MRI News

So, they like to do an MRI about a month after you leave the hospital. It gives them an idea of how things look once some of the swelling has gone down. They performed my MRI last week, and today I had an appointment with Dr. Ferriera, my neurosurgeon, to review the results.

Dr. Ferriera was thrilled with the images. He believes the remaining light-colored bits on the MRIs are scar tissue from the surgery. He says there is no reason to return for a second surgery at this time, and no reason for radiation therapy, because he believes very strongly that  the surgery resulted in 100% resection (tumor removal) and any further surgeries or radiation would just be causing unnecessary damage.

He said there is no guarantee about what may happen in upcoming years, but he feels confident that for the moment, I’m in good shape and now it’s just a matter of recovering from the surgery, which will take 6 months to a year.

My next follow-up appointment with Dr. Ferreira will be in one year.

This is very good news. Now, instead of worrying about an additional surgery and the ins and outs of radiotherapy, I can just focus on working through the craniotomy recovery period.

We have another physical therapy appointment tomorrow, so they’ll be able to share more information about next steps at that time. Dr. Ferreira’s neurosurgery efforts are most focused on the absence of a tumor and successfully preventing additional damage while removing the tumor. The rehabilitation department (where physical, speech, occupational, and vocational therapists live) is focused on making sure you are up and running again. They’ll validate when I’m ready to return to work after surgery.