21 November 2011

Witt Hamer is the name of Panormitis neuro surgeon. He phoned last Monday the 21st of November to ask us if there was any improvement in his behavior, with the very strong medicine he gave one week before.  Cause if that would have been the case they would be considering another brain operation. But unfortunately, the symptoms got worse, he is more and more apathetic,  living in his own world, has apraxia, not knowing anymore how to act. This means for example, I can give him his clothes to get dressed, but he will not dress up, just sits still without moving, not knowing anymore what to do.
Last week was so very important, in the sense of finding out if there was also liquid in his brain, if that would have been the case, his symptoms would have improved, because of the medicine given to him. But as it didn't, they diagnosed that what they could see on the MRI was all tumor, that has been imbedded inside the braintissue, having made damage to the brain itself. And there is nothing that can fill in this "gap", as Freek said:" no one and nothing is capable of making new brains". The old tumor was located in his right temporal lobe and the new ones are located on the right and the left frontal lobe. This explains also his behavior changes. Many patients do get aggressive when they suffer from this "frontal syndrom" as they call this. But Panormitis is just even more soft, loving and caring as he was before. Two weeks before, when we visited Witt Hamer to talk about the outcome of the MRI ,he said already that an operation would bring many risks and too little improvement( if at all, or even worse damage) as the left side can not take over from the right side and conversely.We also were told that he would not necessarily gain more life time.

Both Daphne, Sophia and myself we have chosen for quality of life, to keep and treasure the little bit of Panormitis that is still here today. Chemo and/or radiation give us too little percentage of succeeding and improving his condition as well. We are supported in our decision ( if one can call it a decision, when the options are so poor?) by our beloved ones.


This all means that there will be no more treatment......... and that means that we are entering his last life stage. The expectations are that he will loose even more of his character, his awareness, he will sleep more and more as time passes by. We are thankful for the fact that he is not suffering any pain and that he is still the kind, loving and caring Panormitis we know. Plus that he has no insight in his own sickness.

It will get very difficult for us, the people around him, who will watch him day by day "slipping away" but if we may keep receiving all of your support, we trust that we will get through this in the best way.

We will give him the care in our apartment in The Hague as long as we can.  I will try to post something small each day..