› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Mel the Bitch is back
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The Gambler.
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- January 4, 2011 at 5:09 am
The subject is not my wife …..Mine is the lovingwife Deb not to be confused.She is my life Piolot weather on the back of our bike on an adventure or next to me with support and all the love she can give and give.
The subject is not my wife …..Mine is the lovingwife Deb not to be confused.She is my life Piolot weather on the back of our bike on an adventure or next to me with support and all the love she can give and give.
Well I thought I was done with Mel as of last July giving up my lymph Nodes and we were looking forward to December fresh exam and PET Scan with a new good outlook for the new year. Well then came the phone call from the Onc and results……..it's back more melanoma and another tumor.Altho the lymph nodes,lungs,liver and assorted vital organs all not showing currently (good for us )…but it has found it's way to my brain it is a tumor the size of a golf ball ( I could have been more satisfied with a big toe instead ).Well the next 4 days were full of all the worst possible Ideas of what was coming up next.Today was the meeting with the neurosurgeon for Deb and i learn our fate.Our warrier Bill58 has been fresh in our memory so we hold on for some promise.The surgeon was went through every item of every detail to the point Deb and i could feel confident ( how do you go from terrified with brain surgery to be OK with it ? ).Well it is going to be surgery and not radiation unless he is forced he favors surgery to be least amount of potential other complications.I asked the question of how long did it take to grow in the brain and his estimate was about 6 weeks,he told me as fast as Mel spreads and grows I do not have the luxury of time the longer it growd the more damage happends i am already notice issues in speech.
.I still feel one of the best things i can do as take in all the best nutritional foods and a couple vitamins to support my immune system as best you can….OH yea and to make sure my wife knows daily I love her.
Well off we go to kill some Mel ass,,,wish us the best..
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- January 4, 2011 at 6:19 am
Aren't you lucky to have a wife like Deb! From what I have gleamed reading this board, I would opt for surgery rather than anything else and then possibly a follow-up treatment. Are you having SRS or craniotomy? Either case best wishes, get rid of that unwanted interloper and get on with your life!
Good luck
Mary
Stage 3
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- January 4, 2011 at 6:19 am
Aren't you lucky to have a wife like Deb! From what I have gleamed reading this board, I would opt for surgery rather than anything else and then possibly a follow-up treatment. Are you having SRS or craniotomy? Either case best wishes, get rid of that unwanted interloper and get on with your life!
Good luck
Mary
Stage 3
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- January 4, 2011 at 8:07 am
Well, wishing you the best goes without saying! 🙂 It's yours. As far as being terrified goes, the first time we do anything, the fear of the unknown can be almost crippling- I wrote a very detailed list of what I wanted done if something went wrong, when I was driving in for my first (of 7) craniotomies. HOWEVER, the only thing that is likely to lessen the terror is if you've had several which went smoothly, and had good outcomes 😛 However, I WON'T be hoping you need several craniotomies 🙂
Now, something else I want to mention- OFTEN the issues/symptoms surrounding brain mets are the result of the resulting swelling, and once the tumour is removed and the resulting swelling has decreased, MANY/MOST symptoms sort itself. And I frequently wander around with several brain mets 2-3cm but only go for treatment when the symptoms become obvious to me, and I 'need' surgery.
Best of luck, Bob- to you and Deb.
Will be thinking of you both xxx
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- January 4, 2011 at 8:07 am
Well, wishing you the best goes without saying! 🙂 It's yours. As far as being terrified goes, the first time we do anything, the fear of the unknown can be almost crippling- I wrote a very detailed list of what I wanted done if something went wrong, when I was driving in for my first (of 7) craniotomies. HOWEVER, the only thing that is likely to lessen the terror is if you've had several which went smoothly, and had good outcomes 😛 However, I WON'T be hoping you need several craniotomies 🙂
Now, something else I want to mention- OFTEN the issues/symptoms surrounding brain mets are the result of the resulting swelling, and once the tumour is removed and the resulting swelling has decreased, MANY/MOST symptoms sort itself. And I frequently wander around with several brain mets 2-3cm but only go for treatment when the symptoms become obvious to me, and I 'need' surgery.
Best of luck, Bob- to you and Deb.
