by Mike
What a crazy ride this past summer has been. On June 9, 2011 I went to bed after watching a movie and woke up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I didn't know my name, didn't recognize my wife or kids and couldn't understand why I was in the back of this ambulance. Once I got to the hospital I started coming back as my brain rebooted. My wife explained to me that I had a full blown Gran Mal seizure at 2 AM. She initially thought I had a heart attack and died, as she was unable to wake me. That night I was scanned and my life hasn't been, and will never be, the same.
I was told there was a mass in my brain, most likley a tumor, and they wouldn't know what it was until they got in there. Got in there as in open my skull and dig around my grey matter. Needless to say I freaked out, panicked and thought for sure my life was over. On June 27, I had a craniotomy and they were able to remove the entire tumor. Turned out to be a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. The surgery was on Monday morning and I was home Tuesday night, which I am told is not normal but I was determined to be the one who beats this thing and gets on with my life.
After many conversations and much investigation I ended up at Duke University and was told br Dr. Friedman and his staff that at this time, no further tretament is called for other than to watch and monitor. For the next two years I will be getting an MRI and traveling up tp Duke for re-evaluation. I feel very poistive right now, I am back to work, back to life and taking nothing for granted. I'm not a fool, I know this thing will most likely come back but I am ready for round two, whatever that might be-chemo radiation, perhaps some new treatment. The point is there is life and there is hope after a diagnosis of a brain tumor. The people I spoke to who I met on the My.BrainTumorCommunity.org forum probably saved my life. Life goes on and Life is good!
