George Plym...   The  Ultimate   BRAIN       TUMOR Survivor!

 

   Bad News

 

      Now for the bad news...Although the area of the original site and subsequent tumors have been cut, radiated, nuked, chemically altered, prayed on (and cursed as well), a new tumor has appeared in a new location. It is not an oligo-astrocytoma as the original tumor. This time, it is a meningioma. It seems that the radiation that was so effective so long ago, has caused this new tumor. Dammed…I can't catch me break! OK, I will not get upset about things that I cannot control. I learned that a long time ago. I preach it at my brain tumor support group, WNC Brain Tumor Support here in Asheville, NC. I guess if I am going to have another brain tumor, I think that it is better to have a meningioma, because it is is slower growing tumor than instead of an oligodendroglioma or an astrocytoma. But none of the less, it is a growing tumor and must be taken care of. As soon as I finish my chemotherapy in April, again will go to Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for yet another gamma knife surgery. I am absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to be treated non-invasively. This is my only option, and it is a great option …I had it done, and everything went well.

 

      A lot of the people all over the world continue to check out one of the premier web sites for information about brain tumors, virtualtrials.com. It is at that web site where I first posted my brain tumor survivor story. I have gotten mail all over the world because of my longevity being a brain tumor survivor. I said many times that I refuse to die from a brain tumor. I may have been a little bit prophetic in saying that, but I really believed that. I still do. This may be coming to an end. On April 15th, 2005 I was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer is not brain cancer! I had a small lump on my left side temple, right in the middle of where all of my surgery had been done. I noticed the lump close to four years ago. It felt like a BB under my scalp. I was assured that it was nothing to be concerned about. It grew very slowly and is now the size of a small peanut. A biopsy was done to figure out what this new growth is. The results of the biopsy:

 

   More Cancer

 

      "...the skin biopsy shows cancer, specifically adenocarcinoma, which is a type of glandular cancer usually found in the lung or colon. We're going to need to do some tests to try and find the primary source. This will involve a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, a colonoscopy, and a PET scan. This will take 2-3 days to complete. It is possible that we won't find the primary source ..."

 

      I had a small lesion on my left temporal area…I was told that it is nothing to worry about even though it kept growing…. Finally after nnearly four years, a biopsy was done and it was then that I was told that it was cancer….I had just had a Gamma Knife surgery for my 11th tumor, this time, it was a meningioma and not the dreaded glioma….And then....BAM!… I am being told that I have cancer not related to thee brain cancer….

 

      Whoever said "life is not fair," was right. But I think about all of the brain tumor "non-survivors" who died fighting just as hard as I have. That was not to fair to them while I lead a fairly normal life with not many major deficits. As a matter of fact, I have had a great quality of life despite all of the brain tumors. I thank the Lord for that. He has sustained me. And no, I don't deserve it, but I am sure thankful for His grace!

 

      This week, I will undergo a battery of tests including a PET scan  to locate the primary source of the cancer. From there…well, I will just have to see what is in store for me.

 

 

   Update 4/26/2005

 

 

     Time for a new update! It has been six months since my last update. Obvious, I'm still kicking, but not quite as high! I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the tumor that was found about 14 months… ago is dead! There is no doubt that the gamma knife surgery has again saved my life. The Leksell gamma knife has stopped three tumors dead in its tracks, allowing me to enjoy life which I so cherish. I am also very thankful for the Temodar which seems to stop any renegade cells that may have been lurking outside of the perimeter of the gamma knife target area. I still have two more chemo cycles. Part of me says "I sure will be glad this chemo is over," but in other part of me says, "I am afraid that stopping the chemo will invite a recurrence." That's is when I remind myself that I have turned these brain tumors to the Lord a long time ago, and that I need to continue trusting Him.

 

 

   Update 7/27/05

 

 

    Radiation Induced Cancer

 

      Quite a few of you have been e-mailing wanting to know how I am doing. As you remember, I had gamma knife surgery on April 14th and also had a biopsy for a lesion on a left side of my scalp. It came back positive for cancer... Not brain cancer, but it was called, "adenoma carcinoma" and was believed to be a secondary cancer. Now after all of the testing, including MRI, x-rays, PET scan, CT scans, colonoscopy, thyroid testing and testing of the sinus, the doctors and technicians have not been able to find the primary cancer. That does not mean that I don't have a cancer, it is just not to visible using all of the testing. It is now though that even though the biopsy shows an adenoma carcinoma, Dr. Shaw feels that the cancer is more likely to be a skin cancer from old radiation 38 years later. He called it "radiation induced cancer." The treatment 38 years ago is now causing cancer now. Most of the time, I have been told the brain patient dies before all of the radiation affects finally hits you. So I guess my reward for being a longtime survivor is... Cancer?

