Worst News

We had trouble getting to the hospital this morning. The shuttle was late, so when I inquired at the front desk, we were told the shuttle driver was stuck in traffic. When we explained that our father was scheduled for surgery and we needed to get there before he went into surgery, the motel called a taxi on their dime (actually $20 to travel 7 mi.) When we called en route, we were told that he had already been taken to pre-op. We thought we would barely get there before he was taken into surgery and he was very relieved to see us, but he had bad news to relay. Dr. Friedman had ordered a new MRI and the images showed a third larger tumor that was not seen in the original MRI done at Lutheran. Not only was the tumor larger, but it was also located in the back of the brain, too far from the original site to to be operable at the same time. After much difficult discussion Dr. Friedman advised that Dad not have the surgery because it wouldn't be as effective. Dr. Friedman made an appt. with the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center for a consultation about alternative treatments. We weren't able to get the appt. until Friday, but need to go back to the hospital to have another MRI done, this time a contrast test. I've tried to convince my parents to keep an open mind about the alternative options, but I think they may be at their limit. Mom is exhausted from periodic crying jags, but Dad vacillates between stoic acceptance and anger. This has been one of the hardest things I've ever faced, made more difficult by three nights in a row of insomnia. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully we'll all sleep tonight so we're better able to face it.