I am sorry this is so late tonight, but I've had many phone calls, the last one being to my brother-in-law to clarify some issues. Mom, Dad and Kristie got home about 8:30 tonight. It was a very long day for them (and for those of us at home).

Dad saw three doctors today: the neurosurgeon who is going to perform the biopsy, the vascular surgeon who will monitor the aneurism and the neurosurgeon who will put the shunt in. Dad didn't really know much of what was going on. When the first neurosurgeon asked him how long he had his symptoms, he thought they were talking about his allergies. He thought the third doctor was seeing him for his eyes. He was very unsteady, and was in a wheelchair most of the day.

The first neurosurgeon told us that the mass is not removable. They will be able to biopsy it, but it will not be coming out. He also told us that he feels it is a glioma, the worst possible outcome. It does have some treatment options, depending on the grade of the tumor. This is truly very difficult to treat, and the best scenario to treat a glioma is by taking it out first. That won't be an option here. The mass is too diffuse throughout his brain. The one thing that the neurosurgeons have commented on is the color of the mass. It's not the regular color of a glioma. He also said that it could be lymphoma, and if it was, there were treatment options. When the biopsy is done, we will be able to know almost immediately if it's lymphoma. If it's a glioma, it will take several days to verify it after his surgery is finished.

The mass is blocking Dad's spinal fluid, causing the pressure to be very high. This is causing his confusion and balance problems. He likened it to a computer and a hard drive that are connected by cables. The information normally flows between the two pieces of equipment. This mass is basically growing into the cables at the point where the cables meet the computer - no information can get through.

The surgery was scheduled for Thursday, but then it was cancelled. Dad took a baby aspirin this morning, and this wasn't realized until all the doctors had been seen and he was having lab work done. When the lab saw this on the medicine list, they told Mom that the doctor would not do anything for at least 7 days, until the medicine was out of his system. We are now hoping for maybe next Tuesday - it has not been rescheduled because this problem was not noticed until very late in the day.

Dad saw the vascular surgeon next. He will not touch Dad until his brain is healthier. The aneurism is being put on hold for now. One of our concerns about the aneurism involves the shunt being put in during the biopsy. The shunt runs from the brain to the stomach. They told us that the aneurism is in the back of his stomach and the shunt should drain into the front of the stomach. Hopefully there won't be any problems.

Dad saw one more neurosurgeon today - the doctor who will be putting in the shunt. He is the best neurosurgeon in the country for putting in shunts! Another blessing!

They asked if Dad would get better after the shunt was put in, and the doctor said that he may perk up a little bit, but that would be only temporary. It really depends on what kind of tumor we're looking at, the treatment for the tumor, all of which are unknown right now.

Dad really didn't know anything going on today. He rode home from Nashville sitting at a 45 degree angle to the seat. Mom said he sat like that all the way home. He was laughing and joking when I went to see him in the car. I guess it is a blessing that he doesn't know?????

Kristie said that everywhere they went today, it was like a little angel was guiding them. They went to Vanderbilt this morning having one appointment with only one doctor. They ended the day having seen two neurosurgeons, a vascular surgeon, and having all the pre-op procedures being done. They had x-rays and blood work done, and finished all the paperwork for the surgery. They never waited more than 5 minutes at each doctor's appointment. When they got lost trying to find the next appointment, someone always miraculously appeared. When Dad needed to use the restroom and was so unsteady, some man noticed his problem and volunteered to help. Kristie said the entire day was like that.

We did not get the news we wanted, but the news was given to us by men. My God reigns supreme, and He will have the final word on my dad.

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.

2 Corinthians 12:9