Oligodendroglioma

Trigggl · Regular Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: LR, Ar

When I was about to go to surgery, we convinced the surgeon to not go for it all. Some of it was very near my speech center and I could have also lost motor function on the right. I'm an engineer and I need as much of my brain as possible. I also took PCV for a year+. I also was on dilantin for quite a while. I've since switched to Lamictal. Apparently dilantin is hard on the liver and also teeth. Nobody starts on Lamictal because the dose must be increased slowly. A severe rash can develope if it is started too fast. It took about 5 weeks for me to get up to the full dose. One great thing about Lamictal is you don't need a blood test to check the level of it. Dilantin fluctuates in annoying ways and I don't like having to get stuck any more than I have to.

I'm due for another MRI in a couple of weeks. I'm always a little nervous when that time comes. I get to go see the oncologist this Thursday. yea.

I haven't heard anything that says a total resection helps anymore than the standard treatment of PCV. As has been said, the initial tumor is very treatable. My neurosurgeon only took out enough for the biopsy. Chemo was used to treat the rest. Now I just try to live my life. I don't think about it all that much and I'm too busy at work to dwell on it.

My neurosurgeon is impressed with how I'm able to use complex computer programs at work and people even come to me with help on them from time to time. I probably like computers a little too much. I work on them for the sake of working on them. I use Linux on all of my computers at home, some of which aren't Intel based.

With the exception of the hard to swallow Lamical pills, life is good.

Well, back to work,
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jenugl · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:19 am Post subject: Re: Oligodendroglioma

Hi Trigggl, I was reading your post regarding staples and scars etc on another topic. I had a look at your sight and thought I'd post here so as not to hijack that persons topic.
WOW. Pretty kewl train tracks Trigggl... My partners was on his right side and it actually looks like a horse shoe. So of course we tell people he was kicked by a horse.. Just before going into surgery my partner and his best mate were talking to the surgeon and he asked him to give him a pretty good scar as his best mate and him are often comparing scars must be a boy thing. Anyway the surgeon did a great job (neat and if you had longer that a #1 hair cut you wouldn't see it)and because I usually give me partner a #1 hair cut (very short) it's mostly visible (even though it doesnt protude out of the hair line - won't be long though as his hair is slipping backwards) due to surgery - so he says ). Anyway glad everything is going well for you, hope it does for many years to come. Also glad to see you've got a great woman helping you - I know what she's been going through (being the partner)Love to all. Jen.

Trigggl · Regular Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: LR, Ar

What a coincidence. My wife cuts my hair and I'm actually due for one. I hate hair cuts, so I have her cut it about a #2 on the sides, which makes things visible enough. I do like showing off the scar for some reason. I actually have a coworker who also had brain surgery. He also has a horseshoe looking thing on the side of his head. He had a tumor, but not cancerous. He keeps his hair short.

Imagine that, two brain surgery recipients as coworkers in engineering. I joke that between us we have 1 and a half brains. One and a half brains are better than 1.
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