Stan Richenberger

As many of you know, my dad has been sick for the last 13 months. Dad was hospitalized again  in March after showing signs of dehydration. While in the hospital, they did a PET scan and other tests, all of which came back normal. Dad showed signs of improvement after treatment while in the hospital. He was walking 3 times a day with a cane around the block by himself, was eating small portions and was able to keep the majority of it down. Fast forward to August, dad began to become sick more frequently when eating, was having episodes of dizziness, double vision, losing his balance, and getting headaches. Dad continued seeing his neurologist, GI doctor, and primary care doctor from the VA/University throughout his regression.  Medication changes were made but no signs of improvement were noticed. Dad began using a walker due to being unsteady on his feet and after numerous falls.

On October 1st, dad was transported by ambulance to the VA due to a pancreatitis attack. They removed his gall bladder the following Monday. Mom expressed concerns to the doctors about dad's weakness and increase in falls, we were worried about leaving him home by himself. After talking with doctors and physical therapy, they felt it would be best if he went into skilled care. Dad was transported to Washington County Hospital to their skilled care unit on October 11th. Dr. Prihoda was his primary doctor and after reviewing his year long case and doing his preliminary exam, he felt an updated MRI was necessary. The next day, October 12th, the MRI was done. Dr. Ajax (neurologist) and Dr. Prihoda reviewed the MRI and found a tumor on dad's cerebellum. The tumor was 3.4 x 4.5 x 3.1 cm. Dr. Prihoda referred him to the U of I neurosurgery. A stealth MRI and CT scan were ordered. Dad was admitted to 6JCP East. Prior MRI and PET scans were reviewed by Radiation Oncologist and Neurosurgeon. They found that the tumor DID NOT appear.  The doctors felt that the tumor could have been so small at that time that it was not visible. His doctors at the VA (who are from the U of I) noticed he was inpatient and came to express concern about his continued care. They were noticeably shocked and remorseful that it hadn't been found prior. They asked if they could follow his care here and take his case from the last year to review, study and learn from. 

 On Monday, October 17th they did a biopsy of the tumor to determine what kind of tumor it was and what the next step would be. After what seemed like forever, the biopsy results came back and they determined that the tumor is a medulloblastoma, a rare brain tumor that is typically found in children but also 2% of male adults. They are planning surgery this week, not sure yet which day. Please stay tuned for updates. Prayers are appreciated.