Oncologist appointment

Amy and I met with Dr. Panchoosingh today as well as our favorite Child Life lady, Debbie. We had a long talk with them while Abby and Josiah watched a movie in another room. In light of what was present on the MRI from earlier this week Dr. Panchoosingh suggests maintenance chemotherapy using Temozolomide (Temodar). Temodar has been proven to be effective in slowing the growth of many brain tumors. Our neurosurgeon, Dr. Shafron, looked at the scans and does not recommend further surgery. Dr. Sapozink, the radiation oncologist, said the areas are too large for radiosurgery. We might consider seeking a phase I or phase II trial, so we will be researching those possibilities. Abby will be disqualified from many trials due to the lack of consensus on her diagnosis, but we will still check into it. It is likely that we would need to wait 3 to 6 months before she could join.

Our big surprise today, however, was that we were able to get Abby's pheresis catheter out. Dr. P had been wanting us to get it out as soon as possible, so when we were in the office today he sent us upstairs to the surgeon's offices, and a very nice lady took a look at it and said "hm, there is no cuff on this catheter. I can take it out now, she doesn't need any anesthesia to do it."

Three snips of some stitches and a little tug later, and it was out. The best part is that she only needs to keep the insertion site dry and bandaged for 24 hours, and if it looks like it is well sealed when we take the dressing off, she can swim!

Abby was most excited about this development. In her own words, "I'm cold and very happy" (medical office buildings are always cold).

We plan to talk with Abby and Josiah tonight about our plans. You can pray that God will give us the words to say and peace in all our hearts. You can also pray that God will choose to show himself in a miraculous way by healing Abby if that is His will. We are completely confident that He is able, but are willing to accept the fact that it might not be in His plan. However, we will not stop asking, right? We feel an incredible sense of peace about where we are. Our hearts are sad at times and we cry, but God continues to bless us and comfort us with His presence. He is ever-faithful!

We will keep you informed as we get new information. Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. You all lift our spirits when you take the time do do that. We so appreciate you.