Sunday, February 22, 2009

A New Blog with Info

I have another blog, and on it I have a widget that allows me to see who views my page. Because so many have come to that blog searching for info about Anaplastic Astrocytoma a brain tumor, (WHO grade 3) I have decided to dedicate this blog to my journey with the illness in hopes that some will find helpful information for either themselves or their loved ones. I hope that in some way this will do.

I was diagnosed on August 29th 2008. As I start this new blog, I am finished with treatment. I had six weeks of radiation therapy, some resection surgery, and six weeks of chemo to date.

The diagnosis came out of left field. My only symptoms were headaches-of which were the worst of my life. I woke up with throbbing pain in both the front and back of my head. There was one instance where I was sick (vomited once) and had some vision changes (blurry peripheral vision). This was for one isolated incident only. A few days later, I had another severe headache early in the morning, and moderate nausea/vomiting. Two of my close friends took me to urgent care, where I received a shot of morphine to kill the pain. I was then advised to follow up with my primary care physician in case I would need further shots of pain killers.

When I followed up with my primary care physician he ruled out the incident as another "migraine." Now, no one in my family has migraines, nor have I ever had one myself (as it turns out). My first recommendation and piece of advice to those suffering any illness is to make sure you have a doctor who listens to your concerns, and to always get a second opinion.

It wasn't until I became persistent and asked many questions that my PCP (Primary Care Physician) ordered an MRI. And I might add that he only did so to shut me up. He kept insisting that I was having migraines due to hormonal reasons/birth control.

After my MRI I was immediately phoned at work the next day and asked to admit myself to the hospital asap because my MRI results were "abnormal." After days of waiting, and after a biopsy and later pathology results, it was confirmed that my tumor was indeed cancerous. The tumor, to be honest-was quite large. 4.5 centimeters in width, 9 centimeters in length, and 5 centimeters in depth. Roughly the size of my fist and located in my right temporal lobe.

I give the prestory of my condition, not to scare any of you, just to inform you and give you a basic idea of what I was dealing with.

Now before I divulge any further, I want everyone to know that treatment for this type of cancer is truly manageble, pain-free, and relatively stress free. It is my hope that no one would feel overwhelmed, distressed, hopeless, etc. I have been on this journey for roughly 7 months and have been able to live the normal life that I was used to before I was diagnosed. I have continued to work, keep up my activities, and maintain a positive attitude. Now there are things that have helped me through every step along the way, but I am here to tell you that it can be done--if I can do it, then so can you and so on.

At first I was told that my tumor was too diffuse-inoperable. I was confused about that because all the research that I had done by that time was that standard treatment (if possible) was 1, surgery. 2, radiation therapy, 3, chemo.

This is why I recommend getting a second opinion. I saw another brain surgeon who not only informed me that my tumor was operable, but also necessary. The attention and care that I had received at the University of San Diego Medical Center was phenomenal and surpassed that that I had received elsewhere close to my home. I went with the second opinion, had as much of the tumor removed (resected) as safely possible, then proceeded back to my home for the "standard treatment" that is radiation/chemo. Radiation is usually 6 weeks and in conjuction with chemo.

Brain cancer patients are given chemo treatment via a pill called Temodar. Temodar, when taken as directed (follow instructions carefully) is quite easy, and has mild if any side affects. I never got sick on chemo, and I did not lose all my hair to chemo. I have experienced some hair loss (thinning) due to the radiation treatment. Radiation causes the hair to thin some, where the radiation is directed. More on this later.

More importantly, I am available for specific questions if needed at cargate2@gmail.com. Please email me with specific questions. I will update this blog periodically when I see that more info needs to be included.

1 comment:

  1. Hi, I have just been diagnosed with a low grade diffuse astrocytoma and I am freaking out.

    I have appt with Neurosurgeon in 2 weeks. Is that too long to wait? I am assuming it's because my symptoms have only been as bad as headaches, dizzy and nauseas at times.

    Please if you are up to it, email me sarahanddave@iprimus.com.au

    ReplyDelete