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by Anonymous 16 years ago
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Guys,
For those of you who know Mel, his e-mail address is meldavis48@msn.com Please keep he and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
S/F Gary
Hi everyone,
Between a mixture of phone calls and emails I really cannot remember who has called or who has emailed or who has come by! Please forgive me. My head is a little clearer this morning so as I began to answer some emails I decided to make a "Mel Update" group so I could keep everyone informed at the same time.
First to catch everyone up.
On Aug. 13th, we went to Washington, D.C. for Mel's Marine Corps Combat Helicopter Reunion. On Aug. 14, after a day of touring the city we were getting ready for the reunion dinner and Mel experienced about 5 minutes of confusion. I felt like perhaps he had had a minor stroke as there were no noticeable residual affects from the incident. He refused to go to the emergency room so I figured I'd just keep a close eye on him. Everyone we were with the remainder of our time in DC helped tremendously with watching him. He was just mainly pretty quiet, did not speak much if at all.
We returned home on Aug 20 and that afternoon I had him in to our Doctor. The doctor ordered some tests, mainly to look for signs of a stroke. One of the tests was an MRI scan of his brain.
Mel has been diagnosed with two brain tumors. One is in the front left side of the brain, the area that affects speech and thought processes and some feelings. The other is in the middle of the brain, also on the left side, dangerously close to the brain stem and where the spinal fluids flow. It is completely inoperable. Both are about 2" or more in size, they figure they have been there for a while.
Mel had a CT scan of the rest of his body to see if perhaps there was cancer elsewhere that may have masticized to the brain. This would be a good thing, because then they could of gotten sample tissue from there instead of the brain to see how to best treat him. Unfortunately, Mel is clear of any other cancer. This means that the tumors are strictly brain cell tumors, more than likely malignant, and now very aggressive.
Dr. Murk (Mel's neurosurgeon) put him on steroids and anti-seizure medicine immediately. The steroids are to stop the inflammation of the tumors and hopefully slow the growth also. The anti-seizure is to stop any further occurrence of what happened in DC, the periods of confusion. The seizures are such that I could be talking to Mel about a glass, but to Mel we are talking about a shovel. Confusion. This is why he needs to be watched so close.
The latest update is we spoke with the neurosurgeon again last night. We have two choices. Dr. Murk has consulted with other neurosurgeons and they determined that they could operate on the front tumor, try to get as much as possible and of course get a biopsy of it so they know what they are dealing with, and how best chemo and/or radiation could be used to slow the growth or inflammation of the other dangerous tumor. They are pretty certain that they are connected. That one masticized from the other. This is very dangerous because if you irritate the first one, the second one could get "pissed off" (Doc's words!) and cause a lot of problems or even death right on the table. Both tumors are right at a main artery also, and any disruption to the artery could cause a stroke with very serious consequences including death.
The other option is do nothing. The doc would need to lower the steroid medicine, monitor Mel closely with more MRI brain scans and watch the tumors. If he is on the steroids too long, or too high of dose then when they are needed they may not be effective.
Mel is good now, the steroids have made a tremendous difference, and in fact you can really barely tell there is anything wrong with him at all. He has to stay calm, stress free, and not much activity as everything you do has an affect on the brain.
Stay stress free. RIGHT! Mel is trying to make the right decision as to what to do. Ultimately as we all know it is in God's hands for how long Mel is with us. Could be 10 minutes, could be years.
The main purpose of this email going out to all my friends and family on my email list is to ask for your thoughts and prayers that we make the right decision to have Mel with us the longest and healthiest. I think he is leaning towards the surgery, and that may be as soon as next Thursday or Friday. Please pray that he has the strength to get thru this, and that we all make the right decisions.
Debby and Family
Posted : 2008-09-01 17:32
Update on Mel Davis
Hello everyone,
First, please let me thank everyone who has contacted us directly or indirectly since the news of Mel's condition. We are all so very thankful for all of your thoughts and prayers. Mel is extremely touched that there is such a huge support system for him and his family during this very trying time.
Mel has swings and ups and downs all day long. Mostly he just feels is brain is "not right", and that really confuses him, and upsets him. Especially that this has happened so fast. The surgeon has increased his seizure medicine to try to help him a little more. Every day really there is a slight change in his symptoms that the surgeon needed to adjust the medicine to try to keep up with these rapid changes.
