Good MRI News!!! I feel like I can breathe again. On Jan. 13th I had my last MRI and got good news. The tiny 4mm “thing” that showed up this last August, looked the same. It consistently looked the same on my MRIs this last Sept., Nov. and now Jan. 2014. My neuro-oncologist in the past thought is was likely the GBM back again, but since it has not changed over the last five months, he now thinks it is just a cluster of arteries. Over time radiation often causes “vessels” to weaken and break down; in response our brains can try to “fix” it by growing new tiny arteries around the damage. So at this point, we are moving ahead thinking it is NOT recurrence #5. GOOD NEWS! Again, wow, I can relax (a little) and breathe again. I will get my next MRI in April 2014. Three months! That is the longest time I have had between MRIs in a long time. It is amazing how you “feel” can change overnight. As the MRI drew closer, I begin feeling more like a cancer patient, depressed, stressed, weak, fatigued, like life was so limited. Then I got good MRI news and I felt like a new person. This morning I woke up with energy like I could do anything. It is hard to describe the difference, but it is like from death to life! It is so scary how much power our “thoughts” can have over how we feel. I know this from my experience, but I still can’t control it well. I need to keep telling myself over and over again, when I am having a “hard” time; that it can (will !!!) get better. It’s crazy how I can go from feeling like curling up on the couch and rotting away, to the next day feeling like I could run a marathon! Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride. And for me, this “hard” time lasted 5 months, since getting questionable MRI news this past August. Talk about being “traumatized”. My heart goes out to you other brain tumor patients and caregivers going through the same struggle. It’s not easy. But please hold on there, when you are having a hard day (or months!). It can get better! Keep telling yourself that over and over (like I try to do myself!). I will continue doing the same things – alternative treatments. Taking the many supplements each day and eating organic. I followed the Ketogenic diet for 2 months, but it was too hard for me. So now I am following the “Paleo” diet, low on carbohydrates, but you can eat more veggies and fruits. And one day a week I am letting myself eat the “bad” stuff (high carbs). So I can have popcorn at a movie; or bread at a restaurant! But only one day a week! (well I am bad when on vacations) I had been on the DCA for over 2 months, but went off of it when my feet started to get numb. I love backpacking so do not want numb feet! So I started taking Metformin a couple weeks ago instead. Only 250mg a day at this point, I may go up to 500mg ( I know of some cancer patient taking 1,000mg+ a day). There is more research out there on how it helps fight cancer, so I will stick with it! I am also continuing to take the medical marijuana. I hate the stoned feeling the THC cannabis makes me feel, so I am only taking the CBD cannabis. I take about 0.1 gram each night at 8pm and it helps me relax in the evening and sleep like a rock at night. There is more and more research showing how it helps fight brain cancer too!!! I will keep exercising 5 days a week, sleeping 8+ hours each night, simplifying life to reduce stress, and giving it all over to God who is the foundation of my peace, HOPE and joy. And just as all my brain tumor friends, I will continue to live from MRI to MRI. Hoping that we will all get some good MRI news in 2014~~
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:07:03 +0000
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