I was still in my dressing gown and pyjamas this morning when two of the lovely oncology doctors came round to Isita’s room with the wonderful news that yesterday’s MRI showed no change in the size of the tumour since it was last measured and no signs of problems anywhere else. We still have the MIBG scan on Friday, but the greater likelihood is that this will also show no change since November. Let’s hope. After our dreadful panic from last week, this is fantastic news.

Barring any other unforeseen complications, it opens the way to starting immunology very soon. We may start the preparations on Monday. As Isita’s blood and other tests are also coming back normal, apart from the tiresome return of adenovirus and sapovirus infections, we are also expecting to have Isita sleeping at home from this coming Monday. The plan is to finish our home TPN training this week. We are getting back on track.

We are continuing with the feeding programme, which is a slog. But there are signs of progress here too. Isita hasn’t been sick for several days. We are however back on the old hospital feed and a bit nervous whether she will tolerate it as well as she tolerated the Nourish feed. We are approaching this challenge on a strictly empirical basis. i.e. we make considered changes and monitor the results and if it doesn’t work we try something different.

Over the past year we have come to appreciate there is a wide difference between clinical and empirical medicine. Over the past few weeks, Marta and I have seen Isita in better shape than she has been since last June and getting better all the time. Then the various tests suggested a different story. So while her increasing good health encourages hopes and dreams of yet better times ahead, we live with the fear that some insidious problem could be sneaking back where we cannot see it – like a thief in the night.

So the detailed attentions of the clinicians, and the light they shed is greatly reassuring. Isita looks like she is getting better – and for now the tests confirm this. The MIBG on Friday is a vital milestone yet to come, but already we are happier. Thanks to everyone for your great support and prayers, especially over the past week.