August 20, 2008

MRI Results!


Hi Everyone,

Well, it was a ridiculously long day. Evan went through the whole MRI process this morning (2 hours from start to finish). But when we got to our appointment with Dr. Choucair and he started to pull up Evan’s pictures on the computer, we discovered there was a problem with many of the images. Evidently, the MRI machine was having some technical difficulties this morning.

So, after we finished our meeting with Dr. Choucair we had to go back over to radiology and get a good portion of the scans done again. What a pain! At least I had a good book to read, but Evan was not particularly happy about it. The doctor will call us after he reviews the new pictures, but it probably won’t be until tomorrow.

From the images that he could see, Dr. Choucair thought the tumor looked pretty much the same as it did 8 weeks ago. No change one way or the other. There was one corner of the tumor that he thought might be slightly enhanced, but he said it was probably just the poor quality of the image that made it look that way. In any case, we won’t have definitive results until tomorrow.

Evan and I both had a feeling that the tumor would stay the same this time, so it didn’t feel like a huge shock or surprise to us. And, as weird as it might sound, it actually came as somewhat of a relief. If the tumor had shrunk again, I know Evan would have been determined to push on with the treatment schedule and maintain the brutal pace. But now that the benefits of this chemo seem to be leveling off, and after hearing how hard the last 2 months have been on Evan (physically & emotionally), Dr. Choucair thought it would be appropriate to ease off a little, and go to a 3 week chemo schedule instead of the every-other-week treatments he’s been doing. I really just want Evan to feel better, and have more good days - so that was music to my ears!

Evan will go ahead with the scheduled chemo next Tuesday, but then he’ll have three weeks until the next one. Hopefully, that will give him more time to recover from each dose, and give him a full week of feeling better (instead of just a day or two) before his next treatment. The doctor would really like Evan to stay on chemo until next March, even if the tumor stays the same. And I don’t know how Evan would be able to endure 7 more months of this without making the treatment schedule a little bit easier. Hopefully the three-week cycle will make that possible. (Next March would mark a full year on this chemo, and that would increase the odds of keeping the tumor in a dormant stage after we stop treatment.)

On a happier note – this Sunday, Evan and I will celebrate our 17th Wedding Anniversary! Last year, we spent our anniversary at University Hospital and Evan got a brain biopsy as an anniversary gift - really awful! This year looks to be a whole lot better! Thanks to the unbelievable kindness and generosity from some of our closest and dearest friends, we will be spending three days and two nights at The Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah. We can hardly wait! We have the best friends in the whole world!!! Thanks guys!!!

On another happy note – several of you have asked how our kids are doing, so I thought I’d give a quick update on them too. Ryan turned 13 in May and had an incredibly awesome summer. It included 2 Scout Camps (which he loved) and a lawn mowing business (which kept him busy and made him rich). The second scout camp was actually a leadership training camp, and I swear he came home two years older and two inches taller. He said it was (quote), “The best week of my life, Mom!” He has grown and matured so much in the last year. I’m really proud of him! He started 8th grade this week, and was recently called to be the President of the Deacon’s Quorum at church. Obviously, Ryan is old enough to understand everything that is happening to Evan and the potential implications of it. But somehow he has been coping remarkably well. Both he and I have been meeting with a fabulous counselor every week or two throughout the last year, and I know that has helped tremendously.

As for Lindsay, she is starting kindergarten next Monday!!! She is feeling quite grown-up about the whole thing! She’s got her Tinker-Bell backpack (I had to talk her out of the Hannah Montana one) and she is rearing to go! She is so excited and so ready, (she turns 6 in October), that I can’t feel too sad about it. It might hit me on Monday though, we’ll see. She has been playing with friends, taking swimming lessons, and enjoying visits from Grandma Gardiner, Grandma & Grandpa Madsen, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family at various times throughout the summer. Also, she is absolutely in love with her Grandma Gardiner’s new dog. She has already made an invitation for the dog to come to her birthday party, it’s pretty cute. As far as Evan being sick, we can tell by the questions she asks that, on some level, she understands what’s happening and what’s at stake. But so far, she’s been pretty matter-of-fact about it and seems to be satisfied with the answers we’ve given. Once she has an acceptable answer to her question or concern, she just moves on. She’s like, “O.K. that sounds good. When’s lunch?” Besides, she loves having her Daddy around all day. She finally has someone at home who will play Candyland and Chutes-and-Ladders with her.

So that’s about it. (Probably more than you wanted to know or read)! We’ll continue to keep you posted. Thanks for all your prayers, and kind thoughts. We’ll talk to you soon.

Love,
Margot

November 20, 2007

MRI Results

Hi Everyone,

Evan had his MRI this morning and then met with Evan’s Oncologist and Radiation Oncologist this afternoon. There was very little swelling around the tumor, so the images were very clear – thank goodness! I think we would have gone crazy if we had to wait for three more months till the next scan.

The tumor has been reduced by about 25-30%. This is good news, but not great news. I think we were hoping to hear something more like 50% or more. And I know Evan was hoping to hear 100%. But 30% is better than 10% or 20%, and it’s definitely better than no change at all, so we’ll take it!

The radiation continues to work on the tumor for several months after the last treatment, and the chemotherapy will continue to fight the cancer cells as well – so we’re hoping the tumor will continue shrinking, and that we’ll see additional reduction in his next MRI three months from now.

Thanks for all your support. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than we can say. We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and we’ll be in touch after our trip.

Love,
Margot


P.S. I also wanted to let you know that my good friend Cheryl Wilde helped me set up a little family website, if you’d like to check it out. The address is www.mgardinergazette.blogspot.com.

It includes all my e-mails since Evan’s diagnosis, and I’ve posted a bunch of family photos there too. My computer had a nervous breakdown when I tried to send attachments to such a long list of recipients, so this will be easier to use in that way. I’ll still send out the e-mails, but from now on they’ll be posted on the website as well. Also, if there’s anyone who isn’t already on my e-mail list, they can just check the website from time to time and look for the latest updates. Take care, and we’ll talk to you soon.