Mel has decided to have surgery on the tumor that is in the left frontal lobe of his brain. This will be to try to get enough of it out, without any damage to Mel, to get a biopsy and see what it is we are dealing with. It will also help to relieve some of the pressure on his brain so his brain may be "right" again....forever or for right now we of course won't know until after the surgery.
We have a family meeting with the surgeons next Tuesday, the 9th and will know more about the surgery and recovery, etc. after that. The surgery is scheduled for 1:00 pm. Friday, September 12 at Penrose Main.
God Bless You All,
Debby and Family
Posted : 2008-09-03 18:55
Latest update from Mel's family
In 24 hours we will be heading to the hospital, and the nerves are setting in.
The meeting with the surgeon Tuesday went well...it pretty much was the surgeon going over the consent form more thoroughly than I've ever experienced. From the best that could happen to the absolute worst, and everything in between to watch for. Everything will start in the morning with an MRI to make absolute sure of where to start. Doc called it "getting the GPS"! Surgery could last 5 hours or more. He will be in ICU, 2nd floor Penrose Main after he is awake and stable in the recovery room. He will have another MRI Friday night and/or early Saturday Morning to monitor whether there is any swelling or bleeding in the brain. Another big fear and factor they will be watching is how the other tumor reacts from the surgery.
Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support and prayers. Knowing you are all there pulling for Mel is so very comforting to all of us.
I will send an update of the surgery just as soon as I can.
Debby and Family
Posted : 2008-09-11 19:23
Latest update from Mel's family Sept. 12th
The mass that the surgeons went in to biopsy and remove on the left side of Mel's head is NOT Cancer! It is a HUGE aneurysm. They closed him back up and he is now recovering in ICU.
The Surgeons were shocked, yet very happy. There are other roads to travel now to get the aneurysm fixed, but that means that the other tumor in the middle of the brain is the only one there. Having been on the steroids for the past 2 weeks, when they took the MRI this morning, that mass showed it had gotten smaller. Great sign that the steroids are working on it. Which could also be a good sign that radiation/chemo could also help to shrink it.
The next step is to monitor Mel thru the night, he did have some seizures shortly after surgery so they have him on higher amounts of the medicine to control that. That makes him very sleepy so that is pretty much what he is doing. When asked to do something like stick out his tongue, touch his nose with his finger, etc. he does it all so there was no noticeable neurological damage from them opening his skull. Tonight will tell, and they will do an CT scan or MRI in the morning to make sure there is no swelling or bleeding in the brain.
His neurosurgeon is also making all the arrangements for Mel to be taken to Swedish Hospital or University Hospital in Denver for more tests and treatment of the aneurysm. There are a few ways to go on that, as I learn more about it I will let you know. They will also get a biopsy of the other tumor. It is safer now to do that since there is only one tumor and the fear of aggravating it from messing with the first one is gone.
As soon as I know the When, What, Where, How of the next steps I'll let you all know.
Thanks a billion times over for all your prayers and support!
Debby and Family
Posted : 2008-09-14 12:22
Gary
:DGreat news! Thanks for keeping us posted!!
Posted : 2008-09-15 09:22
Latest update from Mel's family
S/F Gary
Mel went into surgery around 9 am and was done around 2:30 pm. He is now in ICU, still recovering and trying to sleep off the anesthesia. He is not yet answering questions correctly so they'll keep asking him all night. We are exhausted and are just letting him sleep tonight and will go back in the morning.
The tumor in the front was very hard and very intertwined with blood vessels, the cerebral artery, etc. which we knew from the first surgery. Dr. West removed as much as he felt he could without doing any harm to Mel. He feels he removed enough to give the brain it's space back so hopefully he won't have the slowness he's been experiencing.
The other tumor is definitely of a different type than the one in the front. He feels it is a glioma which is most often malignant. He did do a needle biopsy of if and sent the frozen section to pathology. The earliest we will get results is Monday afternoon, the latest about a week from now as they would send it to Johns Hopkins for anaylssis.
Mel will be in ICU here for a few days, then moved to the neurological ward for further recovery. We are hoping to take him home by Tuesday or Wednesday, but so much depends on how he does thru the night and each day's improvement level.
Debby
Posted : 2008-09-19 20:59
