I realize I haven’t posted an update in a while.
I recently had my 3 month MRI to check the status of the tumor and it has remained pretty stable. There is still edema and mass effect and there has been a slight change in size, now 8mm x 6mm x 8mm. In November, it was measuring 9mm x 5mm x 5mm.
The radiology report is calling the findings of the scan ”suggestive of an Atypical Meningioma.” This means it is neither benign nor malignant. It also said that Leptomeningeal Metastatic Disease was in the differential, but because of the lack of major changes, this is less likely.
Dr. Reid (my neurosurgeon) said that he doesn’t believe that the mention of metastatic disease is accurate, but if the next MRI in May has a similar report, that I will have a CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
This plan had me super anxious, so when I saw my primary care doctor on Tuesday, she recommended I have a CA 19-9 tumor marker test because of my family history of pancreatic and colon cancer. She said if that test was abnormal, she would order an immediate CT scan instead of waiting a couple more months.
That test was normal (yay!), so my PCP agrees with the neurosurgeon’s plan.
My headaches have dramatically improved thanks to medication I was put on a few weeks back. I have not had any more falls either, thankfully.
I still struggle at times with having a hard time finding the words I intend to speak, sometimes mispronouncing words I know how to say or stumbling over them. This tends to happen more when I am tired.
The next step is to see the neurologist that my neurosurgeon referred me to. I see him on 3/31.
I am thankful for my family, my amazing coworkers, and wonderful friends. Thank you for being there. It means so much. 🌻 I still think of this as a bump in the road and I don’t know for certainty what lies ahead — which is super frustrating — but I just feel incredibly grateful to have a great medical team & people in my life who make me laugh every single day!