What a friggin roller coaster this life is!

Hi everyone!

I'm going to apologize upfront for all of the exclamation points and smiley faces that will likely be in this posting.

I had an MRI last week to determine if my new treatments with Avastin are having any effect on my tumor and the results far exceeded my expectations :) I was hoping that the treatments would stop the rapid growth of my tumor, but had prepared myself for it to have little effect. Instead, I got an amazing voicemail message from my doctor Friday night saying that he was away at a conference, but he had gotten the test results and it said that it "showed improvement." He didn't go into any further detail, but that definitely got me super excited and allowed my parents and me to look forward to our appointment with the doctor today rather than dread it, not knowing what to expect.

The report is all written in doctor talk, but I can pick out some parts of it that I figure are good news: "The anterior posterior dimension... now measures approximately 30mm as compared to 53mm on prior MRI obtained in 7/21/10. The right parietal lobe no longer shows signal abnormality." I don't know about you, but something in that sounds pretty good to me :) "...degree of enhancement [has] markedly decreased since the last MRI." The doctor explained to us that what this means is that the brighter the tumor shows up on the MRI, the more activity it has in it. So this is saying that the tumor is less bright, therefore has less activity than before, therefore hopefully we're kicking its butt!

The one issue I have with the report is where it says, "Brain volume loss is noted." Hmmm, thanks guys, so you're shrinking my tumor, and my brain as well... fantastic! My doctor explained that brain shrinkage is normal as we age, but come on, in 6 weeks?!?! Really???

I also had my 4th treatment of Avastin today which went just fine, just like the others. I'm still trying to get used to my new brace. I'm walking a lot better with it, but I'm still pretty clumsy. I can tell I'm already losing muscle mass in that leg, but I'm hoping the physical therapist will give me some exercises to help me get stronger when I see her next week.

This weekend I looked for a cool cane in a few antique stores, but haven't found the right one yet. I've got a couple leads on some stores that may have the right one though, so I'll keep you updated on the Great Cane Caper :)

This Saturday I'm going to have a garage sale at my friends, Supriya and Jeremy's house, hopefully selling a ton of the junk I've collected over the years. Between the garage sale and donations, I'm trying to get rid of about 50% of my stuff so I won't have too much to move to Fiddletown on Sunday. It actually feels really good to go against my hoarding tendencies and simplify my life. I'm getting rid of 20 pairs of pants and probably about the same number of pairs of shoes. It's very liberating! I've already taken down most of my pictures and filled in the holes. I think this is the most prepared I've ever been to move. I'm nervous about moving to Fiddletown, I think for obvious reasons, but I'm also really excited about it. I love hanging out with my parents and every time I visit them, I always wish I didn't have to leave, and now I won't have to :) I think as long as I am able to keep myself busy, volunteering, visiting friends and working on rehabbing my leg, it'll be a great move for me. I plan on working on a few hobbies, helping my dad finish the room downstairs and perfecting a few cookie recipes to maybe start selling.

I have been reading the book, Johnny Got His Gun, about a soldier in WWI who had both of his arms and legs amputed, was left deaf from an explosion near him and had most of his face torn off leaving him blind and without a lower jaw or nose. It's really putting things into perspective for me... ok, I guess it could be worse :) I've been living with a brain tumor for nearly 9 years! I've had VERY few side effects from my treatments and VERY few physical complications from it. Until recently, I was working full-time and living independently. I have the world's most amazing family and friends and doctors and I really couldn't feel more loved and taken-care-of than I have been. I know I'm getting all mushy, but this has been a really great day and I've had a very fortunate life so far.

Ok, it is way past my bedtime and I need to read some more of my book so my brain quits shrinking. Hugs and kisses to you all!

Laurie ;-)