I know a couple of members have had brushes with cancer and cancer scares recently with their children and other family members... well, now it's our turn.

 

My husband had a brain tumour as a 12 year old, which was partially removed with surgery and then treated with radiation therapy. I have no idea how effective such treatments were 20 years ago, compared with today, but up until recently, he had been really well, and was even given the total all clear in 2004 after his final follow-up MRI, based on the fact that the residual tumour had not changed in 12 years.

 

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, he had had a headache all weekend and into the next week. He went to the GP (who happens to be the same GP who managed his case first time round) who decided to err on the side of caution, given his history, and send him for an MRI. The MRI came back showing that not only did he have terrible sinusitis, but also an unusual mass on the left side surface of his brain, AND that the site of his original lesion deep on the right side had almost doubled in size since his last MRI. So off we were sent to the neurosurgon.

 

The neurosurgeon told us that Dave had had a very lucky bout of sinusitis, as left untreated, the tumours would not have shown any symptoms for quite some time, at which point, surgery would be made more complicated due to the size of the masses. So as it turns out, the tumour on the left surface of his brain has probably been caused by the radiation therapy he had as a kid, and the other mass is most likely fluid around the original site. The surface one will need surgery in the new year, and the deeper one will need surgery down the track to put in a shunt or drain of some sort. Oh boy! Oh, and it was the neurosurgeon's opinion that the headaches were totally unrelated to the tumours, and only caused by the sinusitis! Very lucky sinusitis indeed!

 

We have another appointment with the neurosurgeon on Monday to find out where to go from here in terms of surgery etc. On top of all of this, I have my clinical block for uni over hte next four weeks... on the neuro ward!

Wow CR, that's incredibly lucky indeed. Maybe cold comfort but atleast it sounds like it's not as bad as it could have been. Best Wishes from all of us here :hugs:

Oh mate... :sadsorry: How's the chances of that hey?!?! Scary stuff ahead. I wish you and your husband all the luck in the world and will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.

In a way you are so lucky to have been given these warning signs. Sounds like it can all be treated and it's a scare for you all just the same. Biggest hugs :angel1:

Oh wow! how lucky is that!

I hope he recovers fully :sadsorry:

Oh wow Rose, to me that is divine intervention someone from above or an angel that watches over you in your lives that you may or may not know, I believe in that stuff. I pray all goes well for hubby, biggest hugs.

i am sorry to hear about your husband, my prayers and thoughts are with you.

Oh wow Rose, to me that is divine intervention someone from above or an angel that watches over you in your lives that you may or may not know, I believe in that stuff. I pray all goes well for hubby, biggest hugs.

 

Thanks, Elly. We do too, and it is a tremendous comfort knowing that everything happens for a reason and is part of a plan much bigger than we can possibly imagine, let alone control! Some of our friends and family find it difficult to understand how we can be thankful for all of this happening - they hear the Big C Word and say things like, "that's not fair", "why you?" and all that. But finding answers to those sorts of questions really doesn't make anyone feel better, either because they are un-answerable, or un-fixable! In all honesty, we have been given a blessing - had Dave not got sick in the first place, this wouldn't have been uncovered until it was much, much worse and much more distressing. Thank God for sinusitis!

Cancers and polluted air, food and water, ingesting plastic, chemical and industrial contaminants. Brain tumours and mobile phones. Microbial causes for cancer... etc... etc... etc...

 

Big picture??? There is no big picture... The big picture is simply that each of us needs to realise our part in it all, and take action individually and collectively to make it simple, make it easy, resolve our problems and do it better, so it is fair.

 

Treasure each moment, don't wait to be "saved", prevention is better than cure.

 

In the movie Lorenzo's oil... the dad realises that conventional treatment is not working for his son's illness. He goes against convention and discovers what actually is causing it and finds the solution. He pioneered both the solution and the concept for a whole new type of preventive medicine. He was not "qualified" by someone else, he claimed his own authority just like all other pioneers before him, and did the work himself. It was too late for his son, but not for others like him. If it had not happened like that, the cause and solution would not have been discovered. At least, not until someone else realised the same thing later on... the second time around...

 

Every problem is an opportunity. If there is a problem (especially a second opportunity) it begs to research and find the root cause, then it is a step closer to finding a solution (which is often removing the cause).

All questions have answers, all problems have solutions.

We have all the power within each of us to seek answers and find solutions, either from others or ourselves.

 

All my love for the best possible treatment, outcome, recovery and preventing recurrence.

