Three months in: so far, so good!
This is one in a series of occasional posts about life with a brain tumor. If you’re new to HeatherBlog, you can get the back-story here.
Today I had my much-dreaded/much-anticipated follow-up MRI. Although I’d been pretty anxious over the past few days, this morning I woke up feeling surprisingly relaxed.
“Just keep your eyes closed and you’ll be fine,” I told myself as I was sucked into The Tube. I focused on breathing along with the baroque music that was playing through the headphones.
After a few imaging cycles curiosity got the better of me and I opened my eyes. For whatever reason, the tight quarters didn’t bother me at all. Why had I been so freaked out the first time around? This was positively relaxing. Huh.
I wandered down the hall to the radiology library to get a copy of my films. I desperately wanted to see the images. Alas, I had no computer.
What I did have was a date with my friend Pam. We had a wonderful time catching up over lunch at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and waxing philosophical. During our stroll through the museum, we saw several modern works that had been tucked in among the permanent collection as part of the Art Remix exhibit. This “tapestry” was among my favorites:
I took a stab at translating the dialogue for Pam. “Giorgio, I inform you that something, something three.” “Would you like a fig?” “No, a lover.” “YIPPEE,” added the dog.
As we soon discovered, I had botched the translation terribly. “Figlio” means son, not fig. We laughed out loud, to the dismay of the more serious patrons. But it felt wonderful to laugh out loud. It felt wonderful to be with Pam.
Back at home, I loaded the MRI disc into my friend Uta’s PC. To my surprise, today’s MRI didn’t register a significant change in the size or shape of the tumor (at least to my untrained eyes). I was greatly relieved but a little confused. Maybe my headaches have been due to stress. I’ll ask the neurosurgeon next week.
Anyway, here’s how the tumor (which my sister Regi has dubbed “Roach”) looks as of today. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will look exactly the same for years to come.
Filed under: Brain tumor, Friends and family | 2 Comments
Tags: astrocytoma, Brain tumor, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MRI
Heather, you are kind not to tell how your friend Pam was completely fooled, at least briefly, by that goofy faux Renaissance portrait of a woman with a fake nose that was part of the lampoon collection. Had we gone into the abstract gallery, I would have been completely confused by real vs. faux!
And that MRI image is quite amazing and haunting. May the tumor stay right where it is! I can only say one good thing about it, that it’s sharpened the keen sense of appreciation you’ve always had for life’s little pleasure and surprises.
Here’s to still lifes, funny art, figlios and figs, and you! May all your mortality moments be followed by a just-the-same MRI!
Your pal,
Pam
Pam! You weren’t fooled, you were *tricked!* There’s a difference. (Or so I tell myself almost every day.)
I’ll second your toast to still life paintings, funny art, figlios, figs, and YOU!
I may never truly grasp the meaning of life, but I do know that it’s a lot more fun with you as my friend. Thank you for the many laughs we’ve shared, and for the many yet to come.
Love, Heather