Hello all, its me, Ed McDade, owner and author of this blog page. I'm happy to announce that my move is pretty much complete. Thank you to all my family and friends that assisted and/or offered their help (I could not have done it without you!) I think I should have taken that trip AFTER my move instead of before it! What was I thinking! lol
Ok, now its time for me to respond to the 27 comments left after I posted my last blog. Firstly, this site is NOT intended to provide uplifting inspiration or anything else for that matter. It is intended to allow me a venue to express my innermost thoughts, whether they be good, bad or indifferent. If it does inspire or make people think about whats going on in their own life, then great, that's an added bonus. In the end, I do appreciate everyone's comments although I disagree with the ability to leave "anonymous" signatures after you post. I think if you have the need to reply in a manner that may be deemed non-positive or could be taken out of context, you should at least have the courtesy to send me an e-mail, so I can reply to you personally without the rest of the on-line world being involved.
I am not here to slam,demean or demoralize anyone. Anything and everything I have written is the truth, and yes, sometimes the truth hurts. But in the end, the truth prevails. I will be ensuring that this blog is printed off and a copy goes to my daughter when the time is appropriate. If I am not around to explain to her myself, at least she will know that this is what I thought about and dealt with during this battle. There are enough people (both family and friends) that I trust will make sure that Faith remembers her REAL daddy and what he was like, what he stood for etc.
In closing, I'd like to once again thank everyone for their comments, whether I or anyone else agreed with them or not. In the future though, please attach your name or at least shoot me a mail saying "hey Ed, that comment was from me, and here's why I said it". That way, I'll at least know that you are not replying to the blog just for the sake of stirring the pot or otherwise.
Take care,
Ed McDade
ed_mcdade@hotmail.com
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Still kickin'
Its been a while since I've written anything on here. My only excuses are that I've been tied up in a lot of family matters that I won't bore you with and that I am finally preparing to move in a couple of weeks. The packing alone is a slow and tedious process when you've only got one good functioning leg. I can certainly empathize with one of our great Canadian heroes, Terry Fox, who battled daily to just "keep on moving along". My left leg will never get any better, it will always remain about 30-40% numb and I'll never have much control over its actions. That has to be the most frustrating part of my life right now. Not the fact that I am, according to the Doctors, more than 1/2 way into my life expectancy of 1.5 to 2 years. I can deal with that at a later date....its the "here and now" that is ticking me off. For those of you that know me personally, you'll remember me as always on the go, never afraid of a little hard work or sweat and more than willing to lend a helping hand.
These things have been taken from me now and that infuriates me to no end. Now I have to rely on others to take up the slack where I used to be able to. For 6 years I have been picking up my daughter every other weekend as well as taking her to indoor and outdoor soccer and dance on my off weekends without any grumbling. The Ministry of Transportation, along with my Oncologist, decided that due to my condition, they would revoke my driver's licence last March 2008. I was able to get away with it until about a month ago when I got pulled over by the town coppers. They must have decided to run my plates and of course it came back saying "license suspended due to medical reasons". Luckily I was able to get away without a fine but was informed that the next time I would face a minimum fine of $5000.00 all the way up to $25000.00. When I go for my MRI next month, I will be talking with my Oncologist about the possibility of getting my license back. In the meantime, stubborn old me will probably continue to drive (in stealth-mode of course). Faith's mother, however, will not allow Faith to be in the car with me. I have mixed feelings on that but I can see her point of view to an extent.
I guess where I am headed with this is that I am not happy with my daughter's mother right now for a couple of reasons...firstly, she seems to think that my family should do some of the driving to transport Faith to my place (50km each way) since she won't be able to do it all the time. Excuse me but my family did not give birth to OUR daughter, we did! Secondly, Faith's mom also is wanting MORE support money from me even though we both agreed on a set amount after my income was reduced to 60% of what I used to make. The amount agreed upon was 60% of what I used to pay her. To me, that seems only fair and I am sure the Family Responsibility Office would agree. I guess I am supposed to suck it up, deal with a terminal illness, pay for meds and equipment that are not covered by my Drug/Benefit plan, while she continues to live her life without ANY changes to HER finances. I have offered to go above and beyond what I am legally responsible to pay, between what I can give her, and what Canada Pension Disability can contribute for Faith, but she has not got back to me on this. I am by no means trying to slam this person but this is what I deal with. Its no wonder that some days I just want to shut the whole thing down and "log off" from the world,and go into hibernate mode!
