I WAS TOLD I HAD A BRAIN TUMOR

RED09
RED09 Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Brain Cancer #1
FOR MANY YEARS I WAS TREATED FOR HEADACHES AND DEPRESSION BUT IN 2008 I GOT SO SICK I WAS TAKED TO THE HOSPITAL WHICH THEY DID A MRI WHICH SHOWED A 3" TUMOR. I THEN WAS LIFEFLIGHTED TO ANOTHER PLACE AND THE NEXT MORING HAD EMERGENCY SURGURY DONE .. I WAS TOLD THEY TOOK MOST OF THE TUMOR OUT AND IT WAS CANCER. I HAVE GONE THROUGHT ALOT THIS PAST YEAR I HAD 36 TREATMENTS OF RADIATION AND CHEMO ALLL THE TIME EVEN TILL THIS DAY .. I WAS ALSO TOLD THE TYPE I HAVE THE LIFE SPAN IS 3-4 YEARS.... I TRY VERY HARD TO LIVE EVERY DAY THE BEST I CAN WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE ..I HAVE A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND PARENTS WHO ARE WITH ME EVERY TIME I NEED THEM ... I DO HAVE LITTLE KIDS BUT THEY DONT KNOW IT ALL ... I DONT KNOW WHEN THE TIME COMES HOW TO TELL THEM WHATS GOING ON

Comments

  • tommybear
    tommybear Member Posts: 111 Member
    Hi
    I am really surprised that noone has responded to your message. What you are saying about the depression reminds me of what I have gone through. I have had depression for years and was also diagnosed with a sleep disorder and wonder if any of it was caused by my brain tumor. I had surgery in August, but only 50% of it was removed, and I am going for stereotactic radiosurgery tomorrow. I have a grade II astrocytoma in my left temporal lobe. Since it is a grade II, they believe that it is slow growing for now.

    I have two kids - one is 15 and the other just turned 7. Of course, my 15 year old knows everything, and my 7 year old knows as much as he needs to right now. My doctor hasn't give me a time frame for my life span - statistics show that most people with a grade II don't survive more than 10 years before it turns into something more agressive, could be less than 10 (like one year) or it could be 20 years from now. My mom always says "Well, any of us could get hit by a Mack truck tomorrow..." So, I think to live every day the best we can is a good plan for everyone. I don't think I will tell my seven year old that I could die from my brain tumor, not yet, not unless I was really close. I want him to be able to enjoy his childhood as long as possible, kids have so much to deal with nowadays, why give him something else today?

    It sounds like you have a wonderful family, be grateful for them and enjoy them! Take care!
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    God Bless.........
    You both........no one has a real time line for our mortality....

    Peace be with you both
  • kpeden
    kpeden Member Posts: 2
    brain tumorsurvivor since 2005
    a sizure and an MRI found a frontal lobe tumor, had a sterotatic crainiotomy, 35 radiation treatments following, brain swoll to the point a stroke occured. 4 months in a wheel chair at rehab learning to walk and function, so I also live each day to the fullest with a smile. Rather than thinking in to the future, I live in one or two minute buckets. Hope this finds you in good health God Speed to you

    Kirt
  • snv123
    snv123 Member Posts: 10
    kpeden said:

    brain tumorsurvivor since 2005
    a sizure and an MRI found a frontal lobe tumor, had a sterotatic crainiotomy, 35 radiation treatments following, brain swoll to the point a stroke occured. 4 months in a wheel chair at rehab learning to walk and function, so I also live each day to the fullest with a smile. Rather than thinking in to the future, I live in one or two minute buckets. Hope this finds you in good health God Speed to you

    Kirt

    Shocked to hear you had
    Shocked to hear you had brain tumor.Pleased with you.
    Is it the primary stage.Hope you will get well.
    Good luck!!!
  • volsgirl
    volsgirl Member Posts: 3
    My Mom has a brain tumor
    WOW your comments and story sounds so similar to hers. She was going through life as normal and started having dizzy spells, thought it was vertigo. It got worse and worse. Finally after a fall doc said go the ER, ,did an MRI found 3 tumors! WHAT THE??? They did surgery to remove the biggest one and couldn't get the other 2. She has moved in with me in SC (from TN) and started chemo last week. Path report says it's a stage IV Gioblastoma (GBM). I guess the worst kind from what I've read. BUT, ,seems there are survivors!?? She qualified for a clinical research program at Duke university. we go there once a month to monitor progress. we are only one month into this process. Anyone out there who can offer support/ideas/advice etc...PLEASE write me. I have a 14 year old son, and my husband who are both wonderful. I haven't told my son everything, just that she has brain cancer. I haven't asked how long, i just don't want to know.
  • ShowMeFellow
    ShowMeFellow Member Posts: 18
    What and When to Tell Your Kids
    When I was eleven (1955), my dad was dx'ed with lung cancer. My parents elected to live as "normally" as we could,... which for them at the time meant not-talking-about-it! Each of us four kids learned about it differently. Seven years later, even his Death Certificate lied that he died of pleurisy.

    The opposite of Hope is Despair,... but the enemy of Hope is Not-Talking-About-It.

    Now I'm 65 and I've got a brain cancer,... and some leftover baggage to sort through as well.

    We don't need to have all the answers, RED09, and it's alright to invite your kids to come along -- as fellow travelers, explorers, on this adventure of discovery. Share your discoveries with them,... and ask them to share theirs with you. And let every day be an adventure in Cancervivorville.