So, I have a tumor

[DanS]

Awesome.

[ZEE]

[Pekka]

So, I spent 40 minutes in MRI scan today. It's my first check, and I really really hope nothing showed up. I get a call from my oncologist on Thursday, who will tell me the results.

It's too much to take at the moment. I'm so hoping that I'm still in the clear. Why? Because it would be TOO SOON if I've already developed a new tumor. It would be a bad sign, even though it was determined it's not aggressive. It would make me paranoid. It would mean treatments pretty soon, going to lots of scans to see how the thing is going. It would mean a possible surgery at some point.

However, it the result is good, meaning there is no developing tumor yet, it would mean I get to breathe and relax until summer, which would be time for a new scan. Please, just give me this breather, whoever is in charge of the universe.

[Berzerker]

my sis is going thru the test and wait for the news cycle now

its tough to deal with, she was close to stage 4. But you're young and brain tumors dont seem to recur ~inevitably like some other forms of cancer. They're saying aspirin inhibits the regrowth of tumors in women with estrogen driven breast cancer, I'll bet it helps with other forms too. Vita D... if its true cancer rates are based in part on sunlight, Vitamin D may be the key. My sis is all into this stuff now...

[Pekka]

my sis is going thru the test and wait for the news cycle now

its tough to deal with, she was close to stage 4. But you're young and brain tumors dont seem to recur ~inevitably like some other forms of cancer. They're saying aspirin inhibits the regrowth of tumors in women with estrogen driven breast cancer, I'll bet it helps with other forms too. Vita D... if its true cancer rates are based in part on sunlight, Vitamin D may be the key. My sis is all into this stuff now...

Yeah, this is all true. I've been saying to myself that if this was someone else, I'd be calm for them, saying listen to rationality, you'll be OK! Facts point to YOUR benefit versus other cancer types in body. I mean, it would SUCK to have brain cancer that came from ones body, because then you can have multiple tumors and they don't know how it all happens. Then you just... you keep fighting of course but then it's all the more deadly. Now? It's still dangerous but it's more of a battle than a war.

I'm sorry to hear your sister has cancer. It's such an ugly word too, isn't it? It sucks even just to say it. If by stage we mean gradus, which I think we do, then your sister was in much tougher position. With brain cancers, stage 4 is tough. Sometimes, even with the worst stage, they just don't come back. You never know. What people with this crap are going through is difficult to explain though. There's hope, and there's despair. Sometimes they change states within 5 seconds. You didn't say what kind of cancer your sister has/had? If it's breast cancer, there's tons of progress made just in the last few months, there's a new drug that works for third of all tested, and then it doesn't come back for those people. It was just released. Well, I don't know the situation there or that you would want to talk about it. It must be tough for you as well. Sometimes I think this situation is much tougher for my SO than for me. The toughest part, when thinking of going away is not that I'd go away, or that I'd reach heaven, or that if there is no heaven that I'd just lose consciousness altogether. It's the knowledge that there are people who love me and they will be hurt from it. That's the painful part. Everything else, physical pain etc. is no longer something I am afraid of. It used to be when I was a kid, I thought how much it would hurt, but not any longer. It's the people who love me I think about and how they feel. And they feel much stronger about it than I do. So I hope this is of comfort to you, that sometimes the pain is strongest in others than the one going through the experience. I wish all the best for your sister, I really really really hope that the results will be good. It's really stressful to wait those results, I'm doing the same thing now! So, thumbs up for everyone and let's hope for the best

[Pekka]

Oh my... few hours to the call. If I was a nail biter, I wouldn't have any nails left.

[Pekka]

Any time now... man hands are sweating, shortened breath... please be good news, please be good news. Interesting reality show concept, wouldn't it be? Perhaps too bizarre. But so is life. Bizarre. Beats any other nail biter.

[Stuie]

Holy crap Pekka! I haven't been to the OT for awhile so I missed all this.

Best of luck to you and try to stay positive.

[Pekka]

Yeehaaaw!

Everything looks post-op. That means that there are marks such as scar, and a sign of something removed, so there are changes, however, it all looks like post-op changes and nothing else. This means that I have not developed a new tumor Yeeeesss!

[SlowwHand]

[Grandpa Troll]

Yeehaaaw!

Everything looks post-op. That means that there are marks such as scar, and a sign of something removed, so there are changes, however, it all looks like post-op changes and nothing else. This means that I have not developed a new tumor Yeeeesss!

Pekka

Thats awesome

Our prayers are with you sir.

Hang in there and hope all follow ups aere as positive

Gramps

[chequita guevara]

You realize that this means I can restart my plans to destroy you?

[Joseph]

We will hope and pray that it is NEG for at lease 70 or more years. That should put you at a 100 + old guy.

[Berzerker]

thats good news! My sis is clean so far too... I guess I shouldn't be surprised they did an MRI on you, they just do blood tests on my sis and look for elevated enzymes. Did you say this tumor was cancerous, but of a milder form?
Tumors are weird critters, I had a big one cut out of me but it was benign. I played golf today with an older guy who was showing me his scars from 5 bypasses in '01, he's got Cheney's disease - arteries that just keep clogging up.
Enjoy your youth, growing old is painful

[Pekka]

thats good news! My sis is clean so far too... I guess I shouldn't be surprised they did an MRI on you, they just do blood tests on my sis and look for elevated enzymes. Did you say this tumor was cancerous, but of a milder form?
Tumors are weird critters, I had a big one cut out of me but it was benign. I played golf today with an older guy who was showing me his scars from 5 bypasses in '01, he's got Cheney's disease - arteries that just keep clogging up.
Enjoy your youth, growing old is painful

Thanks everyone

Yes, it's a form of cancer, a milder one. They first thought it was non-cancerous and the op was a success so it sucked to hear few weeks afterwards that it's cancer.

They don't do blood tests for me (except for other stuff), it's just MRI. Good to hear your sister is in the clear now. You never know, it might stay that way forever. Tricky things, just like you said.

Today, actually in 15 minutes, I have my tests with neuropsychologists. I expect normal results as I have no difficulties with anything, I still play my Guitar Hero on expert It might be years until it shows up again, or it might never come back. Or it might be back in the next scan, but I'm very glad that I got this first one down with a clean record I've been in and out of hospitals from the end of last year, waiting for a result that is important for every few weeks so I got a bit tired. If it was back already, it would have seemed more aggressive than anticipated plus treatments would have began, and I was supposed to (and now am going to) back to work on Monday. So it would have sucked to go into the ward get some of them treatments, medicine mostly though. More sick leave, more to deal with. But now I finally got a break, so this was the most important thing for me to get it right this time