I apologize for hammering this out on my blog but I guess this is my only place to vent without fear of repercussion since my ex has never bothered to read my blog from day one.
On a bit of a more positive note, I just returned from a trip to Punta Cana with a friend of mine. The trip was enjoyable but it physically drained me. I don't think I'll be travelling too far in the near future. I now just need to focus on getting this move completed and by that time, hopefully some warmer weather will be here and I can breathe again.
Please do not think I am feeling sorry for myself because I am not....I am only voicing my frustration of my physical limitations and my frustrations with certain people. I will continue to persevere and trudge onward as I have always done. Nothing will stop me, not a woman, not a cop or anything else who decides to get in my way. What have I got to lose right!! (wink)
I shall close off now and wait to hear all the shocking comments. lol
Remaining strong-willed and positive......
Ed McDade
These things have been taken from me now and that infuriates me to no end. Now I have to rely on others to take up the slack where I used to be able to. For 6 years I have been picking up my daughter every other weekend as well as taking her to indoor and outdoor soccer and dance on my off weekends without any grumbling. The Ministry of Transportation, along with my Oncologist, decided that due to my condition, they would revoke my driver's licence last March 2008. I was able to get away with it until about a month ago when I got pulled over by the town coppers. They must have decided to run my plates and of course it came back saying "license suspended due to medical reasons". Luckily I was able to get away without a fine but was informed that the next time I would face a minimum fine of $5000.00 all the way up to $25000.00. When I go for my MRI next month, I will be talking with my Oncologist about the possibility of getting my license back. In the meantime, stubborn old me will probably continue to drive (in stealth-mode of course). Faith's mother, however, will not allow Faith to be in the car with me. I have mixed feelings on that but I can see her point of view to an extent.
I guess where I am headed with this is that I am not happy with my daughter's mother right now for a couple of reasons...firstly, she seems to think that my family should do some of the driving to transport Faith to my place (50km each way) since she won't be able to do it all the time. Excuse me but my family did not give birth to OUR daughter, we did! Secondly, Faith's mom also is wanting MORE support money from me even though we both agreed on a set amount after my income was reduced to 60% of what I used to make. The amount agreed upon was 60% of what I used to pay her. To me, that seems only fair and I am sure the Family Responsibility Office would agree. I guess I am supposed to suck it up, deal with a terminal illness, pay for meds and equipment that are not covered by my Drug/Benefit plan, while she continues to live her life without ANY changes to HER finances. I have offered to go above and beyond what I am legally responsible to pay, between what I can give her, and what Canada Pension Disability can contribute for Faith, but she has not got back to me on this. I am by no means trying to slam this person but this is what I deal with. Its no wonder that some days I just want to shut the whole thing down and "log off" from the world,and go into hibernate mode!
I apologize for hammering this out on my blog but I guess this is my only place to vent without fear of repercussion since my ex has never bothered to read my blog from day one.
On a bit of a more positive note, I just returned from a trip to Punta Cana with a friend of mine. The trip was enjoyable but it physically drained me. I don't think I'll be travelling too far in the near future. I now just need to focus on getting this move completed and by that time, hopefully some warmer weather will be here and I can breathe again.
Please do not think I am feeling sorry for myself because I am not....I am only voicing my frustration of my physical limitations and my frustrations with certain people. I will continue to persevere and trudge onward as I have always done. Nothing will stop me, not a woman, not a cop or anything else who decides to get in my way. What have I got to lose right!! (wink)
I shall close off now and wait to hear all the shocking comments. lol
Remaining strong-willed and positive......
