Subject: Lesley Update - 5/22/01 Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 23:50:01 -0400 From: David Baldauf Lesley's surgery went fine. The surgeon was not able to get as much of the "old" tumor (the tumor in and around the original tumor site) as he had hoped. He had hoped for 80% but only got a little less than 50% due to it being wrapped around the major artery on the left side of her brain. Had he been too ambitious and cut that artery or the blood vessels around it, Lesley's right side would have been paralyzed. He did drain the fluid filled cyst, so that should give Lesley quite a bit of space in there. I asked about the new tumor site near the hypothalamus and how it was behaving and he said the MRI showed that was stable. (We knew he could not operate on that.) He did say that there was something new showing on the right side of her brain. It was not "frankly tumor" so at this point we are not positive as to what it is. The surgeon said that Lesley weathered the surgery well and was speaking well. I visited her in the neuro intensive care unit (where neurosurgery patients always go after surgery) and she was alert and speaking quite well to me. I was with her for about 10 minutes before leaving. Although surgery was scheduled for 11:00 AM, it didn't begin until 5:18 PM. Lesley handled the delay amazingly well considering she hadn't eaten since 8 PM on Monday and only had about 5 oz of water with her pills at 6 AM and hadn't taken any Tylenol and we had left for the hospital at 6:40 AM. That's a story for another time. If all goes well, Lesley will be transferred out of ICU sometime tomorrow and will go to the neuro floor. I'll be going in to see her sometime in the late morning. Stitches will probably be removed on June 1st. Don't know yet when she'll be discharged and don't know whether she will come home or need some rehabilitation. I'll let you know more when I find out. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Dave -- Dave Baldauf, h/o Lesley (45), gbm, dx/srg 8/99, rad 9/99-10/99, debulk srg 10/99, bone flap removal srg due to infection 11/99, 18 rounds of Temodar 12/99 - 4/15/01, MRI on 5/7/01 shows growth and new tumor area near hypothalamus, surgery done on 5/22, new chemo as soon as possible after surgery mailto:dbaldauf@alumni.brown.edu