MRI Results #2 After Gamma Knife and DisneyWorld!

Steve had his MRI scheduled on a Thursday instead of his usual Friday this month because of the July Fourth holiday.  They went very early, as usual, for a 7:30 MRI appointment, followed by a 9:30 Dr. Hu appointment. When they arrived, for the first time, the MRI folks had Steve and Terry sign a liability for payment form. That was a little bit scary because MRI's are ridiculously expensive and it was so early, they couldn't reach the insurance company. So they signed the form. A little while later, after some annoying phone calls, they received their authorization numbers for payment and all was well. I always hate dealing with medical bills and insurance forms  so I'm glad this falls to Terry and not me.
Anyway, Terry says everything is fine:
Dr. Hu says the MRI hasn't changed and it looks exactly same as June's MRI. There is no new growth.
He is concluding what is remaining in the tumor location is dead tumor tissue, including that white concerning spot next to the original tumor. They are assuming gamma knife got it all since it has not changed in the last month and to expect these areas will always be there as spots of dead tissue in all forthcoming MRIs.

Steve wondered if they can do gamma knife again in the future if any new tumors develop. Dr. Hu says yes, if the new tumor is in a different part of the brain. They cannot radiate the same space again.

Steve was happier walking out than he had been walking in to his morning appointment.

Then they went to receive full body massages, a gift from a friend of theirs. They said it was wonderfully done and Terry, especially, loved it!

But before yesterday's appointment, they went to DisneyWorld!

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They went to the Magic Kingdom the first day. It's similar to our Disneyland,  so they spent more time on the extra activities like Country Bear Jamboree and many of the shows. The next day, Friday, they went to Animal Kingdom and really enjoyed the safari. It was so much fun, a giraffe even stuck his head into the tram they were in.
Now, Steve had started his chemotherapy just as they started their trip. By Friday night, he was having the pain and discomfort from constipation, a miserable side effect of the chemo. Since the routine they usually use wasn't working, Terry telephoned Dr. Hu and had a prescription medication sent to a local pharmacy. When she contacted the hotel concierge, DisneyWorld really went above and beyond to help. They paid for the cab to and from the pharmacy and canceled their nice restaurant reservation for the evening, waiving the cancellation fees for them. Fortunately, Steve was feeling better a little while later.

Saturday, they had planned the day off from the parks, knowing Steve and they would likely be tired. They sat by the pool, read books and did laundry and enjoyed themselves. 

Sunday they went to Epcot. They stayed together as a family for a while, then the boys took the bus back to the Magic Kingdom to go on more rides and Steve and Terry stayed at Epcot and walked around the Festival of Countries alone at a nice, relaxed pace.
Monday, they spent the day at the Hollywood Studios park. For dinner, they ate at the Brown Derby restaurant. They had purchased the Disney Dining Plan and thought it was remarkable to price compare the $400 retail dinner price to the 2 meal tickets each for a nice sit down meal.
The weather was as expected in Florida in the summer. Hot, humid, muggy and with  afternoon thunderstorms and lightening. They had a great time and loved spending time together.

Adam has started summer school. Nathan  plans to volunteer at the library.
Terry is back working as a temp at the same company she has been at before, this time for 6 weeks working full time.

They are looking forward to spending an upcoming weekend with 4 other long-time friends and their families.

Steve's next MRI is scheduled for Aug 1st, in one month.
He starts chemo again this Saturday with Temodar at his same dose. We wish him good luck and good health!

Happy 4th of July to all!