Ed McDade
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Moving
Hi all:
Well the search is over. No more house-hunting for me! I've finally found a place in Tillsonburg. The original plan was to move back to St.Thomas but I was unable to find anything that I felt I could call "home". My new place is all one level, which will help me immensely and is located just on the edge of town. In the nicer weather I could probably walk to the nearest Horton's and Burger King etc. I took Faith through the place this weekend and she was excited about it, which is all that matters to me. Moving, even though Faith does not live with me full time, can be such an "event" for a kid so I am glad that she felt excited to move. A couple of selling points I threw in were that right next door, there was a paddock that had donkeys and goats which she could feed through the fence in the summer. The natural fireplace in the livingroom also went over well when I told her that we could have weenie roasts without even leaving the house! lol
On the down side of moving, I'm now stuck with 4 appliances that I purchased in thinking that I was moving to Handford Place in St.Thomas (see 2 or 3 blogs ago) so if any of you out there know of someone looking for a fridge(with ice and water dispenser), electric stove,washer and gas dryer that are 3 1/2 years old or less, let me know!! (they are all white in colour and in great shape)
On the health side of things I'm still experiencing daily morning headaches which I attribute to the weaning of the steroid I'm on. My Oncologist told me to let them know during my last appointment if the headaches continue but to be honest, I can't be bothered. All the seem to do to remedy the headaches is increase my dexamethazone steroid (used to combat brain swelling). Then a month or so later, attempt to wean me off of it. I don't see the justification in doing this back and forth stuff so I will just endure the headaches until my next MRI in April. My left leg seems to be slowly getting weaker. I'm not sure if this just something that will continue to worsen over time or if in fact there is something that can be done about it. Again, I'll bring this up in April at my next appt.
To my girls from work that are fighting the Cancer battle... Bev,Beth and Heather, keep fighting ladies, we've got more to live for than to die for ;)
Until next time,
Peace.
Ed
Well the search is over. No more house-hunting for me! I've finally found a place in Tillsonburg. The original plan was to move back to St.Thomas but I was unable to find anything that I felt I could call "home". My new place is all one level, which will help me immensely and is located just on the edge of town. In the nicer weather I could probably walk to the nearest Horton's and Burger King etc. I took Faith through the place this weekend and she was excited about it, which is all that matters to me. Moving, even though Faith does not live with me full time, can be such an "event" for a kid so I am glad that she felt excited to move. A couple of selling points I threw in were that right next door, there was a paddock that had donkeys and goats which she could feed through the fence in the summer. The natural fireplace in the livingroom also went over well when I told her that we could have weenie roasts without even leaving the house! lol
On the down side of moving, I'm now stuck with 4 appliances that I purchased in thinking that I was moving to Handford Place in St.Thomas (see 2 or 3 blogs ago) so if any of you out there know of someone looking for a fridge(with ice and water dispenser), electric stove,washer and gas dryer that are 3 1/2 years old or less, let me know!! (they are all white in colour and in great shape)
On the health side of things I'm still experiencing daily morning headaches which I attribute to the weaning of the steroid I'm on. My Oncologist told me to let them know during my last appointment if the headaches continue but to be honest, I can't be bothered. All the seem to do to remedy the headaches is increase my dexamethazone steroid (used to combat brain swelling). Then a month or so later, attempt to wean me off of it. I don't see the justification in doing this back and forth stuff so I will just endure the headaches until my next MRI in April. My left leg seems to be slowly getting weaker. I'm not sure if this just something that will continue to worsen over time or if in fact there is something that can be done about it. Again, I'll bring this up in April at my next appt.
To my girls from work that are fighting the Cancer battle... Bev,Beth and Heather, keep fighting ladies, we've got more to live for than to die for ;)
Until next time,
Peace.
Ed
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Wake me when Winter is over
Ok, the cold winter weather can leave any day now! I'm not sure about you but I've already had enough of the sub-zero temperatures and the snow. This winter season has been like the Winters we used to get when I was growing up. Lots of snow and temperatures that would make your nostrils stick together! Welcome to Canada eh!
