For nearly a week I had noticed some weakness on my left side (hands, feet, etc.) and had been having headaches. I had talked with my chiropractor, thinking it might be a pinched nerve. He suggested that I instead see my primary care doctor, who I planned to see on the following Monday.
As I was getting ready for church that Sunday, my left side went numb and I really thought I was having a stroke. I went to the emergency room and they worked quickly and efficiently to figure out what was going on. Before long a doctor was in the room telling me that I had a mass on my brain and needed surgery by a specialist in Tampa. I have to admit, the ambulance ride there was a bit long.
Once I arrived in Tampa, things happened very quickly and soon a surgeon was in my room telling me I needed surgery soon. So, I was scheduled for surgery the following morning. After about 6 hours in surgery, I spent the day and night in ICU and another 6 days after that still in the hospital.
The mass turned out to be a very aggressive form of cancer called Glioblastoma (GBM). This is what you’ll hear when it’s explained: Glioblastoma tumors are highly malignant, or cancerous. These are grade 4 tumors, which means they can grow fast and spread quickly. Median survival is about 14.6 months and two-year survival is 30%. While my tumor was completely removed it did cause some damage as did the efforts to remove it. However, physical and occupational therapists worked with me three days a week and expected a full recovery. A lot of progress was made.
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