I’m not much of a poster on ST, however I check it almost daily. It provides much inspiration, motivation and much comedy. The Lavender Room even keeps me more informed and gives a better selection of what’s important to people than “The Drudge Report” does.
I have started a blog about my father who is having what all indications say is a ‘tumor’ removed from his brain today. It’s all happened so fast, he is the epitomy of fitness, he is only 64.
If you can click on the link and add a comment providing motivation and inspiration, my family and all of my dad’s friends and training partners would appreciate it, I’m sure. However, because this is a blog for friends and family of my dad, I ask that you please keep any speculation about his diagnosis/prognosis here on ST. As soon as we find out how the surgery went and what the ‘tumor’ is, I’ll let you know.
Also, if you have any comments about how I can improve the look/feel of the blog, please let me know. Thank you.
Good luck to your father. You’re a little light on details as to what’s happening, so I’ll share my experience/opinion. I’m surprised that they are performing surgery without being sure as to what’s going on. My wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma (benign tumor near the ear canal) last summer, and had two MRIs and a CAT scan before they even scheduled her surgery. The common symptoms are loss of hearing in one ear, dizziness/vertigo and facial numbness on one side of the face. These are due to the pressure that the tumor puts on the nerves as they pass to the brainstem.
I can try to find the websites we used to understand the tumor once it was diagnosed if it would help. As long as the tumor is benign, your father has a very high probability of returning to normal. My wife had surgery in August, Gamma Knife radiation in November, and (apart from loss of hearing in her ear) she’s doing fine.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Just got off the phone with my mom. My dad just got out of surgery about and hour ago. He went in for hip replacement, so, not nearly as serious as your father, but, I can certainly sympathize with the stress and axiety you are under.
It all started about two weeks ago he sat down after getting home from work and within fifteen minutes he was unresponsive. My mother thought heart attack or stroke. The ER treated for a stroke as he was showing all signs for that. About twelve hours later he was able to talk but his words didn’t make sense he couldn’t formulate a real sentence or remember who any one was. He could somewhat describe who we were but just couldn’t get it out. He got better with memory as time went by and on day four after the seizure felt and acted fine.
He had an initial CT scan (normal) then an MRI that was unclear because of swelling in his head, something seemed to be there but no one could really identify what. He was treated with Acyclovir for Encephalitis which they thought was plausible however when his spinal tap came back it was negative. Back for another MRI which seemed to show an enhanced tumor which was more visible after the swelling went down. The next day he saw the neurosurgeon and he said to get it out quick, then went for a second opinion the next day-same diagnosis. Surgery was scheduled the next day (today).
My father just got out of surgery and is talking, remembers who everyone is, moving everything they ask and overall is doing great.
Except that the preliminary diagnosis is it is an Astrocytoma Grade III.
So hopefully it’s wrong and now we wait for the diagnosis from the sample that was sent to John Hopkins.
Good to hear he’s on the mend. My father died from a brain tumor at age 38 (I was 10 at the time, I’m now 49). The good part for you is that treatments and diagnosis have improved radically in the last 40 years. Spend all the time with him while you can, even if he’s 100%. You never know when.
my dad went into Mayo for a pituitary tumor a little over a year ago. yanked what they could, gamma knifed the rest, and other than a slightly raspy throat he has come sailing thru. here’s hoping that your dad can say the same a year from now.
Update: Next week my father start radiation and chemo for the Astrocytoma grade III tumor. This really sucks, it’s all been so fast. He never had a decline in health at all. He was probably in the best shape he was ever in. I find myself not believing the doctors or wondering why would they want to tell me this is a Astrocytoma Grade III, always wondering what if they are wrong.
It also sucks that I have a 15 month tour in Iraq (my fourth including Afhganistan, OEF) looming in less than two months. I feel guilty about the time away in the past now I will as well in the future. This isn’t about me it’s just that I haven’t got to spend as much time with him as I should have.
Thanks for all who have left nice things on the blog.