Home!

I am very happy to report that we are back home already! The recovery from this last surgery is much easier than the first one, and Abbie is already walking around the house. Babies are amazing!!!

We immediately saw improvement after the shunt was placed, so that most likely means that most of her symtoms were due to that, and not to the tumor growth. This is a big relief, and it will most likely mean that we'll have more options for treatment. We don't meet with oncology until next week, so I don't know for sure what they will suggest, but neurosurgy seemed to think that we will have time to try different chemos insteading needing to move to radiation or surgery to remove the tumor. Surgery, as I've said, is very dangerous, and radiation would not be much less so due to Abbie's age. So, we are very hopeful that we will be able to give a more aggressive chemotherapy regimen a try.

This is just such a roller coaster, it's difficult to catch our breath. It really does look like the tumor had not grown as much as they feared, but it's hard to feel too relieved when we know that at any moment something else might pop up to put Abbie in danger. The constant fear is exhausting. Please continue to pray for us, and most especially for Abbie, who has really been a trooper throughout this. The hosptal does not bring out the best in her manners (she routinely commands the nurses and doctors to "Go away! Shut the door!"), but despite the fact that they carved into her skull this week, she has hit the ground running. God bless her.