Carla
04-09-2004, 10:34 AM
Hello All:
I posted in december that a CT scan had revealed 5 lesions on my brain. I received an experimental cancer vaccine last fall and the dr. declared me in remission in oct, only to have the brain lesions make their presence known a month later. I had 20 treatments of WBR in dec & jan, and I just had a stereotactic procedure called Brain Lab on tues. I'm here to tell you that was the roughest thing I've ever been through. They could not relieve the terrible pain I had from the frame on my head. I was at the hospital from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. that night. But I want to tell everyone that I feel pretty good now, and I'm quite hopeful. The radiation nurse told me that when she first started in that field, when someone came in with brain cancer, they had a month or so to live. She said that,"now, we don't know." My rad/onc also told me after the lesions were found, "we can shrink it, we can control it, and we may even be able to make it go away." I've been amazed at how many people post on this site who are going through the same thing. It's scary and comforting at the same time.
I have wanted to post many times in the last months because I've felt so bad from the WBR, but I just didn't want to whine. I'm slowly coming out of major side effects--extreme sleepiness, fatigue, no appetite. I'm even starting to grow hair. I hope this message offers encouragement to those of you going through similar circumstances.
Carla
I posted in december that a CT scan had revealed 5 lesions on my brain. I received an experimental cancer vaccine last fall and the dr. declared me in remission in oct, only to have the brain lesions make their presence known a month later. I had 20 treatments of WBR in dec & jan, and I just had a stereotactic procedure called Brain Lab on tues. I'm here to tell you that was the roughest thing I've ever been through. They could not relieve the terrible pain I had from the frame on my head. I was at the hospital from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. that night. But I want to tell everyone that I feel pretty good now, and I'm quite hopeful. The radiation nurse told me that when she first started in that field, when someone came in with brain cancer, they had a month or so to live. She said that,"now, we don't know." My rad/onc also told me after the lesions were found, "we can shrink it, we can control it, and we may even be able to make it go away." I've been amazed at how many people post on this site who are going through the same thing. It's scary and comforting at the same time.
I have wanted to post many times in the last months because I've felt so bad from the WBR, but I just didn't want to whine. I'm slowly coming out of major side effects--extreme sleepiness, fatigue, no appetite. I'm even starting to grow hair. I hope this message offers encouragement to those of you going through similar circumstances.
Carla