I received a Facebook message the other day from a fellow Cancer survivor's mother who gave me some much needed fuel and helped to remind me why I do this blog and that I CAN make a difference, in my own life, as well as helping others to "see the forest through the trees". Here is an except of what this kind lady had to say:
Although we haven`t formally met, I`ve been following your blogs for some time. Heather arranged it so that I could access both your story and Beth`s....and I must say that I have treasured the chance to do so. The journey each of you has been reluctantly taking, simply takes my breath away...and the way each of you has shared the reality of it all, on your computers, is almost unbelievable. Through the words you have shared, you are giving each one of your readers a gift....a priceless gift. Heather`s Dad and I both thank you Ed......and we want you to know we have kept you in our thoughts and prayers ever since Heather put us in touch with your blogs.
What a powerful team you, Beth, Heather and now Bev, have become....each supporting one another.....and without even knowing it, being supported by many others. For example you are each on prayer lists of Ingersoll churches such as St. James and First Baptist....and I can add that your names are remembered in churches in both PEI and Welland...so .don`t you wonder how many more are thinking of you each and every day.....certainly more than you have ever imagined.
Aside from wishing you well Ed, I want to tell you that your writing skills are excellent...and they have continued to grow....spelling, grammar and organization, all tempered with poignant reality and touching inserts of humour...what a balancing act...you`re just amazing. Don`t know what your background has been in terms of education, but clearly you are a gifted writer...was this always your strength or has it been a recently acquired skill. Don`t doubt the value of sharing your thoughts and words Ed... you`ll never know how many people they have impacted....and how many of these people will remain unknown to you. So as I say to Heather..." .Hang in there....and keep on keeping on."
Its comments like this that keep my motivation level high and remind me of all the reasons for fighting my "creeping Charlie". I have been blessed with a beautiful daughter, a wonderful family and amazing friends who have all stepped up to the fight, right along side of me. Who could ask for anything more?!
As for the current status of my moving to St.Thomas, my family and I are continuing our search for something suitable for me. I truly do not want to move into an apartment complex or anything like that for Faith's sake. I want for both of us to be comfortable and at peace in our new home and for me, that means being able to play in the backyard without having to pack up and go to a park, or for me not to stress when she has friends over and they bellow out the "little girl screams" just because they are having fun. I'm sure that something will turn up in the near future for us :)
Well its Soccer Sunday....Faith plays indoor soccer in St.Thomas and I still try to coach her team (or at least be a human pylon). I thoroughly enjoy playing with all the kids every Sunday. It boils down to more than teaching them basic soccer skills too, it has a lot more to do with teaching them right from wrong, basic manners, sportsmanship and friendship. Soccer Sunday is one of the places where I know I will always walk away from with a smile on my face from the hour of fun we had.
On that note, I'd better get my gear together and start my day.
Thanks for everyone's continued support of our fight against the "C" word.
Much love,
Ed
(and I am sure I can, with confidence add Heather's, Beth's and Bev's name to this.) Keep fighting the fight ladies, we are worth every struggle!)
I received a Facebook message the other day from a fellow Cancer survivor's mother who gave me some much needed fuel and helped to remind me why I do this blog and that I CAN make a difference, in my own life, as well as helping others to "see the forest through the trees". Here is an except of what this kind lady had to say:
Although we haven`t formally met, I`ve been following your blogs for some time. Heather arranged it so that I could access both your story and Beth`s....and I must say that I have treasured the chance to do so. The journey each of you has been reluctantly taking, simply takes my breath away...and the way each of you has shared the reality of it all, on your computers, is almost unbelievable. Through the words you have shared, you are giving each one of your readers a gift....a priceless gift. Heather`s Dad and I both thank you Ed......and we want you to know we have kept you in our thoughts and prayers ever since Heather put us in touch with your blogs.
What a powerful team you, Beth, Heather and now Bev, have become....each supporting one another.....and without even knowing it, being supported by many others. For example you are each on prayer lists of Ingersoll churches such as St. James and First Baptist....and I can add that your names are remembered in churches in both PEI and Welland...so .don`t you wonder how many more are thinking of you each and every day.....certainly more than you have ever imagined.