I'm glad to hear that it was caught in time to be treated. You, your husband and your family are in my prayers

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by birdluv

Hi all... it seems like ages ago that i wrote the original post in this topic!

 

Anyway, just letting you know Dave had his surgery today, to remove the tumour. Pre-op scans showed there had been no change since the diagnosis, which was good news. He went down to theatre this afternoon and came out at about 7 this evening. Neurosurgeon said everything went as planned and that he should be out of intensive care by Sunday. When I left him in ICU tonight he was still quite groggy, but was becoming much more coherent and alert as the general anaesthetic started to wear off.

 

Thanks to God!

Thank God! Hope it all goes well!

Edited January 23, 200916 yr by Hills

Oh wonderful news Rose, I have to be honest and say I wish I would have remember to go back to this post and ask you how things were going, I am sorry . I am so glad things are going well.

Oh wonderful news Rose, I have to be honest and say I wish I would have remember to go back to this post and ask you how things were going, I am sorry . I am so glad things are going well.

 

That's okay Elly! Thank you for your thoughts!

 

Poor little Smokey has been a bit of a Lonely Child over the last few days, as I have been at the hospital from earlyish in the morning and not getting home til after dark... I have the TV going now (will be heading off in about an hour) and he's chatting up a storm! Hopefully the radio has been company enough for him while I've been out! I have been a bt worried about how warm it has been getting inside the unit during the day, a s it is all shut up while I'm out so have a fan set on timer to go on and off every now and then jsut to get the air moving.

Awesome news about Dave. I hope he continues to improve. Hugs from me xoxo

That is so scary. I am so glad he will be alright. Big Hugs

Thanks everyone for your wishes... He is a thousand times better today (admittedly, I had only seen him in the hour straight after his surgery, so he was never going to be great then!). The physio got him up and walking today and gave him the all clear to wander around the ward whenever he feels he needs to get up and stretch his legs. Had a few visitors today, but they staggered themselves out which was goos because after each lot he got so tired and slept for an hour or so before the next lot. Dressings and massive head bandage should come off tomorrow afternoon... it's really tight to stop the swelling and he's been quite uncomfortable so it will be nice to have it off. That said, we're going to plan a visit to the hospital hairdresser to have the rest of his hair cut super short as we have discovered the surgeon only shaved the area he needed to operate on and Dave has decided no hair is better than patchy hair! So there's still a way to go, but from the looks and sounds of things, the worst is over. The nurses said that he might get a bit more pain over the next few days as the super pain killers are gradually reduced, but that's fine... pain=having made it through in Dave's book.

 

Anyway, on a different note... I got home this evening and poor little Smokey looked so forlorn and lonely. I have let him stay up late tonight with me while i watch the tennis on tv and he is chatting away now. Tomorrow is meant to be a bit cooler (as opposed to today - forty something and a wind chill factor of forty something plus!), so I might be able to leave a window open for him to hear the outside noises (one of his favourite sounds). I always leave him with the radio, but feel so guilty leaving him at home on his own for ten or twelve hours at a time. He loves those seed stick things, so i thought I'd get on of them for him to chew on, hang off, talk to etc etc (he does all of those things... who needs toys when you can chat with your food?). I might see if mum and dad can babysit him later in the week, but for now, does anyone have any ideas on how to aleviate some of his loneliness?

Good to hear your other half is doing well.

 

As for smokey, I know alot of people hate them (me being one of them) but maybe get him a mirror and put it in his cage every 2 or 3 days or on the days that you will be gone for a really long time, he may think he has a mate for a little bit. I use to do this with Harley when i had long days at work, he would spend all day talking to himself and then i would remove the mirror and it would get put away. Or of you have a big one then you can put it next to him cage that way he can't snuggle up to it but still see the bird in the cage next door. Not the best solution but maybe something to think about.

 

Also does your husband have a private room? Some hospital will let you bring in small animals for a day visit for a few hours maybe both would like this, he would have to stay in his cage but he might like the new situation, but you would have to clear that with the hospital.

 

Hope everything works out and things keep getting better for you *hugs*

Thanls for the suggestions AV... I will try the mirror option...he has one which we let him play with/talk to when he is outside his cage on his playgym. I might move it inside he cage and see how he goes. He does have a few shiny things (silver bells and a kind of frosted mirror thing which reflects light but doesn't show his own refelction) so I might jsut rearrage the furniture (he loves to explore teh new arrangements when I do that after a big cage clean), add in his outside mirror and get his hanging see block. Hopefully the changes will keep him occupied for a fair chunk of time and I can rest easy in the knowledge that he isn't just sitting there by himself!