Alex Update - A little over a year ago, on July 9, 2012, Alex had the MRI which showed a brain tumor and then on July 10 the neurosurgeon confirmed the worst and changed our lives forever. This past year has been a roller coaster ride, with all the various treatments and emotions but the very, very worst part is now starting. On June 27, 2013, Alex had another MRI after finishing his first set of Avastin treatments (every two weeks for 8 weeks). We should have seen an improvement in Alex’s physical condition 2 – 4 weeks into that treatment but did not. While that latest MRI showed the tumor had shrunk, there were no improvements in Alex’s physical or cognitive abilities and his oncologist has said there is not likely to be even if we continued with the Avastin. Alex has indicated a number of times he wants to stop any treatment (he says nothing new) and as hard as that is -- that is what we have done. At one of the doctor’s appointments in St. Louis last year he said “I just feel so incompetent.” Cancer of anything is horrible disease but brain cancer is an insidious monster which robs you of so much more since the brain controls so much – at various times it has affected Alex’s personality, his moods, his ability to think and reason, his ability to communicate, his memory especially his short term memory, his ability to walk, even his ability to turn over in bed, and as of yesterday his ability to sit up without leaning. At this time he still recognizes everyone. He is still at St. Joseph Bluffs but he is now also receiving hospice care. As much as I want to bring him home, our condo presents too many barriers to reasonably do that – the steps, the lack of an accessible bathroom with or without a shower (with no easy solution to that) and the need for two people to transfer him from the bed to his wheelchair or his recliner and back. He is very, very tired and is sad a good deal of the time. He is also losing strength and is sleeping a good deal of the time.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 21:05:31 +0000
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