To Biopsy or not to Biopsy....

So, the question of the day is, "Is it worth the risk to biopsy the tumor to find out what it is?"

Jodi talked to Dr. Couldwell again yesterday for just a few minutes with this question in mind. Tolan and Jodi will meet with Dr. Couldwell on May 11 to discuss all the options for a biopsy. She could have had the biopsy performed next week, but with Dr. Couldwell out of town until the night before the proposed procedure, there would be no time to find out the options and discuss the risks vs. benefits of the procedure before heading to the OR. So, once again, it will be a matter of time. Waiting isn't fun, but it is better than being too hasty (can't be too cautious when it comes to the brain).

Hopefully in the next meeting, they will talk about the different procedure "paths" (where they will go in and how they will navigate to get to the tumor), as well as risks vs benefits discussion. The risks are many, but the benefit of finding out what we are really dealing with and how to treat it is very appealing.

So, in the meantime, Jodi is hoping for more good days where she can do a few things for herself and her family. She has an appointment on May 7 with Dr. Shelton, an ENT in Salt Lake that will likely perform the biopsy with Dr. Couldwell if they proceed down that path.

Hopefully the next week will also bring about the connection with the Johns Hopkins team so they can begin reviewing the case, as well. Wish there was more concrete info to update, but these things are slow going.