Aside from wishing you well Ed, I want to tell you that your writing skills are excellent...and they have continued to grow....spelling, grammar and organization, all tempered with poignant reality and touching inserts of humour...what a balancing act...you`re just amazing. Don`t know what your background has been in terms of education, but clearly you are a gifted writer...was this always your strength or has it been a recently acquired skill. Don`t doubt the value of sharing your thoughts and words Ed... you`ll never know how many people they have impacted....and how many of these people will remain unknown to you. So as I say to Heather..." .Hang in there....and keep on keeping on."
Its comments like this that keep my motivation level high and remind me of all the reasons for fighting my "creeping Charlie". I have been blessed with a beautiful daughter, a wonderful family and amazing friends who have all stepped up to the fight, right along side of me. Who could ask for anything more?!
As for the current status of my moving to St.Thomas, my family and I are continuing our search for something suitable for me. I truly do not want to move into an apartment complex or anything like that for Faith's sake. I want for both of us to be comfortable and at peace in our new home and for me, that means being able to play in the backyard without having to pack up and go to a park, or for me not to stress when she has friends over and they bellow out the "little girl screams" just because they are having fun. I'm sure that something will turn up in the near future for us :)
Well its Soccer Sunday....Faith plays indoor soccer in St.Thomas and I still try to coach her team (or at least be a human pylon). I thoroughly enjoy playing with all the kids every Sunday. It boils down to more than teaching them basic soccer skills too, it has a lot more to do with teaching them right from wrong, basic manners, sportsmanship and friendship. Soccer Sunday is one of the places where I know I will always walk away from with a smile on my face from the hour of fun we had.
On that note, I'd better get my gear together and start my day.
Thanks for everyone's continued support of our fight against the "C" word.
Much love,
Ed
(and I am sure I can, with confidence add Heather's, Beth's and Bev's name to this.) Keep fighting the fight ladies, we are worth every struggle!)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Back to business
Thank you to all that tossed some prospective housing opportunities my way yesterday. I spent some time with my mom and dad last night and may have possibly come up with "Plan B". Details to follow in a week or so. It was nice spending some one-on-one time with the parents last night after all the "events" that have transpired in our lives over the past few months. It was actually relaxing!! :)
Brad and Jenn Norman...what else can I say about you two fine folks. Once again, they pulled through and sent me a personalized official Calgary Flames jersey with the team's autographs on it. You guys are the best!( of course with Cassie and Jake right beside you)
Any length of sleep still eludes me it seems. That holiday can't come soon enough although I think the idea is realistically going to have to be shelved until I get this housing nonsense taken care of. The rest of the "pile" can just wait!
Ahhh, and before I forget.....thank you all who sent me the birthday cards, electronic wishes etc. Your thoughtfulness seems un-ending :)
Have a splendiferous day!! (feel free to use that Ed-ism)
Til then....
Ed
Brad and Jenn Norman...what else can I say about you two fine folks. Once again, they pulled through and sent me a personalized official Calgary Flames jersey with the team's autographs on it. You guys are the best!( of course with Cassie and Jake right beside you)
Any length of sleep still eludes me it seems. That holiday can't come soon enough although I think the idea is realistically going to have to be shelved until I get this housing nonsense taken care of. The rest of the "pile" can just wait!
Ahhh, and before I forget.....thank you all who sent me the birthday cards, electronic wishes etc. Your thoughtfulness seems un-ending :)
Have a splendiferous day!! (feel free to use that Ed-ism)
Til then....
Ed
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Caution!! Venting Time...Beware!!!
So there I was, bringing 2009 in on a sad note to begin with....my daughter's Grandma passed away on New Year's Eve. I got to thinking that with any good fortune whatsoever, that will be the end of an otherwise challenging year and that come that ever so "magical" midnight hour, the slate would be wiped clean and I'd be set for some positive days to come!
