› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Post-craniotomy stuff FYI
- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 1 month ago by
Sharyn.
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- March 9, 2011 at 7:52 am
Hi everyone,
Hi everyone,
It’s been 16 days since my craniotomy, and even I am amazed at how well I’m feeling. Even my vision has been pretty much totally restored! But I’m still not finished with this tumour. Next Wednesday (March 16) I have to have the tumour bed radiated, using LINAC (linear accelerator) technology, here at the Cancer Centre in St John’s. It’s a form of Stereotactic Radio Surgery (SRS), like the Novalis radiation I had done in Montreal, except instead of a mask, they use a “halo” – a circular contraption that has to be literally screwed into my head. Usually, they use 4 screws, but they don’t want to insert a screw where they did the craniotomy, so they’re only going to use 3 screws on me. First, on Friday, I have to go in to have an MRI of my brain. Then I come back on Wed at 7:30 am, they’ll install the halo, do a CT scan of my brain, and send me off to the Chemo Unit for the day to watch TV, read a book, whatever I want to do. Meanwhile, the doctors will be working on my MRI and CT scan, getting all the beams lined up and calibrated. By 4:00 pm, they’ll be ready to radiate, so I’ll be brought to the radiation room, get a few zaps, and I’ll be done. They’ll remove the halo and send me home. This is a normal procedure following a craniotomy to ensure that any potential cells that may have escaped the knife get zapped with radiation.
As for Montreal, the drug company that sponsors the trial has agreed for me to have the 24-week CT scan done here, and sent to them for evaluation. I’ll have the CT scan on Friday. If all is well with it, I’m hoping to be back on the ipi treatment by March 24.
In the meantime, there’s lots happening here at home. Michael has moved out into his own apartment, Mark has taken a job in Fort McMurray 2 wks on and 1 wk off, and Matthew has taken a job in Dubai as chef of the Fairmont Hotel and is getting married in a few weeks. Julie and Justin’s wedding plans are moving along for July 1, Ricky and Katherine are heading to Cancun next week, and Jessie is ¾ through her work term at the Arthritis Society. And of course, we still go to the cabin every weekend. Life is good!
I’ll let you know if and when the ipi treatment resumes in Montreal for sure.
Hugs
Sharyn
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- March 9, 2011 at 11:02 am
Sharyn, great to see your feeling well, sounds like you have a lot of good things happening, so no room for Mel in your life, i hope it finally gets the message and lets your immune system take it out!
best wishes
James
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- March 9, 2011 at 11:02 am
Sharyn, great to see your feeling well, sounds like you have a lot of good things happening, so no room for Mel in your life, i hope it finally gets the message and lets your immune system take it out!
best wishes
James
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- March 9, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Dear Sharyn,
Are references of people all your kids ?!! Sounds like an interesting fun bunch. So glad you're feeling fine. I've heard alittle about the liniar accelerator. There is also a Proton accelerator, and that may be what i'm thinking about.
I'll save an IPI "chair" for you! Sure wish I was going back to Cancun, we love the place; especially south around Playa Del Carman. Take very good care-
Love, Grady, Bonita, and Boys.
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- March 9, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Hi Grady!
Yes, I have a big family. Six kids (23-30), 3 are mine (Ricky, 30, Julie, 27, Jessie,24), and 3 are Jim's (Matthew, 29, Mark, 26, Michael, 23). We're a Brady Bunch, together since 1997. I'll tell you, the teen years were definitely a challenge, but we survived and lived to tell about it. And the kids all turned into wonderful adults, despite a few bumps in the road along the way. We had sacrificed so much for all of them over the years, and we were looking forward to spending a lot of quality time together, just the two of us, once the kids were out on their own. When I was diagnosed, what we thought would be our pay-off time became our rip-off time. But we have to play the hand we're dealt, and I feel that, so far, I've made a lot of good choices. I'm so encouraged by ipi. I've read and been told that it has been known to sometimes attack brain mets, but not in my case. I hope this craniotomy and radiation has put those mets to bed, and that my brain is now tumour-free — and stays that way. I'll find out when I have my scans on Friday. Once it's reported in Montreal, they'll decide if I'm to continue in the trial. So I've got my fingers crossed.
Hugs
Sharyn
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- March 9, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Hi Grady!
Yes, I have a big family. Six kids (23-30), 3 are mine (Ricky, 30, Julie, 27, Jessie,24), and 3 are Jim's (Matthew, 29, Mark, 26, Michael, 23). We're a Brady Bunch, together since 1997. I'll tell you, the teen years were definitely a challenge, but we survived and lived to tell about it. And the kids all turned into wonderful adults, despite a few bumps in the road along the way. We had sacrificed so much for all of them over the years, and we were looking forward to spending a lot of quality time together, just the two of us, once the kids were out on their own. When I was diagnosed, what we thought would be our pay-off time became our rip-off time. But we have to play the hand we're dealt, and I feel that, so far, I've made a lot of good choices. I'm so encouraged by ipi. I've read and been told that it has been known to sometimes attack brain mets, but not in my case. I hope this craniotomy and radiation has put those mets to bed, and that my brain is now tumour-free — and stays that way. I'll find out when I have my scans on Friday. Once it's reported in Montreal, they'll decide if I'm to continue in the trial. So I've got my fingers crossed.
Hugs
Sharyn
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- March 9, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Dear Sharyn,
Are references of people all your kids ?!! Sounds like an interesting fun bunch. So glad you're feeling fine. I've heard alittle about the liniar accelerator. There is also a Proton accelerator, and that may be what i'm thinking about.
I'll save an IPI "chair" for you! Sure wish I was going back to Cancun, we love the place; especially south around Playa Del Carman. Take very good care-
Love, Grady, Bonita, and Boys.
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