# Infected belly button vs brain tumor **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 5, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135 "2009-12-05T22:49:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/21 "2009-12-07T06:47:32Z")
I’m very sorry to hear about your brother, and I hope he recovers soon. While I don’t know anything much about brain tumors, I _do_ know about infected belly buttons. One common cause of them, and the reason I know about them, is that they get irritated when you exercise. To get rid of them on your own, resist the urge to stick some antibacterial cream in there. (OTC. Obviously a precription is fine) Instead apply the cream they make for women’s yeast infections, because most belly button problems are the result of [the same thing](http://www.ehow.com/how_4921250_identify-yeast-infection-belly-button.html). It’ll clear up in a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/22 "2009-12-07T12:05:13Z")
Good luck to both of you! ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/23 "2009-12-07T12:25:34Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Good that was the kind of stuff i need. Now tell me the horrors of an infected belly button. Not a horror, but an asset: should your bellybutton abcess, you could run around squirting people. Then you’d have to post about your navel zit. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/24 "2009-12-07T15:16:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I guess the good news is they can’t remove your belly button. Oh, but they can. A friend of mine has no belly button. IIRC, he had a herniated bowel as a baby, so they made the surgical incision there and just stiched it up when they were done. I tell him it’s proof of his alien parentage. If you do have to have it removed, though, they can also [install one](http://www.plasticsurgery4u.com/belly_button/new_bellybutton.html). ETA: More importantly, I know of at least three people who had brain tumors (a different kind in each case) and all had them successfully removed, with no further difficulties. It’s serious, but it’s not necessarily terminal, by any means. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/25 "2009-12-07T15:24:36Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If you do have to have it removed, though, they can also [install one](http://www.plasticsurgery4u.com/belly_button/new_bellybutton.html). And the old one goes into the navel reserve… :bada ching: My wife also has no belly button, the result of a post C-section hernia. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/26 "2009-12-07T15:34:39Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Good that was the kind of stuff i need. Now tell me the horrors of an infected belly button. Short answer: you’re going to die. Long answer: So are we all, and the belly button will PROBABLY not be what does you in. Unless of course you decide you hate that funky smell and bandage it up to keep the smelly goodness inside and the infection decides to go the other way and eat through your skin and your intestines and cause a fatal dose of peritonitis. Conclusion: you’re right, your brother wins. Yikes!! Tell him there’s a bunch of Dopers pulling for him. Oh, and they probably shouldn’t attempt tumor resection using a belly-button endoscopy tool. Too much risk of infection 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/27 "2009-12-07T15:43:09Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Not a horror, but an asset: should your bellybutton abcess, you could run around squirting people. Then you’d have to post about your navel zit. Whence comes the term" naval destroyer". ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/28 "2009-12-07T15:45:51Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’m very sorry to hear about your brother, and I hope he recovers soon. > > While I don’t know anything much about brain tumors, I _do_ know about infected belly buttons. One common cause of them, and the reason I know about them, is that they get irritated when you exercise. To get rid of them on your own, resist the urge to stick some antibacterial cream in there. (OTC. Obviously a precription is fine) Instead apply the cream they make for women’s yeast infections, because most belly button problems are the result of [the same thing](http://www.ehow.com/how_4921250_identify-yeast-infection-belly-button.html). It’ll clear up in a few days. I don’t understand yeast infections. My wife had one. When she told me where, I decided from then on to buy sliced bread. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/29 "2009-12-07T16:13:55Z")
Best wishes for you and your brother’s health and speedy recovery but all seriousness aside, how do you get an infected bellybutton? Were you picking at it? Storing things in there? Or just never wash it out? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/30 "2009-12-07T18:41:54Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Whence comes the term" naval destroyer". No, that’s a hula hoop with a nail in it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/31 "2009-12-07T19:25:35Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Best wishes for you and your brother’s health and speedy recovery but all seriousness aside, how do you get an infected bellybutton? Were you picking at it? Storing things in there? Or just never wash it out? It is strange ,you have to learn so much when you get something. It is generally associated with people who exercise. I guess sweat collects. I play about 10 hours of racquetball a week and walk my dogs about 5 miles every day. So I guess I qualify. But it is about cleanliness too. Just that a person who exercises will get a lot more chances to suffer from a slip up. His belly button will collect things and sweat will store them. I never made it a special point to clean my belly button. I guess I should have. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/32 "2009-12-07T20:12:47Z")
