Husband w/Oligo

Mama 2 2 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:50 pm Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Greetings everyone,

It's been a short while since posting, but I thought I'd drop a note hoping for some happy thoughts as we are on our way into town tomorrow for another MRI. These days always stress me out, and I've had a wicked stomach flu to add to the fun the past couple of days - can't keep much of anything down Mr. Green

. At least my hubby has had the past 10 days off work for spring break and has had some time to relax and catch up on rest - though he spent half of it painting our house, his parents paid for us to join them for a few days at Harrison Hot Springs to take it easy. It's been nice to see him not so exhausted for a while, but he's back on the chemo (5 days) and back to work thurs.

I'll update after the MRI - and hope everyone else is well. I've seen some sad postings in the past few days of people's loved ones passing, or close to that point, and my heart goes out to you all.

You are all in my thoughts,

Cheers!
~C~
_________________
~Life's too sweet to be bitter~

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brainman · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Mama 2 2, you and your husband will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers. Hope the MRI turns out good. I also hope you get to feeling better. I always get very nervous the day before an MRI and I have had so many since 1992 that I cannot count them all. The thought that goes through my mind is, of course, "What if?" Confused

.

Let us know the results as soon as you can.

Glad to hear that your husband got a chance to rest Smile

.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

ksplat · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:28 pm Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Hello Chelsea
I wanted to let you know I am thinking of you whilst you wait on yr Husband's next MRI. This is certainly a nervous time full of uncertainty & confusion.
I await yr positive reply.
Prayers for you all.
Cheers, Angie.
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Diagnosed Feb 07
46 Yrs young!
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"Without Faith We Have Nothing"

Aimster · Regular Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Nebraska

I will be thinking of you, and hoping to hear great news from you soon!
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Amy (39)
*presumptive low-grade glioma in right frontal lobe (first observed Aug. 2007; diagnosed Jan. 2008)
*watching & waiting, but anticipating resection in the next year or so

http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=28526

Mama 2 2 · Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Greetings everyone,

Sorry for the delay in update, I wanted to just spend a nice day relaxing with my girls yesterday as we had hardly been home in the past week and when we were home I was throwing up. . . . Mr. Green

We had some good news on the MRI front though - his scan was clear enough that they decided to give him a 'break' from chemo for a while and just scan again in three months! I think they were surprised that we didn't jump for joy at the news initally, because my husband said if it's better for him to stay on it he would as the side effects aren't bothering him too much, but they said there aren't enough of the 'bad' cells left to worry about it at this point so no need to keep poisoning his body and run the risk of the cells becoming resistant to the chemo.

He still has to stay on the dilantin, but at least they said he can drive again - though they looked in my direction when they added that if someone else is available to drive he should let that person drive, so I'm not off the hook yet Rolling Eyes

. Don't get me wrong, I like driving, and we just got a new vehicle so that's nice - it's just not convenient to have to haul two babes around town when he just needs to pick up some bread or do the recycling (yes, I'm one of 'those' mom's who doesn't leave their newborn for more than 10 minutes until they're really old. . . . the few times I have left her for a few minutes I come back and she's screaming!).

I was a little concerned that the doc had told us last time that he doesn't like to see tumours respond 'too quickly' to the chemo as that means it's a more aggressive tumour (and the nurse had previously told us she "couldn't believe how fast his tumour responded to the chemo"), but he said that given the fact that this was a smaller tumour to begin with it shouldn't be much of a concern. Does anyone else have any experience with this? Our doc is always so vague and never seems like he wants to share too much info. . . .

Anywhoo, we are going to be cautiously optimistic for now and take it as a good thing. I wish you all well - I should run for now, I have a poopy diaper to change and a three yr old getting bored . . . . Laughing

. I wouldn't give up this mommy gig for the world though!

Much love to you all!
~C~
_________________
~Life's too sweet to be bitter~

Our Story: http://www.cancerforums.net/about7982.html

brainman · Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:44 pm Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Chelsea, glad to hear the great news! My situation was about the same. After two cycles of chemo, my MRI showed only necrotic cancer cells. However, my doctor were of a different opinion than your husband's doctor. My oncologist wanted to keep me own chemo for at least 18 months Shocked

. I made it through 13 months. After being hospitalized twice for pneumonia, my oncologist finally said that it was time for a break.

But that was 15 years ago. So much has changed since then. The prognosis for a mid-grade glioma (II-III) is so much better now. I would be comfortable following your husband's medical team's advice to take a break now and have an MRI again in 3 months.

As for the Dilantin... I hate to say this but I expect that he might need to be on it or some other type of anti-seizure medication for the rest of his life Sad

. Fortunately, that is not that bad and he will be glad that he takes medication rather than risk a seizure and not be able to drive again Razz

.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Aimster · Regular Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Nebraska

Chelsea,
Congratulations to your family on the great news! I'd been thinking about you Very Happy

It must feel great to your husband to have permission to drive again. Sweet freedom! I hear you about the child thing - seems like as soon as you step out the door, all they want is mom Rolling Eyes

These days my two-year-old is permanently attached to my hip and screams bloody murder every time I set him down! And of course the four-year-old isn't pleased about my being monopolized by her brother. We are definitely the center of their universes Very Happy

_________________
Amy (39)
*presumptive low-grade glioma in right frontal lobe (first observed Aug. 2007; diagnosed Jan. 2008)
*watching & waiting, but anticipating resection in the next year or so

http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=28526

Mama 2 2 · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 2:59 am Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Hello all! I hope everyone is well . . .

I just had a quick question - my hubby has been having numbness in his fingers for the past few nights. He feels it's from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) - which he thinks he has suffered from in the past, but has never been diagnosed (has never bothered to see anyone about it). I figure he's probably right and since it's in both hands, and the tumour is on his right side, it's probably not tumour related, but I thought I'd ask around here and see if anyone thinks it may be of concern.

He used to get problems with numbness in his lower arm, wrist and hand(can't remember which one now), years ago before his tumour was diagnosed, but we did just assume CTS because other's in his family have it and because he was working in a bakery repetitively rolling dough every day. He thinks it's happening now because he has spent countless hours in the past few weekends chopping out a couple of stumps in our backyard with an axe. I dont' want to sound paranoid, but I know Jim posted on another thread that even a cell or two of growth can affect change . . . .

I'm pretty confident it's not tumour related because of the timing of his symptoms and genetic predisposition to CTS, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Cheers! And I wish all the mom's out there a happy mother's day!
~C~
_________________
~Life's too sweet to be bitter~

Our Story: http://www.cancerforums.net/about7982.html

brainman · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:42 am Post subject: Re: Husband w/Oligo

Hi Chelsea. I too have CTS (diagnosed not just assumed Wink

) on top of right sided weakness due to the damage caused by the cancer and surgery. My CTS does not cause numbness; it causes spasms that are hard to describe. The closes analogy I have is to a "charley horse"... very painful muscle contraction. I do not have CTS symptoms very often... only when I work with my hands trying to do little things like thread a needle.

I am not sure if this information is helpful or not. My best advice, as always, it to talk with your husband's own medical team.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

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