I'm home, I'm bald, and I'm zipper-headed ( Read more... )

We narrowed the possibilities down to surgery or gamma knife, then played around with doing more chemo before surgery.  Finally, today we decided on surgery alone.  I'll keep you posted on when, but it's a simple procedure.  I mean, hey, it's only brain surgery.

I need to start writing in this more often.  Stuff happens in my life unrelated to cancer.  I even have thoughts and conversations not related to cancer.

But not today.  I had an MRI yesterday - the temporal lobe tumor is growing.  After a year of no activity, we're back to deciding on the best treatment options.

The tumor growing is the one they ( Read more... )

The last time I posted was in January.  I was recovering fine from my latest brain surgery (and how many people get to use that phrase in their lives, huh?) and was trying to decide what to do next (medically).  My radiation oncologist - actually the hospital's whole "tumor board" recommended Whole Brain Radiation ( Read more... )

This morning I woke up late, and had to prep for a 10:00am conference call.  I admit my time-management skills may not be the best, but, hey, that's what's cool about working from home, right ( Read more... )

Yesterday, consulting a new oncologist:
"If I do Whole Brain Radiation," I said, "There is a significant chance of permanent brain damage."
"Well, yes," said Dr. Goodman with a chuckle.  "But not until two or three years later."

The surgery went very well.  I was moved to the main floor on Tuesday, and went home on Wednesday.  I feel almost normal; I don't have any of the balance issues I was dealing with the first time.  I get the occasional headache, but I'm already off the hard stuff - I took Tylenol twice yesterday.

I'm staying with Mom and Dad, which has its own ( Read more... )

I am officially having my second craniotomy on Monday.  Much sooner than I expected; I'll have to finish my current work project a couple of days early ( Read more... )

Okay, so I just checked my last journal entry, and I have a lot to catch up on.  I'll try to be succinct.

I have had five major seizures total, ones that lasted several hours and usually ended up with me in the ER.  But we adjusted my anti-seizure meds, and I've gone from grand-mal to petit mal.  Or something - they don't actually use those terms ( Read more... )

So, LiveJournal tells me that I last posted twenty-five weeks ago.  That's more than six months.  I really want to be more consistent.  Like maybe once every three months ( Read more... )