Neuro Opthamolgist Appt.
Well, as usual the appt was over 3 hours long – with 2 hours of putting Andrea through extensive testing. Only to meet with the doc and find that he had not received any of the reports or MRI’s sense radiation began. So at a bit of a disadvantage, not knowing how things look in her head after the radiation he did his best. From his exam he said she is doing very well, considering, and that he has hope that things may only continue to improve. She now has what is referred to as an optical island. Basically if you cover her healthy eye (left), her other eye (right) can see out the top half of a small hole. Like looking through half a straw – but it takes some doing for her to see the spot and everything is white, black and purple. The neurosurgeon originally said he cut very deep into the optical nerve and there would be no sight. Then just prior to radiation (only 6weeks after surgery) she was seeing this island in purple.Two weeks after radiation her eye went back to seeing nothing. But now is beginning to come back. The neuro opthamologist said no one can say for sure if she will recover any more sight or how long it would take – but that there is something there, that may or may not help her. We have to go back in six months. Therefore in April she will see: Neuro Surgeon, Neuro Oncologist, Endocrinologist, Neuro Opthamologist and Audiologist and get an MRI and blood panel (not on the same day though). So for now she will be free of doctor visits and trips to ann arbor. Just in time to enjoy winter and her new/used truck. So we have decided and the Neuro Oncologist said it was ok, not to do the Audiologist appt next week – it is a baseline for hearing loss due to radiation and can be done in April. So, I plan to still post once a month – but the posts will be of what Andrea is up to and maybe even some pictures, old and new. So if you want to keep checking in, I will try to make it good/fun reading and viewing.Oh, and her bald spots are really starting to grow hair – some are 1/4 inch long already. But she covers them so well with her new hair cut/style anyway. She is very busy with school work, NHS, CMACB, concert band, boy friend (she says he’s not), her horse, her dog, her friends and now her truck. All of this in between still needing alot of rest, but improving every day. She is so strong and a fighter like most kids that are dealt things like this.