Journal entry by Terin Larkin —
Welcome back. This report is not the best news, but also not the worst.
Just to recap...the last Brain MRI back in November showed a new and concerning spot that showed up located within the 'tumor bed' where her original cancerous tumor was present, operated on and radiated. The neurologist was stumped on what this new spot could be. He said the spot is either:
1. Cancerous- which he felt was less likely due to it growing back in the same location as her other tumor which is not typically seen. Usually if new cancer tumors show up in the brain, they develop in other locations of the brain.
2. Radiation Narcosis- this is basically scar tissue/dead tissue/trama which would be a result of having a very high dose of radiation to this spot in the brain which occurred back in 2020 after the tumor was removed via surgery. Radiation necrosis is rare but happens.
Just to recap...the last Brain MRI back in November showed a new and concerning spot that showed up located within the 'tumor bed' where her original cancerous tumor was present, operated on and radiated. The neurologist was stumped on what this new spot could be. He said the spot is either:
1. Cancerous- which he felt was less likely due to it growing back in the same location as her other tumor which is not typically seen. Usually if new cancer tumors show up in the brain, they develop in other locations of the brain.
2. Radiation Narcosis- this is basically scar tissue/dead tissue/trama which would be a result of having a very high dose of radiation to this spot in the brain which occurred back in 2020 after the tumor was removed via surgery. Radiation necrosis is rare but happens.
Obviously neither one of these 2 things are not great!
Still recapping lol..we decided at that time, it would be best to wait and see how this spot continued to behave and to keep a close eye on it to see what the best course of action will be. So instead of 3 months, we repeated the MRI at 2 months. Navigating tricky waters...the wait and see game is not a preferred route in cancer because we are basically allowing whatever it is to potentially continue to grow (not good)..but also the preferred route in knowing the best plan as we don’t know exactly what it is. At that time, he explained that if the spot is indeed radiation necrosis, and not causing any problems, surgery would be best to avoid..we agreed.
Okay, done recapping..here is the update.
The not so good news is that the spot, unfortunately, has grown in size since her last MRI a couple weeks ago (boo). It did not quite double in size, but close. Not the news we were hoping for or expecting at all! The 'spot' is still ACTING more like radiation narcosis. Even with growth, the swelling associated with it has not changed or grown in size (yay). Dr. Vitaz stated he would highly expect to see increased swelling with a cancerous tumor. This cannot be confirmed without going in surgically which has its own set of risks and side effects. As I mentioned before, the only way to know for sure is to have brain surgery. As a team, we again decided that we are going to do another round of 'wait and see' and keep a close eye on it for another 8 weeks. The good news is my mom is still not experiencing any symptoms (praise the Lord).
Radiation narcosis typically has a cap on its growing potential- meaning that it will grow and grow and reach a maximum size, then either stay the same or reduce in size. Double edged sword because, by the time it reaches its maximum size and swelling, it could take over parts of the brain that can cause damaging neurological symptoms (just as much as a cancer tumor) such as vision loss, headaches, loss of feeling and/or movement in extremities, cognitive problems etc. This would be cause for another brain surgery and removal of the radiation narcosis. But, if no new neurological symptoms appear, we can continue to wait it out and pray that by the time it reaches its maximum size, it can go on its merry way of shrinking back down to nothing. If the spot continues to grow and symptoms appear, surgery is inevitable and we will have some big decisions to make.
So! Specific prayers for my mom would be that on the next brain MRI in 2 months, the spot is still acting like Radiation Narcosis and has reached its maximum growth with no additional swelling or symptoms. Also, that her chemo is still working and that she has stable results/no progression in any other organs for her upcoming body CT at the end of the month
This is all a lot, but as for life since the last update, Luke and I have had a baby lol. We welcomed our healthy baby boy Brecken David Larkin into the world on Dec. 8 and we are all having so much fun with him We celebrated a wonderful Christmas together. Marlinn, the OG grand baby turned 1 and Big Kat just spent 10 days in Florida with her mom, my aunt Lou and cousins David, Megan and Tommy. We continue to navigate our lives the best as we can despite all of this, making new, fun memories together around her chemo treatments which continue every 3 weeks.
You would never, ever guess what my mom goes through on a daily basis and what she is facing. Her attitude & faith remain stronger than ever. As you go about your days, remember to give grace to those around you...you never know what others are going through. Thank you for the love and support for my mom and family xo
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
Still recapping lol..we decided at that time, it would be best to wait and see how this spot continued to behave and to keep a close eye on it to see what the best course of action will be. So instead of 3 months, we repeated the MRI at 2 months. Navigating tricky waters...the wait and see game is not a preferred route in cancer because we are basically allowing whatever it is to potentially continue to grow (not good)..but also the preferred route in knowing the best plan as we don’t know exactly what it is. At that time, he explained that if the spot is indeed radiation necrosis, and not causing any problems, surgery would be best to avoid..we agreed.
Okay, done recapping..here is the update.
The not so good news is that the spot, unfortunately, has grown in size since her last MRI a couple weeks ago (boo). It did not quite double in size, but close. Not the news we were hoping for or expecting at all! The 'spot' is still ACTING more like radiation narcosis. Even with growth, the swelling associated with it has not changed or grown in size (yay). Dr. Vitaz stated he would highly expect to see increased swelling with a cancerous tumor. This cannot be confirmed without going in surgically which has its own set of risks and side effects. As I mentioned before, the only way to know for sure is to have brain surgery. As a team, we again decided that we are going to do another round of 'wait and see' and keep a close eye on it for another 8 weeks. The good news is my mom is still not experiencing any symptoms (praise the Lord).
Radiation narcosis typically has a cap on its growing potential- meaning that it will grow and grow and reach a maximum size, then either stay the same or reduce in size. Double edged sword because, by the time it reaches its maximum size and swelling, it could take over parts of the brain that can cause damaging neurological symptoms (just as much as a cancer tumor) such as vision loss, headaches, loss of feeling and/or movement in extremities, cognitive problems etc. This would be cause for another brain surgery and removal of the radiation narcosis. But, if no new neurological symptoms appear, we can continue to wait it out and pray that by the time it reaches its maximum size, it can go on its merry way of shrinking back down to nothing. If the spot continues to grow and symptoms appear, surgery is inevitable and we will have some big decisions to make.
So! Specific prayers for my mom would be that on the next brain MRI in 2 months, the spot is still acting like Radiation Narcosis and has reached its maximum growth with no additional swelling or symptoms. Also, that her chemo is still working and that she has stable results/no progression in any other organs for her upcoming body CT at the end of the month
This is all a lot, but as for life since the last update, Luke and I have had a baby lol. We welcomed our healthy baby boy Brecken David Larkin into the world on Dec. 8 and we are all having so much fun with him We celebrated a wonderful Christmas together. Marlinn, the OG grand baby turned 1 and Big Kat just spent 10 days in Florida with her mom, my aunt Lou and cousins David, Megan and Tommy. We continue to navigate our lives the best as we can despite all of this, making new, fun memories together around her chemo treatments which continue every 3 weeks.
You would never, ever guess what my mom goes through on a daily basis and what she is facing. Her attitude & faith remain stronger than ever. As you go about your days, remember to give grace to those around you...you never know what others are going through. Thank you for the love and support for my mom and family xo
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
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