Brain Tumor

[Saccopoo]

So, that shit is fun.

Started having some really cool and powerful deja-vu at work on Tuesday, then a strong ominous feeling set in and then started seeing small, flashing rainbow colored lights under the brim of my hat. Figured that it was either a premonition about an earthquake (like animals get) as Salt Lake City sits on a fault line, either that or I was hitting a major fatigue wall as I had been working long hours and had been hitting the gym pretty hard while not getting as much sleep as required in addition to cutting carbs from the diet. Anyway, I got a little freaked out, went to the bakery, grabbed a croissant and detoured it and everything kinda went back to normal.

Later on, started getting the deja-vu again (and it was super good shit - like I was seeing the future and shit - and it even had a soundtrack going along with it), and that's about all I can remember. Apparently I turned to the guy next to me, said something about tripping my balls off massively and told him I was going to puke, then my eyes rolled back into my head and I passed out and hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Came to with the EMT dude holding a ice pack to the back of my mellon on a huge goose egg. They were going to call an ambulance to take me to the ER and I told them it was nothing and I was fine. Fortunately the HR guy was standing there and convinced me to go to the ER. When I got there they did a CT scan to check for concussion probabilities.

Dude came back into the room with the radiologist and said "Um, bad news. There is a mass in the right side of your brain and we want to do an MRI for more detail."

"Well, shit."

So they did that and sure enough, there is a golf ball sized mass sitting there with a bunch of fluid around it. Nuerosurgeon (chief resident who looks like he's 17, comes in and says that they want to schedule surgery on Friday morning. Okies.

So, I'm sitting here in the Neurology wing of the University of Utah hospital (which is highly regarded) worrying about these guys going to the Utah/Michigan game tonight and coming back into surgery tomorrow hungover as shit.

Bonus is, I've had two really hot nurses in a row the past two nights. Tried to convince both to give me a leisure massage and body shampoo, but they didn't go for it though I had a girl from work come by last night to visit who wanted to give me a hummer.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty fortunate that shit went down the way it did, because I most likely would have blown it off for ever until it became really bad. (Although, I am going to ask them if it's benign if they can just keep it in there because I was digging the deja-vu bordering on omnipotence.)

Also I hear that the chief neurosurgeon is totally old school and I think I saw him sharpening his hacksaw on a rusty pipe outside and telling the nurse that she should find his favorite spoon.

[Bewbies]

High 5 from me Sacc...

If y'all are into podcasts Tim Ferriss has one about ketogenic diets and glioblastomas.

Fascinating stuff, interviews a pharmacologist from USF..

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Bewbies

High 5 from me Sacc...

If y'all are into podcasts Tim Ferriss has one about ketogenic diets and glioblastomas.

Fascinating stuff, interviews a pharmacologist from USF..

I'll check it out after I finish the last of these donuts I bought this morning.

Truth.

But since I was vegan and low carb for a year and a half and still got stuck with this, I'm not really totally sure about the validity of the ketogenic diet in terms of relating to brain cancer. I'll check it out though, so thanks for the info.

[Bewbies]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

I'll check it out after I finish the last of these donuts I bought this morning.

Truth.

But since I was vegan and low carb for a year and a half and still got stuck with this, I'm not really totally sure about the validity of the ketogenic diet in terms of relating to brain cancer. I'll check it out though, so thanks for the info.

I'm with you. When my brother was diagnosed he had friends from church ask him what sin he was living with that caused God to give him cancer.

I don't know if a diet can have much effect, but the research is pretty wild.

[Buehler445]

Sounds like you are handling the chemo well.

All the best bud.

[Saccopoo]

Just finished the first run/series of radiation treatments and chemo on Thursday. Seven weeks, 33 treatments of radiation and chemo pills every day during that time.

Worked full time through the whole deal (including a lot of 11+ hour days) and never really got hit with fatigue or nausea. (I did take the week of Thanksgiving off to spend it with my daughter.)

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Just finished the first run/series of radiation treatments and chemo on Thursday. Seven weeks, 33 treatments of radiation and chemo pills every day during that time.

I did that last year. It kicked my ass.

[BigMeatballDave]

There is no known cause for Gliomas. None.

[BigMeatballDave]

What is your age, Sac?

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

There is no known cause for Gliomas. None.

They hypothesize that it's stem cells that all of a sudden jump into hyperdrive and trigger the nerve cells into malignancy. But, as you said, they have no real idea.

Oncologist said that they wouldn't have even have noticed anything 10 months before my initial episode that sent me to the hospital in the first place.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

What is your age, Sac?

After the radiation and chemo?

I approximate 1034.

Drivers license says 48.

The 23 year old I was banging last night thought I was 30.

Somewhere in-between I imagine.

[kccrow]

Good to hear the chemo is treating you pretty well Sac. My mom gets knocked on her ass with it (pancreatic cancer). Everyone is different with it. Hopefully its working. As for the diet, pot brownies would be in my regimen. As was said, research and recommendations are all over the board. All my mom's doc says is eat what she can handle and try to keep her sugar under control. By the way, how's your immune system holding up with all this?

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

After the radiation and chemo?

I approximate 1034.

Drivers license says 48.

The 23 year old I was banging last night thought I was 30.

Somewhere in-between I imagine.

48?

Damn. You're an iron horse. LOL

I'm 45. Last year I was fatigued a lot. There was no way I could work a full time job.

[2112]

Hang in there bro. God speed!

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by kccrow

Good to hear the chemo is treating you pretty well Sac. My mom gets knocked on her ass with it (pancreatic cancer). Everyone is different with it. Hopefully its working. As for the diet, pot brownies would be in my regimen. As was said, research and recommendations are all over the board. All my mom's doc says is eat what she can handle and try to keep her sugar under control. By the way, how's your immune system holding up with all this?

I never lost my appetite. In fact, I think I put on 8 lbs. over the seven weeks just because I was worried about it dropping.

I did notice I started to gravitate towards sugary foods towards the end of the seven weeks, but, what the hell - I figured that a couple of cookies wasn't going to do any more harm than what I already had going.

Immune system was fine. Was taking some such antibiotic during radiation just to be careful. Doctor said that my organ functions were all perfect through the whole deal. Said she wouldn't have known that I was doing chemo and radiation for Stage 4 brain cancer if she didn't have the charts in front of her.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

48?

Damn. You're an iron horse. LOL

I'm 45. Last year I was fatigued a lot. There was no way I could work a full time job.

Actually, I think working helped me a ton. There were a couple of times that my eyes just shut, so I would go sit down for about 15 minutes and that would cover it for the rest of the day.

I think keeping moving and walking and everything helped keep my body up and shit flowing through.

Stayed totally overly hydrated through the whole process as well, which I think helped a lot.

Didn't drink any alcohol (except for last night - as I was celebrating my coming off my chemo/radiation with this ****ing smoking 23 year old and wanted a bit of a drunk on). Don't smoke, don't do drugs. Eat pretty clean all the time. (Except for that yearly McRib fest.) I also have the constitution of a draft ox.

It all helped I think.