I had a big scare last year with a brain tumor. Sudesh's story in this forum inspired me to share mine.l lost some sight, and ended up having an MRI, which showed a tumor in the ventricle area above my spinal column,where spinal fluid flows up to the base of the brain.The sight loss turned out to be unrelated,and remains, it's called an ION, but that was the cost of discovering the tumor, which was asymptomatic.
The doctors thought it was probably benign,but that word was quite deceptive in my case,because they said it could still kill or seriously injure me by blocking the flow of spinal fluid to the brain,so I had to have surgery. The operation was dangerous,though,because it was so close to the brain stem,where many basic critical functions of life are. The surgery was done partly by placing a microsurgical device in my brain,which could cut to the thinness of a few cells. The operation was successful,they got the whole tumor,and the only damage was a bit of numbness in my right hand,and a tendency to cough more, probably from the intubation. Whatever brain capacity I had is still in there. I spent 5 days in Neurosurgery ICU with my wonderful girlfriend by my side the whole time.In there, I was on a pressure relief device to aid healing,and I couldn't change the angle of my head without danger from dumping spinal fluid. Twice a day,though,they would unhook me and I would walk around with a nurse. I think I was the only person in there who was ambulatory.
The tumor was benign,a subependymoma,which tends not to come back,but I will need periodic MRI's to be sure. I am almost completely recovered. The whole time in the hospital,I thought about the first day I would drive my NSX, which I have been lucky enough to be able to do. I have been very lucky to have gotten through this so well,and take very little for granted now.It has also given me a greater appreciation for all that I have.
I know a lot of you,and feel like I know many others from all the time I spend on here, thanks for reading my story.
The doctors thought it was probably benign,but that word was quite deceptive in my case,because they said it could still kill or seriously injure me by blocking the flow of spinal fluid to the brain,so I had to have surgery. The operation was dangerous,though,because it was so close to the brain stem,where many basic critical functions of life are. The surgery was done partly by placing a microsurgical device in my brain,which could cut to the thinness of a few cells. The operation was successful,they got the whole tumor,and the only damage was a bit of numbness in my right hand,and a tendency to cough more, probably from the intubation. Whatever brain capacity I had is still in there. I spent 5 days in Neurosurgery ICU with my wonderful girlfriend by my side the whole time.In there, I was on a pressure relief device to aid healing,and I couldn't change the angle of my head without danger from dumping spinal fluid. Twice a day,though,they would unhook me and I would walk around with a nurse. I think I was the only person in there who was ambulatory.
The tumor was benign,a subependymoma,which tends not to come back,but I will need periodic MRI's to be sure. I am almost completely recovered. The whole time in the hospital,I thought about the first day I would drive my NSX, which I have been lucky enough to be able to do. I have been very lucky to have gotten through this so well,and take very little for granted now.It has also given me a greater appreciation for all that I have.
I know a lot of you,and feel like I know many others from all the time I spend on here, thanks for reading my story.
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