Brain Cancer Depression

When I was pregnant with Brody, I started getting these horrible headaches. I started drinking Dustin's Vanilla Pepsi's to help with my energy so I could manage my 3 little kids on top of being pregnant. The headaches would get so bad that taking a full dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen wouldn't do A THING for them. My mom kept telling me I needed to get them checked so for once I listened!

In May 2006 I went to our family doctor, Dr. Marc Udall, about them. He told me that they were probably just migraines because "you're about that age". He sent me in for a CT scan which came back abnormal and recommended an MRI. So I had the MRI done and when I called the next day for the results, I was told I had to make an appointment. I knew it was bad. How bad though? I NEVER would have thought that I would get a brain tumor! Dr. Udall had already called a neurosurgeon for me and told me to wait for his call. The next morning was Friday and Dr. Paul Gardner called. He had me come in to see him the next morning, on a Saturday. We looked at my MRI images again and he showed me where the mass in my brain was and what it possibly was (a tumor, MS, and some other things I don't remember). Told me my options so I asked for another MRI that would tell us more definately if it was a tumor or maybe something else. That MRI came back that it was for sure a tumor. Oh geez, I was still absorbing that my CT scan 2 weeks prior was abnormal. Again, Dr. Gardner told me my options: a biopsy to test the tumor or surgery. My heck, if you're going to cut my head open you may as well take the whole tumor out! So on June 6, 2006, we scheduled my surgery for June 19 which was the day after Father's Day.

I have to add here, that we were in the process of buying our first home in the middle of all of this! We were waiting to close any day- and ended up closing on June 14, moved in the 16-17, had Father's Day on the 18 and my dear friend, Wendy, came over to cut my hair in preparation for my surgery the next morning. She cut it just like Dustin's and I thought we looked cute :)

So Monday, June 19 2006, I go in for my surgery. Everything went well I assume because I'm here today, writing this blog on it! While waiting for surgery, I visited with Dustin, my parents, sister Tina, and Dustin's parents. The hospital staff was fun too. I was nervous, but at the same time I knew everything would be okay. At this point I had left everything in the Lord's hands and prayed that I would handle surgery since I had never had surgery before. The last thing I remember before my surgery was giving Dustin a hug and kiss and telling him I love him. Dr. Gardner was wheeling me off for what he would consider fun I'm sure! (not really)

I stayed in the hospital all week. On Thursday June 22, Dr. Gardner came to see me with some news. The tumor, though it was only about a centimeter in size, came back from pathology an Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma, grade 3. It was a surprise to all of us because we expected it to come back a low grade tumor being that it was so small and I had been having symptoms for as long as I had before getting checked. Brain tumors alone are pretty rare, but the type I got is even more rare! But, everyone keeps telling me that it reponds the best to treatment so I guess that's good?

Friday, June 23 is the day I went home. Dustin's mom, Trish, was staying at our new house with Traegan and Brody while my mom had Abbie and Madelyn at her house. They're help was really great! I was a grumpy mess because of the steroids I was on. I don't remember much of the first few weeks I was home other than I had a hard time with loud noises, I got cranky fast if I didn't eat ever 3 hours, and my poor family had to put up with me! After a month and I was off the steroids I was doing more and more on my own and finally was taking care of the kids alone and was pretty happy about being about to do it! (By the way, Abbie and Madelyn got confused about where they lived since they had slept in our new house only 2 nights before they went to my mom's, so they came home the Wednesday after I came home from the hospital)


My new ward has been incredible! They bring us dinner 3 times a week, and have been since I came home from the hospital. It has really helped us out and we appreciate it so much! (and our new Bishop is John Johansen... lol... Uncle Bishop)0.
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I started my radiation therapy 3 weeks ago on August 2. Dr. T.J. Blair is my Radiation Oncologist at the Utah Valley Cancer Center which is in Provo, part of the UVRMC. I have 3 1/2 weeks left of radiation.. YAY! A month after, I'll have another MRI done then I'll go to Salt Lake to see the Neuro Oncologist, Dr. Ali Choucair, and he'll tell me if I need to to chemo therapy or not.

Well I think I've handled everything pretty well, until this past Sunday when my hair started to fall out. It really made me sad! I've liked having my head shaved short, my scar from the surgery is healing nicely and all. I knew my hair would fall out from my treatments but I guess it came sooner than I thought. I broke down and cried Sunday night for the first time. I just want this all to be over with and I want my life back!