A Hairy Situation

There are two things you should know about Peter:

1. He's a perfectionist.
2. He's cheap.  

These two factors combined mean that I have the exclusive privilege of being his hairstylist (a moment of silence, please). It’s not because I’m particularly qualified, but my services are free and I’m the only one willing to stand behind a chair for two hours while he critiques his haircut from every possible angle. This man approaches a haircut the way an IRS agent approaches a tax audit. I’ve actually seen stylists at Great Clips give up and tell him, “I don’t think I can do that.”

So, as you might expect, Peter’s first order of business during our consult with the neurosurgeon today was what kind of haircut he could expect with his surgery. Last time he went into this blindly and ended up with a modified mohawk, so he wasn’t about to make that mistake again. Today he presented the neurosurgeon with pictures of acceptable hairstyles.

 And because he heard on the radio about a really great deal on hair extensions, he also included this:

Feel free to vote on your favorite. The surgeon assures us he can make any of them work.

With that important piece of business out of the way, we were able to discuss Peter's treatment options. The surgeon agrees with the tumor board that surgery is a favorable option at this point. Despite the fact that the tumor is growing, there is no pressure on the brain or any indication that the tumor has progressed to a higher grade. Chemo and radiation are still options if Peter wants to consider them, but the surgeon feels confident he can safely complete another resection. Of course, there is always the risk that surgery will compromise Peter's cognitive function, and that's obviously a major concern. He absolutely loves his job, and the thought of no longer being competitive in his field or being able to support his family creates a lot of uncertainty.

So, with all that in mind, we're going to take a few days to think things over and pray about it. There's not as much urgency to move forward with treatment this time around, so we have some flexibility with making our decision. I know it's not the most exciting update, but for now it's all we've got. We'll let you know when we've got more news to share.