To sum it up, they found two brain tumors on Monday March 21st - one in the front and one in the back. They were able to remove the front tumor with brain surgery on Wednesday March 23rd. The doctors believed that one more week may have killed her.
The second tumor makes things a little more complicated. Mom started whole-brain radiation on Monday April 11th. She will get this 5 days a week for 14 days. Hopefully this will shrink the existing tumor and stifle any other tumors from growing.
Mom is anxious about this radiation treatment. She saw her mother go through it and watched her deteriorate before her eyes - forgetting things, needing to learn how to walk again, write again, etc. Mom basically said that when it comes down to it, she will choose quality over quantity. So, if the treatments start taking a significant toll on her physically and mentally, she will stop.
Right now, she is in good spirits. She is two days into her treatment and, as far as I can tell, sounds like herself! The steroids she is taking to reduce the brain swelling have ironically caused the rest of her body and face to swell. Other than that, she seems pretty "normal." Doc says she will lose her hair, but he said that last time, too, and she didn't! Only time will tell...
So that's the update. I wish it were more positive, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody can know what the future holds, all we can do is hope for the best. We've seen her beat this before...
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