HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Brain Mets

NEDenise · 03-01-2013, 06:48 AM

Morning Friends,
Hot bath...chamomile tea...check! Thanks for the idea, it helped calm me down enough for a nap last night!

Thanks for all the votes of confidence. Your opinions matter to me. I'm feeling very secure about waiting for my "real" surgeon's opinion. I'm just hoping that he agrees with me...that the swelling is from healing. An actual, open-up-my-skull brain surgery, scares the heck out of me. Of course I'll do it if it's the only option, but so many things could go wrong. It's not something I hope to spend much time thinking about between now and Tuesday. I guess "de-Nile" is not just a river in Egypt! And, why borrow trouble.

Thanks for all the prayers too. I know in my heart that it's the only thing holding me together through all this waiting and uncertainty. And Jill, wow! an entire Rosary! That's a powerful prayer! Thanks!

I'm sooooo looking forward to the day...in the not too distant future...when I can look back on this week and think, "Sheesh, I'm glad that's over! What a lot of worrying over a little swelling!"

Oh! In fairness to the two surgeons who recommended surgery, they thought I was already on high doses of steroids...and my brain was swelling anyway. Once they were informed that the steroids could be "upped" and that my sypmtoms had been decreasing...they backed off of the emergency craniotomy thing.

Sooo...deep breaths, good books...lots of praying...and laughing with my family.
Thanks for hanging with me while I wait.
With love,
Denise

03-01-2013, 06:48 AM	#54
NEDenise Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Philly Suburbs Posts: 1,709	Re: Brain Mets - new or old? Morning Friends, Hot bath...chamomile tea...check! Thanks for the idea, it helped calm me down enough for a nap last night! Thanks for all the votes of confidence. Your opinions matter to me. I'm feeling very secure about waiting for my "real" surgeon's opinion. I'm just hoping that he agrees with me...that the swelling is from healing. An actual, open-up-my-skull brain surgery, scares the heck out of me. Of course I'll do it if it's the only option, but so many things could go wrong. It's not something I hope to spend much time thinking about between now and Tuesday. I guess "de-Nile" is not just a river in Egypt! And, why borrow trouble. Thanks for all the prayers too. I know in my heart that it's the only thing holding me together through all this waiting and uncertainty. And Jill, wow! an entire Rosary! That's a powerful prayer! Thanks! I'm sooooo looking forward to the day...in the not too distant future...when I can look back on this week and think, "Sheesh, I'm glad that's over! What a lot of worrying over a little swelling!" Oh! In fairness to the two surgeons who recommended surgery, they thought I was already on high doses of steroids...and my brain was swelling anyway. Once they were informed that the steroids could be "upped" and that my sypmtoms had been decreasing...they backed off of the emergency craniotomy thing. Sooo...deep breaths, good books...lots of praying...and laughing with my family. Thanks for hanging with me while I wait. With love, Denise __________________ 1/11-needle biopsy 2/11-Lumpectomy/axillary node dissection - Stage 3c, ER/PR-14/17 nodes 3/11 - Post-op staph infection,cellulitis, lymphedema,seroma,ARRRGH! 4/12/11-A/C x 4, then T/H x 4, H only,Q3 weeks 8/26/11 finished Taxol!!! 10/7/11 mastectomy/DIEP recon 11/11 radiation x28 1/12/12 1st CANCER-VERSARY! 1/12 Low EF/Herceptin "Holiday" :( 2/12 EF up - Back on Herceptin, heart meds 4/2/1212 surgery to repair separated incision from DIEP recon 6/8/12 Return to work :) 6/17/12 Fall, shatter wrist,surgery to repair/insert plate :( 7/10/12 last Herceptin 7/23/12 Brain Mets %$&#! 3cm and 1cm 8/10/12 Gamma knife surgery, LOTS of steroids;start H/Tykerb 8/23/12 Back to work 12/20/12 Injure back-3 weeks in wheel chair 1/12/13 2nd CANCER-VERSARY! 1/14/13 herniate disk in back - surgery to repair 1/27/13 Radiation necrosis - edema in brain - back on steroids - but not back to work - off balance, poor cordination in right arm 5/3/13 Start Avastin to shrink necrosis 5/10/13 begin weaning steroids 6/18/13 Brain MRI - Avastin seems to be working! 6/20/13 quarterly CT - chest, abdomen, pelvis - All Clear! 7/5/13 finally off steroids!! 7/7/13 joined the ranks of the CHEMO NINJAS I am now Tekuto Ki Ariku cancer assassin! 7/13/13 Symptoms return - back on steroids 7/26/13 Back on Avastin - try again! 8/26/13 Not ready to return to classroom yet :( But I CAN walk without holding onto things! :) 9/9/13 Brain MRI - fingers crossed “ Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you, and you alone, to decide. ” – Cavett Robert