Will be thinking of you both xxx
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- January 4, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Hi and just some reasurance! I had a craniotomy and surgery in June for a golfball sized right temporal tumor. The recovery was surprisingly not bad at all and in fact, I opted to go home two days after the surgery. I was convinced they would kill me with hospital food! Steroids to reduce swelling and a good pain management program were all that I needed. I was also on an anti-seizure med as a precaution for about four weeks.
As someone else said, most of my side effects were due to the swelling and a bleed from the tumor. I had lost all vision in my left eye temporarily but that came back almost immediately The other symptoms gradually diminished over about three weeks. The side effects will vary depending on where the tumor is located and what part of the brain is being affected.
There is a lot you can do to help speed the healing of neural pathways and even growing new ones. I highly recommend Jill Bolte-Taylor's book 'My Stroke of Insight' to anyone dealing with brain trauma. She was dealing with the after effects of a stroke but finding ways to help your brain heal are the same and she is truly inspiring in helping to understand what has happened to you.
In my case, I had gamma knife surgery one month later to clean up the boundaries and to also treat a very small second tumor they found at the front left portion of my brain. I've had two follow up brain MRIs since with no new tumors and the remains of the large one has shrunk better than 50% and the tiny one is considered to be scar tissue. As for the side effects, I still have vision problems and I still sometimes lose words and my short term memory is pretty shot but I'm still here, still happy and loving life every day! Carmon in NM
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- January 4, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Hi and just some reasurance! I had a craniotomy and surgery in June for a golfball sized right temporal tumor. The recovery was surprisingly not bad at all and in fact, I opted to go home two days after the surgery. I was convinced they would kill me with hospital food! Steroids to reduce swelling and a good pain management program were all that I needed. I was also on an anti-seizure med as a precaution for about four weeks.
As someone else said, most of my side effects were due to the swelling and a bleed from the tumor. I had lost all vision in my left eye temporarily but that came back almost immediately The other symptoms gradually diminished over about three weeks. The side effects will vary depending on where the tumor is located and what part of the brain is being affected.
There is a lot you can do to help speed the healing of neural pathways and even growing new ones. I highly recommend Jill Bolte-Taylor's book 'My Stroke of Insight' to anyone dealing with brain trauma. She was dealing with the after effects of a stroke but finding ways to help your brain heal are the same and she is truly inspiring in helping to understand what has happened to you.
In my case, I had gamma knife surgery one month later to clean up the boundaries and to also treat a very small second tumor they found at the front left portion of my brain. I've had two follow up brain MRIs since with no new tumors and the remains of the large one has shrunk better than 50% and the tiny one is considered to be scar tissue. As for the side effects, I still have vision problems and I still sometimes lose words and my short term memory is pretty shot but I'm still here, still happy and loving life every day! Carmon in NM
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- January 4, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Jeez, well, I can definitely say that aside from a good surgeon the best thing you have going for you is a good wife. No evidence of disease elsewhere is a fantastic prognostic indicator as well. I used to always think that a brain met was a death sentence. I have come to realize that like anything else, it is the same as a lymph node. Remove it and on to the next phase of disease.
Let us know the date of the surgery, and prayers will be said.
John
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- January 4, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Jeez, well, I can definitely say that aside from a good surgeon the best thing you have going for you is a good wife. No evidence of disease elsewhere is a fantastic prognostic indicator as well. I used to always think that a brain met was a death sentence. I have come to realize that like anything else, it is the same as a lymph node. Remove it and on to the next phase of disease.
Let us know the date of the surgery, and prayers will be said.
John
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- January 6, 2011 at 5:15 am
To all who responded… much gratitude – appreciation and heartfelt insight. Thank you for easing my fears and for allowing me to believe that there is more future for me. All of you are heroes, supportive friends that give me comfort in a much needed time in my life where nothing is making too much sense. Waiting for the green light for surgery… will keep you posted.
Bob, stage 4
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- January 6, 2011 at 5:15 am
To all who responded… much gratitude – appreciation and heartfelt insight. Thank you for easing my fears and for allowing me to believe that there is more future for me. All of you are heroes, supportive friends that give me comfort in a much needed time in my life where nothing is making too much sense. Waiting for the green light for surgery… will keep you posted.
Bob, stage 4
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