In plain language. With diagrams.

Peter, Wilma, and Rosie met with Miss Wirginia Maixner today.

Rosie wanted one more ride in the wheelchair we had borrowed but never used before we returned it.

Peter and Rosie made good use of the facilities in the waiting room.

Wirginia did some of the little tricks we got used to in hospital to see if Rosie's right side had improved and observed that her right arm strength and control was pretty much back to normal. She checked Rosie's field of vision and found that to be the same ie no right peripheral - confirmed by Rosie. The reason for the vision change is not known definitively - could be to do with pressure from the swelling or could be to do with changes in blood flow caused by the changes occurring round the AVM and aneurism ie something vascular. Wirginia was pleased with Rosie's progress and declared that she's fine to go to school by herself as normal with the exception of avoiding contact sports for the moment. Rosie's Principal also wants her to not do PE or any sports in the short-term. Rosie seems to have accepted that verdict with her usual calm, although she was a bit disappointed to be missing her favourite event, the cross country run which she won in her age group last year. Wirginia said swimming is fine and exertion in itself is not a problem so normal running around the playground is not an issue. She answered all our questions clearly and in plain language with diagrams so we have a better understanding of the proposed treatment and the structure and behaviour of Rosie's AVM and aneurism - too much detail to attempt here. The complete picture in actuality will be revealed after next Wednesday's MRI scan. Rosie will need to leave school that day after special maths and before Ensemble in order to lie completely still for half an hour or so in the MRI machine.

On the Thursday morning immediately following we will visit Wirginia again and she will interpret the results of the MRI. The following Wednesday, the 23rd of March, we are to show up at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where they have the facilities to perform radiation treatment (she doesn't have cancer!). We will then discuss the treatment with the doctors there.
After our appointment, the girls joined Sandra, Wilma's best friend from primary school days for lunch. Another old friend, Meg Hansen, who happens to be Jessye's Principal at Lauriston Girls' School joined them at Gorgio's in Armadale. Rosie had bowties carbonara. We gave school a miss today.

Later we were visited by Stephen and Robyn, more old Kiwi friends who had flown to Melbourne from Sydney to attend a funeral which turned out to be thick with neurologists.

After pizza from our local the ladies took the cats to the vet for their annual tuneup. While we waited Rosie went into the little kids' cage and tickled her fancy playing with numbers following yesterday's maths lesson on the order of operations while Sophie serenaded with a Ray Charles impersonation.