Brain Tumors

So it seems about every six months or so I have this habit of falling down
in the bathroom. Back in January it was a Grand Mall seizure (cause still
unknown, but suspected to have been a bad mixture of medicines). Well,
Thursday morning I headed over to the head, lost my balance and down I went.
Fortunately, this one was contributed to blood pressure medicine, but I
dented my forehead pretty well and it was decided I should go to the
hospital and (A) get four stitches in my suddenly Gorbachev-looking forehead
and (B) get a precautionary CT brain scan (just to be sure).

Well the doc comes in while they are sewing me up and says the CT scan was
"abnormal." The concern that swept through me was hot, I mean like heated
hot. It only lasted a minute but I realized that for the first time during
this entire experience (which you folks have been so kind to live through
with me) I had taken a step back. So they admitted me and the next day I got
an MRI and they found five (did I say five) small tumors they could see and
the radiologist suggested there were most likely more that were not yet big
enough to see (Surprise: I also learned, at that moment, that chemo, at
least for kidney cancer, has no affect on brain lesions (I can't make up my
mind, which sounds better or more positive, lesions or tumors, but I'm
thinking on it). Anyway, the decided they could gamma-knife the five we can
see and then take a look in six or eight weeks to see if any more pop up. If
they do, then its full blown radiation to the brain. Either way, doesn't
make for a good scenario.

On the other hand (when you have potentially terminal disease, on the other
hand becomes a common refrain), had I not had the fall (the subsequent
dented head), they might not have found these tumors (lesions, mutants, bad boys, slime of the earth, take your choice) they would have been a major
issue in six or eight months, so whacking myself on the door jam, or
whatever I whacked and trust me, I whacked it good, was a God send. Stuck
pigs would have felt sorry for me. That's how well dented I am.

At the request of several of people I have been putting together a little
booklet on this experience and one of the sentences in the first chapter,
which is attached, points out that I am not writing of cancer from memory of fight hopefully well fought, but add this line..."and there is still enough
cancer in me to keep it pithy." I was, of course, seriously reminded of that
these last two days.

So onward and hopefully upward. As I write this I am still pretty woozy from steroids and god knows that else to take the swelling off the brain. Better
to be woozy than dead.

Again, thanks to all of you prayers and support. Nothing is more meaningful
to anybody to with a serious health threat. And as for these memo, they are
wonderful therapy for me. And I thank each of you for taking the time to
read them. If you do look at that first chapter, any comments would be most
helpful. One of my goals for the next ten years is help 220,000 people not
ever have to write Stage Four Cancer after their last name.

Dave

Comments

[Martin Reinthaler]

Dave,

After being born with 1 kidney my father-in law was diagnosed with kidney cancer. With the help of the Cleveland Clinic he fought off the cancer, and had been cancer free for 7 years. He was recently admitted for a problem with blood in his urine. The problem seems to be coming from his kidney. He developed a problem with recognizing people, and upon further tests, MRI of the brain it was discovered he has 10 lesions on his brain that they can see. Radiation they say will slow the growth, and may prevent more lesions from forming.

I love my father-in law, and I hope God will give him more time.

I appreciate your website, knowing someone else is fighting to win against this disease.