Hey all,

I guess I wan't any better about updating since it has been over a week since my last post...sorry! I really appreciate everyone checking in on me and know that positive thought and prayer help a great deal, thank you all :-)

Last Thursday my Mom and I went up to Boston to meet with a Neurologist who was recommended by Dr Black, Dr Thomas Walshe. I liked him, at first thinking he was a bit gruff but then realizing he was just taking his job very seriously as he asked me what brought me to his office (I was going to say my Mom's Chevrolet Tracker but didn't think he had a sense of humor at that point). As we talked he agreed that the EEG next week was good to have to rule out seizures and that it was a good thing that we were able to move up my MRI a month. He said he would not really give me a diagnosis but would talk to Dr Chemali and give her a few suggestions. As far as my double vision and other left eye problems he said he was going to let Dr Bien-Fang take care of that since they are in the same office and he said "Dr Bien-Fang is really on the ball" at one point. When I asked him if he could tell me anything, like what is the 2nd tumor, is it causing the problems, are the problems permanent, etc since I get lots of calls and emails checking up on me and don't know what to say. He said from what he can tell "It isn't a hardware problem, but the software seems to have some glitches". Basically I know absolutely nothing more, but had a nice chat with the doctor and my Mom got to read a couple of magazines in his office.

We are heading back up to Boston in about an hour for the MRI. I don't mind them at all. I go in and get an IV set up (for the contrast) and then you lie down on the sliding table part and they give you a warm blanket, a very comfortable foam piece under your knees, a handheld beeper incase you need to contact them, ear plugs to try to drown out the banging and honking noises (they don't work), and then they make it so you can't move your head. Then you get slid into the narrow tube which is actually going into the magnet. They take a number of different views and each one last so many minutes, usually about 45 minutes total. Each time they start the next view they let you know how long it will be and ask if you are OK. That helps to make the time go by so I have some reference point. I usually end up falling asleep! Once the test is done they slide you out of the MRI tube and take out the IV, tell you to drink lots of water the next 24 hrs to help move the contrast out of your system, and I'm on my way. I won't know the results until my appt with Dr Chemali on Tuesday at the earliest but more likely I will find out next Friday at my appt with Dr Black.

I have been thinking about why two Drs found this second tumor which now can't be found on the CT scan and I'm slowly starting to recover from the problems I was having. The double vision is less and I'm getting used to it, I can walk a straight line again and have run a few steps without tripping over my feet, the headaches are lessening, I have strength in my right hand again so I haven't been dropping everything, I can write clear thoughts and read the typing. I haven't spelled anything backwards in a few weeks either. A thought crossed my mind when I was trying to figure out how I can have pictures of the new tumor but they couldn't find it on the CT or on my MRI taken 9/28...maybe it is gone? Do Hemangiomas or Meningiomas just disappear? Maybe the prayers worked and it has disappeared? Is that why I'm starting to finally feel a bit better? I usually have thoughts that are geared more to the scientific then spiritual, but who knows? I don't know how else to explain it if they don't find it on the MRI today. I am bringing in the pictures & report from the ultrasound so they can see exactly where to look. I actually spoke to someone in the MRI deptartment yesterday and asked if I could show them the report and they said it was a great idea.

Well that is all for now. Off to Boston on the busiest travel day of the year and we will be coming home in rush hour traffic UGH!

Take care everyone,

Sue