Michael spent time this morning implementing the scheme he'd dreamed up finally to retrieve and make viewable the brain scan taken six months after surgery. Not ever having seen the scans was continuing to bother me at a low-but-persistent level, so he devoted some time hauling out an old machine, locating the images, translating them and moving them to a place where our current computers could read them. He'd managed to look at them when they were fresher once while I wasn't home, and then the machine he'd done it on had gone berserk (not from my brain images, we hope) and they've been inaccessible to us ever since. He's been noodling (his term) about the problem on and off, and recently came up with a new approach that was successful today. Thank you, Michael! (Again.)
En masse, the images are interesting and raise some questions we plan to pursue. Mostly, though, they're reassuring and illustrate the surgeon's comments about how well my brain was refilling the tumor void. For me, it's nice to see my brain without that mass there... we're not sure what the bright spots mean. Swelling? Scar tissue? Dunno. We're seeing Dr. Thoughtful this week about the ongoing brain chemistry-balancing experiments, and though he's not a neuro guy specifically, we'll see what he has to say about the images.
Meanwhile, somewhat belatedly, here is the most parallel scan to the one posted at right.
Wow! amazing...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the bright spots/streaks at the center bottom of the newer image are the same "thing" as the bright spot just above the tumor in the older one -- and whatever structure that might be has just meandered back to where it's supposed to be, now that the tumor isn't mashing it up into the center of your brain.
I think i just got the merest inkling of how bizarre this experience must have been...
Kate W
Not that I'm an expert or anything, but my follow up MRI also has white areas in the space where the tumour used to be. At my first check-up a few months after surgery, my neurosurgeon explained those away as "most likely scar tissue, but we'll keep an eye on it anyway - see you next year!"
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the white areas compare to my one year check-up since the doctor didn't show us the images with the gadolinium in it, so it was hard to make out anything. Aside from a bit of a void that is still there where the tumour used to be and hasn't (yet?) been filled with brain tissue.
Good luck with the appointment!