Well, it didn't take long for that bubble to be burst I'll tell ya!! Between family and friend "challenges" that have decided to pop up, its been like playing "Whack-a-Mole" at the local Fair! Is it 2010 yet??
To top it all off (and we are only at January 14th) is the news I received yesterday regarding my move to St.Thomas. Apparently, only 15 or so days before I was to turn my life inside out and upside down by moving closer to my family and daughter, my new landlord, Mr. Rene Buttazzoni decides that he has changed his mind and does not wish to rent his vacant house to me, or anyone else for that matter. Instead, I've been told, he wishes to put it back on the thriving real estate market in St.Thomas (oh, thats right, the same place where the Sterling Facility, along with undoubtedly numerous tier one, two and three suppliers, will be shutting its doors in March of this year, thus putting a few thousand unfortunate souls out of a means of putting food on their family's table)
Normally, I would not be too upset with this type of behaviour, but I was also told that it was his daughter who convinced , or should that read coerced him into this decision! Unbeknown st to her, the financial burden it had already put on me by having to purchase 4 appliances for this home, pay more rent as well as uproot my house and home of the past 6 years in the Tillsonburg area. Oh and the deal was supposed to be that I'd move in Feb. 1st and would also remain obligated to my current home until Mar. 1st. So here I sit now, with less than 45 days to find a home, hopefully in St.Thomas and if not, at least the surrounding area.
For anyone who may read this and may know the Buttazzoni family, please send along my heartfelt thanks for kick-starting my 2009 into high gear. I think if I tilt my plate to the side, it may allow a few other important things to slide off and onto the floor, to be forgotten about, while I add this proverbial steaming turd to an already over-flowing plate of crap to deal with.
If anyone out there knows of a decent home for rent, I am looking for something with few stairs, a minimum of 3 bedrooms and if I'm putting a wish list together, it'd have Central Air, a bathroom on the main floor(s), an attached garage, a private yard for Faith to play in and be located within 25km of St.Thomas. I'm also looking to pay no more than $800/mth. Yes,I KNOW thats pretty much a mortgage payment but have you ever gone to the bank and said "Hi, I've got a terminal cancer, can I borrow some money please?" lol
Ok, now that I've blurted out my frustration, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming. I apologize for the interruption :)
No worries though folks...I'll be back to "normal" soonest!
Til next time,
Still sincerely and thankful,
Ed
Well, it didn't take long for that bubble to be burst I'll tell ya!! Between family and friend "challenges" that have decided to pop up, its been like playing "Whack-a-Mole" at the local Fair! Is it 2010 yet??
To top it all off (and we are only at January 14th) is the news I received yesterday regarding my move to St.Thomas. Apparently, only 15 or so days before I was to turn my life inside out and upside down by moving closer to my family and daughter, my new landlord, Mr. Rene Buttazzoni decides that he has changed his mind and does not wish to rent his vacant house to me, or anyone else for that matter. Instead, I've been told, he wishes to put it back on the thriving real estate market in St.Thomas (oh, thats right, the same place where the Sterling Facility, along with undoubtedly numerous tier one, two and three suppliers, will be shutting its doors in March of this year, thus putting a few thousand unfortunate souls out of a means of putting food on their family's table)
Normally, I would not be too upset with this type of behaviour, but I was also told that it was his daughter who convinced , or should that read coerced him into this decision! Unbeknown st to her, the financial burden it had already put on me by having to purchase 4 appliances for this home, pay more rent as well as uproot my house and home of the past 6 years in the Tillsonburg area. Oh and the deal was supposed to be that I'd move in Feb. 1st and would also remain obligated to my current home until Mar. 1st. So here I sit now, with less than 45 days to find a home, hopefully in St.Thomas and if not, at least the surrounding area.
For anyone who may read this and may know the Buttazzoni family, please send along my heartfelt thanks for kick-starting my 2009 into high gear. I think if I tilt my plate to the side, it may allow a few other important things to slide off and onto the floor, to be forgotten about, while I add this proverbial steaming turd to an already over-flowing plate of crap to deal with.
