update on the bro....

... as the hospice nurse reported a couple of weeks ago: 'he seems to be stable.' Which could mean nearly anything for someone with an internal life-threatening evil substance exponentially expanding, running rampant in his head. The nurse likely comes in order to fulfill some sort of federal mandate for evaluation of the home-bound patient, the guy who reassigned all his medicare rights in order to receive the care provided by the hospice program. When they came recently, checking his vital signs, inquiring to be sure he had plenty of Rx meds on hand, the report was apparently the same as the previous, causing her to decide she would only come once a week instead of twice.

He seems to be more confused, possibly struggling with vision problems as the evil thing in his head expands and affects optic nerve behind his eye. This awfulness is growing, creating pressure, causing him to need increasing dosage of steroids to help control swelling - and steroids come with their own set of disabilities and side effects. Plus he does not sleep well at night, getting up numerous times to for a trip to the bathroom. Which means the caregiver does not get any restful sleep due to getting up continually to help him find the way to the toilet.

"A giloblastoma is an uncommon tumor that forms in the brain or spinal cord. Glioblastomas belong to a group of tumors called gliomas. Gliomas arise from star-shaped glial cells. These cells form tissue in the brain that provides the support structure and insulation for neurons - the central nervous system's primary message carriers. Doctors grade gliomas and other classes of brain tumors on a scale from I to IV to reflect their aggressiveness and growth potential. Glioblastomas are grade IV tumors, the most aggressive form.
"Glioblastomas can either emerge as a grade IV tumor or develop from a slow-growing low grade tumor called an astrocytoma. Unlike most other brain tumors, glioblastomas grow and spread into surrounding brain tissue rapidly. Many blood vessels sprout from the tumors to provide nourishment, which fosters aggressive tumor growth." (Univ. of CA., Berkeley, School of Public Health, Nov.'17.)

If you want more sad, heartwrenching news, read on: About 3 in 100,000 Americans develop these horrible things each year, more common in older males. No one can say where they come from, what causes it, whether it is in the environment, DNA, coming out of your heating ducts, in the polluted ground water we all consume. They are usually found growing in your cranium, squeezing into space you need for your brain - creating pressure, and affecting the stuff you have been using your head for all your life: memory, vision, walking, talking, feeding yourself, complex reasoning.

I understand the growth pattern is often compared to an octopus, a solid mass with lots of tentacles spreading out in all directions. The one in my brother was so large the surgeon could do little when they went in to try to remove most of it. The evil thing, overtaking their lives, continues to grow and create swelling/pressure. Please pray for Tom and his sweet wife/primary caregiver. Peace, patience, the grace needed to see this through.