They finished up and got her in a recovery room around 5:00. She did well during the surgery. The doctor said she is very resilient. She is semi-conscious but on quite a bit of pain medicine. The doctor spoke with Gordon, Brant, Todd and Phil (Annalie's brother) after the surgery. He gave us some news we really did not want to hear. He said when he opened her up he found that the cancer was more extensive than he previously thought. He also said that it is indeed a glioblastoma. That is what they had originally diagnosed her with in Huntsville. The doctor said it is located in a very unusual place for a glioblastoma and that is part of the reason why they didn't think it was that kind of tumor.
When he attempted to remove it, he found that it had begun to attach to the brain cells around it which is another indicator of it being a glioblastoma. He could not aggressively remove the outer edges of the tumor without damaging the brain cells around it and potentially causing a lot of problems. The tumor has begun to attach itself to the brain stem also and has grown down inside the ventricles of her brain. The tumor is 4 cm in diameter. Since he couldn't get the edges, he basically cored it and removed that portion.
They will biopsy the tumor and have the official results in about a week. The pathologist was in there when they removed it though and he seemed to agree with the surgeon about what kind of tumor it is.
The surgeon was satisfied with what he was able to accomplish given the circumstances. He will want to start radiation in a couple of weeks and will probably want to do chemo in addition to that. The team up here would really like to be involved in the radiation and chemo treatment. So I'm not sure if she will be doing that in Nashville or in Huntsville.
They have another mri ordered for her before the morning so they can see what they got and what was left behind. They hope to have her in a regular room by tomorrow and then the doctor will meet with us and talk some more about what he finds.
The sum of what he has told us so far is that the prognosis is not good and that some people can live as long as 2 years. His exact words were "All bets are off"
The only thing I know for sure is that even though this was a surprise and shock for all of us, God was not surprised. He knows what the plan is and we are trusting in that for our family. Keep praying for all of us. We love you all.
Elesha
5 comments:
Elisha...
I live right outside of Nashville, and my husband, Adam, works downtown just blocks from Vandy. PLEASE let us know if there is anything we can do for you.
Alison Fanning Creel
615-895-0907
Elesha....
Please let everyone know that we are in prayer over Annalie, Gordon and this situation. I loved how you said that even though you were surprised, God was not surprised. You are so right and we know He has a plan and a purpose for each and every detail of this. We are holding you all up---praying strength and peace. To God be the glory. love you.
I'm going to be keeping y'all in my prayers. My # is 910 733 8666. Feel free to call if there is anything we can do, or the church can do. We are always willing to pray, but if you want someone to come and pray for y'all in person or if there is ANYTHING else the church can do, let us know.
Rooting for you!
Pastor Mike
Elesha,
Our prayers are with you all at this time. Please let her know that. We think of Annalie all the time and Collin and I talk of how she is so sweet and was one of the first at Pulaski Pike to welcome us and has been an inspiration to us. Her faith and strength is amazing and God sees it! We love her and we love you guys. God is a great!!!
Please take care,
Brenda,Chuck and Collin
Dear Elesha,
I am a friend of Shelby Nelson, and she has asked our Sunday Bible Class to pray for your mother. Shelby has told us what a wonderful, caring person Annalie is, and that the world is a richer place for her having been in it. I lost my best friend to glioblastoma several years ago, but she lived almost two years after her diagnosis, and had lots of GOOD days left. She even began driving again, and we had many more happy times to sustain us. I miss her still, but she left us a beautiful memory. I pray that your mom will have many good times and beautiful days yet to share with her family and friends. I will be praying for her.
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