MD Anderson

I am relaxing at the hotel after a very long day! We spent the day in Houston at MD Anderson Hospital. We met with a neuro-oncologist, Dr. Puduballi, to get a third opinion. Travis and I really liked him, he spent a lot of time explaining things to us. Of course, he confirmed that Travis has what is most likely a glioma tumor. He had a surgeon take a took at the MRI and the neurosurgeon felt confident that it could be biopsied. Dr. Puduballi strongly disagreed with doing nothing but observe closely, like the Mayo Clinic. He also said that removing the tumor is not possible. He recommended a biopsy to confirm it's a tumor and follow with radiation treatment. He said that the tumor has been growing very slowly for a long time. Travis' brain has had time to adapt and the fibers and neurons have moved around the tumor. That is why he has very few symptoms despite the fairly large size of the tumor. He said it will continue to slowly grow and cause more symptoms over time. He said that we are not in an urgent situation due to the slow growth. We have time to plan and think about how we want to proceed. Most likely, we will do the recommended treatment. Dr. Puduballi was very open and honest with us. He told us that this is a rare tumor for a 34 year old male to have. Gliomas are typically seen in children and agressive gliomas in the elderly. Unfortunately, since it's rare, there is no standard of care. Each doctor is offering their best opinion. That's why we've had such conflicting opinions. We are hoping to meet with the neurosurgeon here before we come home. Then next week we meet with Dr. Spetzler and see why he thinks he can remove most of the tumor.

It is a little frustrating and difficult to get such differing opinions from such qualified doctors. We realize how much we have to rely on the Lord to guide our decisions and make the best choice for Travis and our family. Travis is wonderful and said that he is not discouraged. He is so strong! I sure do love that man!