A Stark Reminder

I've just been to see Tara's Oncologist, Dr Tammy Hedderly, at King's College Hospital. It was only a fortnight since I'd seen a Registrar on Tara's surgical team following Tara's latest MRI scan at the end of July. We had been given the great news that the small rim of matter left after surgery had shrunk from ~9mm to ~5.5mm (the reduction probably due to the healing of scar tissue) and so I was expecting nothing but positive news. And indeed, to begin with, Dr Hedderly focused on the shrinkage. 

But then Dr Hedderly moved on to the possibility of further surgery. She told me that Tara was still very much on the 'watch and wait' list, and that she will be having 6 monthly scans for the foreseeable future to check for tumour growth. And should there be that growth (even very minimal), it would be likely that Mr Bassi would go back in and remove all that was left.

It shook me up a fair bit. I've been enjoying having a normal, healthy 3-year old daughter because Tara has been doing so well! It's been easy to 'forget' that she had major surgery just a year ago and that she still has some tumour left on her brain. So the meeting with Dr Hedderly was a kind of reality check. A stark reminder of all that Tara has been through and what might lay ahead.

Tara is doing well, but she's not out of the woods quite yet......