Second Opinions

There have been many new developments since my last blog.  I will try to briefly touch on each in this post and let you know how each of these changes play out during the next few weeks.

1. I received the recommended treatment plan from MD Anderson's Neuro-Oncology team.  
2. I have received a second opinion from Shands at the University of Florida on Monday the 12th of April.
3. I will also be meeting with a radiologist from MD Anderson in Orlando for his opinion on any radiation therapy at this time. By the end of this week we will have more information and more decisions to make.
4. Because my doctor has put me on a no work status for 12 months, I am no longer working.  I have spoken to a couple of people recently who said I did not respond to email that they sent to my work email.   If  you want me to receive email send it to josephbanken@gmail.com this is the only email that I have access to.
5. My son and I were able to visit my family a few days during his spring break.  This was nice since the onset of the cancer is what kept us from being with them at Christmas.
6. I was able to share part of my journey on Easter Sunday during the Altamonte Springs Community Easter service hosted by our church.

Please be in prayer as we continue to receive recommendations from several doctors and will need to make a decision regarding treatment within the next few weeks...sometimes the overload of information is overwhelming!

Changing Directions

I met with my doctor this week and he felt that the anti-seizure drug therapy was not working.  He stated that if it had been I would be having one seizure every three to four days.   Since I continue to have one to two seizures a day, my doctor was going to present my case to the oncology staff this morning.  The purpose of presenting my case is to get feedback from other doctors and see if they agree with his treatment plan.  His plan would be to treat with chemo and radiation therapies at the same time. He will give me the results of this meeting and the finalized plan by phone. I will then get a second opinion set up.

Prayer Request

• That the doctors will have wisdom and provide me with a good treatment plan
• That I would continue to do well with the medication I am taking
• That God would be glorified as I share my story as part of the worship service this Sunday.