 

      Yes, I am bummed out, but I am not going to lay down! My life has been nothing but a struggle to survive. I have almost gotten to the point that I am looking for another challenge. I said almost! The plan now is to go through radiation again and see what happens. I know you are probably thinking, "more radiation?" That's what I thought too. The radiation kills or slows down the cancer and then later down the road, it causes cancer... And now will be treated with... RADIATION? Go figure!

 

      Also, I have had some major problems with the head also. The area were all of the surgery has been performed has caused a major battle. It has started to swell (the brain) and caused unbelievable pain in my head. For the first time in five years I really needed to use narcotics to ease the pain. The cause is still unknown, but it seems that and infection has causing the problem. I have started antibiotics and it seems that the swelling is going down. It has been the most excruciating pain since 2000. I have not been able to pick up thing heavier than a cup of coffee and even that hurts! The infection may have been from the Gamma Knife surgery, but maybe not. The final diagnosis was chemical meningitis. The dead tissue from the gamma knife surgery could not get out of the brain causing swelling and the pain. I was in the hospital for five days, but the effected are still linger to this day.

 

 

   The Thyroid Surgery

 

     I forgot to mention that I had my thyroid removed on June. Blame it that on the radiation too. It is common for thyroid not to work properly after whole brain radiation. I was told that the mass in my neck/throat was the size of a fist and a part of it was malignant. It was causing pressure on the sternum and swelling in the throat as well. The surgery went well and hardly any pain. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   More Radiation   

 

    Then about less then two weeks after that, I started the radiation. Not for the thyroid, but for the adenoma carcinoma/cancer they found with the biopsy in mid-April. (It is now mid July!) Last week, two more “spots” of cancer were found in the same area where all of the originally area was irradiate. So, what do you think the fix is? Of course…MORE RADIATION AND A BIGGER DOSE!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t gotten this far without Gods big shoulders around mine, leading and guiding the way. I will continue to trust. Please pray for me to have a bit of a break before I start another challenge! Thank you all of your support and emails!

 

 

 

   Update 9/21/05

 

      I hesitate just a little bit about updating my survivor story. It seems like after I do an update, things start growing in my brain again and I have to update my updates! As you know if you have been following my little venture over the years, I was diagnosed with another brain tumor a year and a half ago (a meningioma and not a glioma) along with two new cancers (thyroid and skin). Again, I had gamma knife surgery, radiation, and surgery for the removal of the thyroid.

 

     The rumor was that I had finally died. Well, I am here to tell you that

I am alive and well! (Praises!)

 

 

    Radiation Graduation....Congratulation!

 

     I finished my radiation treatments on my 53rd birthday while I was checked in at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Not only did they have a little birthday party for me, they presented me with a certificate that said that I attended and completed the rigors of radiation. For some reason, when they handed me that certificate.

 

     I got very emotional and cried...It was like the culmination of three months of fear, anxiety, and worry.

This may sound silly, but I felt like my security blanket was gone. Then I realized that my security blanket

will always be with me in the Lord!

 

 

 

 

More pain and suffering along with three a day seizures...

 

     From August to February, I didn't do well. I was in a lot of pain and could’nt think straight. Picking up a coffee cup gave me a headache. Between the Gamma knife and the radiation, I have a lot of swelling in my brain and every step I took resulted in pain. Then on February 9, I started having seizures. They weren't the "kickin' chicken" variety, but more of the partial variety. It would start in my right finger and then travel to the rest of my fingers and then up to my arm and shoulder.

 

      I would lose the ability to speak. I would have two or three a day. I could almost count on it 45 minutes after I finished eating. I found out that chewing up the food irritated the jaw and side of my head causing swelling and the seizures. I started taking smaller bites, softer food, and took an Advil one hour prior to supper. That stopped the seizures after supper, but I was still having them at different times of the day, especially when I lay down at night.

 

      Every seizure is scary. You'd never know if it will stop at the wrist or arm or if it will continue up to the shoulder and become a grand mal. I learned a little trick with the partial seizures. The brain cannot have two signals going to the same place. An example of that is why you rub your arm when you hit a chair accidentally. The first thing you do is rub it. The rubbing action on the arm cancels out the pain signal and it doesn't hurt as much. Therefore, with that fact, when I started to have a seizure, I would get a bristle brush and rub it on my hand where I was starting to have the seizure activity. Around 75 to 80% of the time, it stopped the seizure. That is not scientific by any means. I just know it worked! Come to find out, the seizures were caused by a medication that is supposed to stop seizures. For some reason after 35 years, the Dilantin started causing seizures! On February 24 my Dilantin was cut down and was replaced with Keppra 500 mg. I have not had one seizure since then! (Thank you Lord!)

 

      I was feeling well through the summer until September when I start to have more consistent headaches I just knew that it was back. I would wake up in the middle of the night and my whole body would be jerking, vibrating. My heart would be racing and it felt like I just drank 5 cups of coffee chased down with a Mountain Dew! This would go on almost once or twice a night. Ativan seemed to help a lot.