My nephew called. He said the doc said it was a glioma. They have a survival rate of 1 to 5 years. It is what Ted Kennedy had. It is small but deep. he will be undergoing a nasty procedure today to determine stage. Stage 1 is generally removed and then chemo or radiation are used. it comes back, but he will have more time . The other stages are increasingly ugly. By the time he became symptomatic, it was too late. His writing and punctuation became horrible. His son said he could not remember how to get to their favorite restaurant. But it was gradual. He is 67 so his kid sloughed it off as age related. Kids do underestimate their parental units. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/33 "2009-12-07T22:27:37Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > My nephew called. He said the doc said it was a glioma. They have a survival rate of 1 to 5 years. It is what Ted Kennedy had. It is small but deep. he will be undergoing a nasty procedure today to determine stage. Stage 1 is generally removed and then chemo or radiation are used. it comes back, but he will have more time . The other stages are increasingly ugly. By the time he became symptomatic, it was too late. His writing and punctuation became horrible. His son said he could not remember how to get to their favorite restaurant. But it was gradual. He is 67 so his kid sloughed it off as age related. Kids do underestimate their parental units. Get back in your box, gimp. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/34 "2009-12-07T23:08:27Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Get back in your box, gimp. I have issued you a warning for being a jerk. twickster, MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/35 "2009-12-07T23:09:13Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I have issued you a warning for being a jerk. > > twickster, MPSIMS moderator Warning ignored. If I can’t be a jerk to my own father, who can I be a jerk to? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/36 "2009-12-07T23:15:08Z")
Ignore it if you wish, the warning stands. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/37 "2009-12-07T23:45:13Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Ignore it if you wish, the warning stands. Bwuh? I don’t have a dog in this fight, but seriously? We’ve already established upthread that **LOUNE** is **gonzomax** ’s son, and the post was a direct response to a comment by gonzomax about children underestimating their parents. Quite frankly, if we’re starting to issue warnings to children for cheerfully insulting their parents when it’s blatantly obvious to anyone who’s actually read the whole thread that no real insult is intended, we may as well just call it a day and go home. This is beyond silly. As to the OP, best of luck to you and your brother, **gonzomax**. I’m sorry it’s such a grim prognosis for him, but life sometimes has a few surprises up its sleeve… I know at least one person who ought to have died at least two years ago, but who’s still alive and kicking and tumour-free, much to his doctor’s surprise (and to his family’s joy, needless to say). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/38 "2009-12-07T23:54:27Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > Bwuh? > > I don’t have a dog in this fight, but seriously? > > We’ve already established upthread that **LOUNE** is **gonzomax** ’s son, and the post was a direct response to a comment by gonzomax about children underestimating their parents. > > Quite frankly, if we’re starting to issue warnings to children for cheerfully insulting their parents when it’s blatantly obvious to anyone who’s actually read the whole thread that no real insult is intended, we may as well just call it a day and go home. This is beyond silly. > > As to the OP, best of luck to you and your brother, **gonzomax**. I’m sorry it’s such a grim prognosis for him, but life sometimes has a few surprises up its sleeve… I know at least one person who ought to have died at least two years ago, but who’s still alive and kicking and tumour-free, much to his doctor’s surprise (and to his family’s joy, needless to say). It’s okay. I was partially giving \*\*twicks \*\*some grief. She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. After all, if I meant it, then the warning were definitely necessary. Better safe than sorry, and if I were in your shoes, I’d probably have done the same thing. I’m still ignoring it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/39 "2009-12-07T23:54:35Z")
If he had responded civilly to me, I would have rescinded the warning. “I’m ignoring you” isn’t ever the appropriate response to a mod. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135/40 "2009-12-08T00:45:14Z")
Glioblastomas are generally the worst - the worst of the worst being Glioblastoma Multiforme. It isn’t terribly treatable, causes are unknown, and early detection isn’t necessarily useful, at least in terms of survival. Think of the brain in two components: the gray matter (thinky bits) and the white matter (the scaffold). The glial cells support the nerve cells. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-belly-button-vs-brain-tumor/520135.md?page=3)