My sister Abby came into town at the end of last month and spent a week with us. I hadn't seen her since she came to Dallas for my first surgery so it was great to be able to spend some time with her. F.Y.I, Abby is doing great. She is still living in Georgia and seems to really enjoy it there. Here's a picture of the two of us.
On November 5th I made the trip back to Dallas to have another M.R.I, meet with a infectious disease doctor, and visit with Dr. Mickey. Overall the trip went well. My M.R.I showed that the cancer has not really grown since my first surgery which is a TRUE BLESSING FROM GOD. Dr. Mickey used me as a ginny pig as he allowed one of his residence to remove the stitches from head. One of the great things that came from the trip was I FINALLY got clearance to drive a car again. I felt as if I had just turned 16 again. He made me promise him I wouldn't drive any race cars so I'll try to abide by that for a while anyways. When I talked to Dr. Mickey a couple of days later I told him I was driving a new Corvette and he just laughed. What?..... it's not a true race car.
Yesterday, the home health care nurse came by to draw my weakly blood levels. After she poked me 4 times with no success we finally decided that we better wait a day and try again. There's nothing like feeling like a human pin cushion. They sent another lady by this morning and she was able to strike blood both times on the first try. I'm still required to take IV antibiotics twice a day for 2 and a half hours each. The blood test basically check to see what the high and low levels of antibiotics are staying in my system. Unfortunately today's results weren't good. They showed that I am being over medicated which could lead to kidney failure. I spoke with Dr. Mickey this afternoon and he lowered my dosage a little bit. They are going to draw blood again on Tuesday and hopefully the results will be better.
SO WHAT'S NEXT?
Right now the plan is for me to meet with the infectious disease doctor on December 1st and then see Dr. Mickey on the 11th. That's when they will decide whether I should have a surgery to insert a plastic skull piece or begin radiation first. I feel like I will probably begin radiation either during the middle of December or the first of January.
So..... that's what has been going on in my world. I've been feeling pretty well considering my last surgery was just about 3 weeks ago. My strength and stamina is slowly coming back and I've been able to go into work for at least a few hours each day. I greatly appreciate your patience and I promise to update more often. I've figured out that updating this blog is similar to mowing your grass. The more often you mow/update the easier it is. Lately, I've waited too long and I end up writing a book. I hope everyone is doing well and keeping a positive attitude. I believe that keeping positive attitude and strong faith in GOD is the most important thing no matter whether you're dealing with a medical issue or a down economy. Just remember "life is what you make of it." You have a choice every morning. You can either choose to be positive or negative. So when you wake up tomorrow morning CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE! Thanks for reading my mess of a blog. I can't tell you how much your prayers, support, and comments have helped me over the past several months.
God Bless,
Brian
