as Lynch Syndrome. The Dr told us it normally starts in the brain so for it to only (so far) present in the spinal cord is something like a 1 in 400,000 chance. I'm writing this blog because I've been deemed family information officer *snicker* and I'm starting to forget what I've said to who so I took a page out of my sister-in-law's book and started a blog to keep people up to date about my husband's condition and the adventures of our family saga. I wish I didn't have to follow her lead but I find wisdom in her methods. The rest of this is fairly clinical as I'm kind of in business mode, it helps with the sanity.

As of right now Dave has been in the hospital for a week, he has minimal use of his legs due to the tumor in his spinal cord although the doctor hopes some of that is still due to swelling after the biopsy and he'll get some of that back in the next few days. Not back to normal, but back to being able to use a walker instead of a wheel chair full time. The dr has been saying that for days with little change so it's hard to remain optimistic. Being on flat on your back bedrest for 3 days really takes a lot out of you but that's what was required after surgery to prevent spinal fluid leakage. The wound healed nicely so he was able to start sitting up on saturday. David is getting out of bed with the help of a physical therapist and getting into a wheel chair. Every day he has a little more endurance and a little more strength. I really can't believe how quickly he's gaining confidence and willpower moving from the bed . I can't tell you how much I love and admire the fight in that man.

Tomorrow we have appointments with two oncologists. One is a radiation oncologist and another is a medical oncologist that does the chemo. We'll be happy to have a treatment plan since we've been in a bit of a holding pattern regarding future plans.

They're also talking about moving him to inpatient rehab on wednesday. It too bad it's in the old hospital so its' a little more sterile and dreary but it will give him/us the education we need so David can safely come home where he belongs. Thank heavens we have a single story house and we have a handful of friend that have offered to help build a ramp "just in case" the walker scenario doesn't work out. We also found out that inpatient rehab usually keeps people 4-6 weeks. *sigh* Not what we were hoping for. The neurologist was saying "a few days" in rehab. Either he doesn't know how rehab works or the rehab people don't know him well enough yet and Dave needs more than the neuro does. Not sure which is true but I'm hoping for a week in rehab and then home. Time will tell. I'm tired of living apart from my husband when I know he's only 15 minute away.

We're all doing as well as can be expected. There's a little bit of a fog that comes and goes. Emotional roller coaster and all that. It's a little like the actual weather of the last few days. Wafting between rainy and sunny, always chilly but at night the fog rolls in so thick you have to drive a little slower to navigate through it, relying on the combination of the line on the side of the road and the fact that you've (I've) driven the road a million times in the last week to guide you like an autopilot. We're a little on autopilot.