A salient lesson to all of us–if you have sleep issues, they may not be innocuous. I hope you beat this thing. Best of luck to you.
Now that’s just unfair. A little heat is one of those cheap pleasures!
Seriously, stay strong and stay positive.
i hope the rounds of chemo and radiation do the trick. hang in there and keep us udated.
Just saw this thread. Charger, I’m SO sorry to hear that!
It does sound like a missed diagnosis to me as well!
Anything I can do at anytime!
Proud of you that you’re being proactive and positive!
Bill
Good luck, and I’ll keep you in my prayers.
How scary. You’re in my thoughts.
Wow. That is scary.
You will be in my thoughts and (if you don’t object) in my prayers.
No objections there, the more the better.
I asked the radiation oncologist yesterday if there was any progress, and they won’t be able to tell until the six weeks of treatment ends and they do an MRI. Right now, they scan each weekday just to align the radiation to make sure it targets the tumor. They won’t be able to see the effect the treatments have until they do the MRI. Five more weeks until I know. And the current plan is to finish this cycle of radiation/chemo, and then give me a two week break followed by a higher dosage of chemo only. I assume the treatment would be adjusted as needed, depending on the results. It’s tough not knowing, but I’m hanging firmly onto the idea that it’s going away. That’s what the treatments are for, after all.
Charger, I just looked at your profile, and I didn’t see an age, but I’m going to take a stab and say that you are younger than me (I’m 59).
What I want to say to you, is that I am very proud to know you, even from a distance.
Here’s my theory (for what it’s worth) about why all of us are so stoic:
It’s because we know more than people did as short as 100 years ago. We have gained so much more information, that instead of throwing up our hands and giving up, we are now in fight mode, and that is a good thing.
A very good thing.
Fist to heart, my friend!
Bill
If the doctor knew about the confusion and coordination problems, yes, it would be reasonable to expect him to pick up on the possibility of a neurological problem brewing. However, a complaint of “Waking up tired” by itself is pretty classic for sleep apnea and if that was all the doctor was going on he may not have done anything wrong at all.
Unfortunately not all cancers are as easy to diagnose as we would like, and sometimes bad things happen that aren’t anybody’s fault at all.
The important thing is that it sounds like Charger is getting good care now that everyone knows what the problem is.
I am not a doctor, but in the case of the glioblastoma, I’m pretty sure that we know a lot more than we knew 5 years ago. My grandpa was diagnosed in August of 2003 and treated at a good cancer center (UC Davis), and he was told it was pretty much 100% fatal. I don’t think that’s true anymore.
Cisco,
Our knowledge is growing at a faster than I thought!
Back in the 60’s we were putting pneumonia patients in oxygen tents and hoped for the best! Today (if it’s not viral) we send 'em home
I still remember sentences such as “What did the doctor say?”
“Pneumonia!”
“Oh dear God!”
Today?
“What’s got him on?”
May I ask did grandpa beat the cancer?
Gracias,** Ceeeesco**!
Q
He did say the doctor didn’t order any tests, which is VITAL to diagnosing sleep apnea. I don’t know any doctors who would say, “Oh, you must have sleep apnea, but we won’t order any sleep tests to check. Let’s just assume, and not investigate any further.”
And if he really did have sleep apnea, were they just not going to treat it? You really need a sleep test to determine severity and treatment options. If they had done the tests, they could have ruled it out, and moved on to other things to try and find out what was wrong.
That’s just bad doctoring.
Anyway, you don’t know me from Adam, Charger, but good luck!
Charger, I just found this thread, having been on vacation for the past week.
My Stepson who is 36 was diagnosed with a similar tumour in 1999. He was given 12 months at that time. He had a resection, radiation and chemo.
He is still going strong. Just wanted to pass that along.
Chemo is becoming much more refined and effective these days. And you are young and positive. Good luck to you as you battle the tumor.
I hope you’re sleeping better now that you have most of the tumor removed.
So far, the only side effects I have felt from the radiation is mild fatigue. Temodar, the chemotherapy drug, is in pill form, and I have not felt any side effects from the current dosage. That may change when the dosage changes, but so far it’s been very easy on me, hopefully hard on the cancer.
And, yes, ever since the surgery removed all of that pressure, I have been sleeping very well. Physically, I feel much better now than the couple weeks leading up to the emergency room visit.
I met with my oncologist today and he informed me that it will be another 9 weeks until they do an MRI, they need to wait until the radiation is complete and then give four weeks to clear up any inflammation in order to get a clear reading. Until then, my progress will be gauged by how I feel and if I show any symptoms. The good news is that I feel great, just a little tired and hungry (side effect of the steroid, being taken to prevent swelling due to radiation). I have put on about six pounds so far due to the increased appetite.
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling so much better! I hope your treatment continues to go well.
Still wishing you the best!
Quasi
Best wishes, Charger. I’ll check in often to see how things are going.
Hang in there, Charger! Sending positive vibes your way!