This is a followup post to Part 1. As I mentioned before, after an inconclusive brain biopsy in February, which did not detect any tumor cells, it was recommended that I go in for a second surgery to get a larger tissue sample and hopefully get a solid diagnosis so that treatment could begin. It’s been a little over three weeks now since that second surgery on April 8th and again, no tumor cells were seen. All that was detected again was inflammation (gliosis).
The current running theory is that I may simply have some sort of possibly transitory inflammation that caused my seizure back in July of last year. I still have no other symptoms and haven’t experienced another seizure. My neurosurgeon also mentioned that the lesions seen in previous MRI scans seem to be responding to the steroids I’m now on. The current plan is basically to monitor my situation now with an MRI scan every three months.
It’s been a scary couple of months but it looks like there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. We still don’t know what is causing the scar tissue. Lymphoma is a possibility. I continue to feel healthy, positive and grateful to my family and friends for all of their support, especially my wife Emily who has remained strong throughout all of this. I have to say that I am very grateful to my doctors too, especially my neurosurgeon, Dr. Gantwerker of the The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles.
Kevin Stanchfield 