 

      In October I had another MRI and a PET scan. No sign of cancer, the tumor has shrunk, and Dr. Shaw was very pleased with the results. It was believed that the pain in my head was due to stress and the trembling and vibration in my body was caused by anxiety. ME? I am the most laid-back person that I know! Anxiety? I told Dr. Shaw that I can control anxiety. He replied that I can't control it when I am sleeping, and that is when I start to have the problem. So he started me on a medication, Zoloft, that is used for post trauma disorder. It is also used as an antidepressant. Well, if you thought I was laid back before, you should see me now!

 

      I coached baseball for nearly 30 years but finally had to retire. I couldn't give it 100% anymore. How can I expect my baseball players to give 100% when I as a coach can’t give 100%? So now my hobby is repairing acoustic guitars and building dulcimers. I cannot do the things that I used to, physically. But my mind is working well and I really feel that I am almost normal despite having 11 brain tumors over the years. I can walk, carry on a conversation, facilitate our brain tumor support group, (WNC Brain Tumor Support), and most important, show that there is always hope!

 

    Update 12/21/06   "All clear?"

 

 I hesitate just a little bit about updating my survivor story.

It seems like after I do an update, things start growing in

my brain again and I have to update my updates! As you

know if you have been following my little venture over the

years, I was diagnosed with another brain tumor a year and

a half ago (a meningioma and not a glioma) along with two

new cancers (thyroid and skin). Again, I had gamma knife

surgery, radiation, and surgery for the removal of the thyroid.

The rumor was that I had finally died. Well, I am here to tell you that I am alive and well! (Praises!)

 

 

 

   2009 Stable with good MRIs. But that won't last...

 

 

 

 

Update 3/4/08

 

 

 

      Well, it has been one year and three months since I have updated my survivor story. I am now going on to my 41st year as a brain tumor survivor after having a total of 11 brain tumors! There really isn't anything exciting to tell you about as far as my health. I'm doing very well. Last August, I had a scare. There was some enhancement in my MRI. Dr. Shaw wisely decided to wait three months and recheck again. The next MRI was clear!

 

      I have been having some problems with memory and some cognitive issues. The doctors feel that most of those issues are caused from all of the radiation from years past. So, after the beginning of January ‘08, I have been taking Aricept, a drug that is marketed to treat Alzheimer's disease also improves cognitive function, mood and quality of life in brain tumor patients following radiation therapy, according to a research team at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

 

      To my knowledge, this is the first study of an AChE inhibitor or any other drug administered to long-term survivors on partial or whole brain radiation therapy in an attempt to reduce the symptoms associated with a brain tumor and its treatments. Dr. Shaw also said that the pretreatment assessment of thinking, memory, mood and energy level revealed symptoms that clearly affected quality of life. I can tell a big difference since I have been taking it. Except that I have hard time going to go sleep! That is one if the side effect of the drug.

 

      My role as president and founder of Western North Carolina Brain Tumor Support is still a big part of my life. I have taken on additional challenges as well. I'm now a member of the Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board. I am not letting grass grow beneath my feet! I am sooo appreciative of life! I am blessed to be alive (still)!! I really appreciate all of the e-mails that I have gotten from the virtualtrials.com site and www.wncbraintumor.org site too.

 

 Hearing from other people that have also been through some of the things that I have gone through has been a rewarding experience. Especially when they say that I have given them some hope and inspiration. I hope so. God bless them all….

 

 

 

   2/7/10 UPDATE!!

 

      I had a lot of e-mails concerning whether I was still alive or not! Well, I'm still hanging in there!

 

      In January ‘09, I had a routine MRI at Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center. The MRI showed that there was a new growth in a different area of the brain this time. It is believed to be a meningioma and not an oligo/astrocytoma. Ain't I lucky!? Seriously... if you are going to have a brain tumor, you would rather have it be a meningioma other than a glioma!

 

      There are no good brain tumors, but as far as treatment and prognosis, I would rather take my chances with a meningioma. The doctors feel the meningioma has been caused by all of the radiation that has bombarded my brain. They are called "radiation induced lesions." I call it something else! Right now, we are in a holding pattern. We will not do anything at this time except watch it and see how fast it grows, it grows at all. I was a little bit bummed out about it when I got the news. But just like only other times, I have put my self into that "I will not die from a brain tumor" mode! It is time to fight again.

 

      January ’10 I had another MRI to see how much the tumor has grown. Well, it has hardly grown at all! I love to hear those words, “stable!” So we will check it again in six more months. I do seem to have some more difficulties with balance and coordination. It is believed that the radiation has cause most of the problems recently. A year ago, I fell and broke my shoulder and had to have surgery, and right after Christmas, I had another bad fall and broke a rib and did some extensive damage to the cartilage. It was kind of scary because I am on blood thinners and were I hit the ground, it was very close to where my heart filter was located.

 

      So basically, I’m doing very well! still fighting…. Fighting makes you stronger. I highly recommend it to all of my brain tumor buddies! God bless....