If anyone out there knows of a decent home for rent, I am looking for something with few stairs, a minimum of 3 bedrooms and if I'm putting a wish list together, it'd have Central Air, a bathroom on the main floor(s), an attached garage, a private yard for Faith to play in and be located within 25km of St.Thomas. I'm also looking to pay no more than $800/mth. Yes,I KNOW thats pretty much a mortgage payment but have you ever gone to the bank and said "Hi, I've got a terminal cancer, can I borrow some money please?" lol
Ok, now that I've blurted out my frustration, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming. I apologize for the interruption :)
No worries though folks...I'll be back to "normal" soonest!
Til next time,
Still sincerely and thankful,
Ed
Friday, January 9, 2009
MRI Results
Well, this is one of very few times you will hear me say that I am GLAD I was wrong!! Today's results showed no positive tumour growth in the brain. I got to view the MRI scans and did not notice any "mass" growing either.
A few things that did catch the attention of my Oncologist were that there is still swelling around the brain where the last resection was done. He will be scheduling me an appointment to see my Neurosurgeon to review that as well as the small hole that remains in my skin. This hole is allowing water and God knows what else to get in and out of my head, leaving me susceptible to infection and/or the possibility of more surgery to clean it out. They want me to remain on the steroids for now to continue to fight the brain swelling but have introduced another weaning schedule to try and get me off of them (or at least to a lower dosage to minimize side effects)
The Doc also said that with me going back on the steroid, that it could have raised my awareness of my left arm numbness and motor control since the headaches were being taken care of by the steroid.
The MRI showed substantial scar tissue which could also be pressuring against the Motor Strip causing the left arm issues.
Overall, the Oncologist was satisfied with the results but now since I have recovered 99% from the surgery, he wants to perform an MRI every 3 months. As we've discussed earlier, this type of terminal cancer cannot always be detected when the cells are so small until the begin to form a cluster. I am by no means out of the woods but at least know that I am so far beating the odds :)
All this being said....I'll now breathe a little easier until the next MRI and I'll be doing some re-organization within my own life soon. I'll be moving to St.Thomas during Feb and Mar and am looking to get away somewhere warm and peaceful for a week or two in the very near future just to re-group and analyze where I'm at in my life and where I want to be going forward. Yeah, I know...it sounds pretty deep eh! lol But really, it is!
Thank you to all who have posted thier comments and well-wishes on here as well as through other means. Its positive support like yours that makes this challenge of mine, a lot easier to deal with every day.
With true sincerity,
Ed
A few things that did catch the attention of my Oncologist were that there is still swelling around the brain where the last resection was done. He will be scheduling me an appointment to see my Neurosurgeon to review that as well as the small hole that remains in my skin. This hole is allowing water and God knows what else to get in and out of my head, leaving me susceptible to infection and/or the possibility of more surgery to clean it out. They want me to remain on the steroids for now to continue to fight the brain swelling but have introduced another weaning schedule to try and get me off of them (or at least to a lower dosage to minimize side effects)
The Doc also said that with me going back on the steroid, that it could have raised my awareness of my left arm numbness and motor control since the headaches were being taken care of by the steroid.
The MRI showed substantial scar tissue which could also be pressuring against the Motor Strip causing the left arm issues.
Overall, the Oncologist was satisfied with the results but now since I have recovered 99% from the surgery, he wants to perform an MRI every 3 months. As we've discussed earlier, this type of terminal cancer cannot always be detected when the cells are so small until the begin to form a cluster. I am by no means out of the woods but at least know that I am so far beating the odds :)
All this being said....I'll now breathe a little easier until the next MRI and I'll be doing some re-organization within my own life soon. I'll be moving to St.Thomas during Feb and Mar and am looking to get away somewhere warm and peaceful for a week or two in the very near future just to re-group and analyze where I'm at in my life and where I want to be going forward. Yeah, I know...it sounds pretty deep eh! lol But really, it is!
Thank you to all who have posted thier comments and well-wishes on here as well as through other means. Its positive support like yours that makes this challenge of mine, a lot easier to deal with every day.
With true sincerity,
Ed
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