When your doctor says it's "funky"

For 's sake -- listen.

My neurosurgeon said my MRI was "funky." I was prepared to face loggerheads with my oncologist who would not want me to have radiation without symptoms following the surgery on my single brain tumor. Instead, he brought in not one but TWO radiation oncologists who said it was surgery scars and they wouldn't recommend radiation. Funny, when I was in Chicago for PE's I said (I actually did) to the oncologist called in to make sure the plan of going home on lovenox several days hence and then starting coumadin and maybe resuming avastin was good "Since I'm paying your consulting fee anyway, would you radiate under these circumstances? My neurosurgeon says radiate and my onc and 2 radiation guys said "not recommended". She hesitated but she admitted she would have radiated. Ha. Funky indeed.

Anyway, it is now a tumor the size of my fingertip. I have a little while to make my choice -- he said surgery would be the same as before and followed by protocol radiation to the area (the area only) but at that rate and this size radiation was a good choice to start. He (and I) say the area only (of the primary tumor), but my radiation oncologist has already said he'd do the whole cerebellum. So we have almost guaranteed balance problems for a while. He'd have to refer me (and is willing to) for radiosurgery but says it is so small right now he'd just radiate it. I still like this guy. After all he said I was nice.

Tomorrow I see my oncologist who should have a comparison study done on the CT from Chicago plus my last CT a few months ago to see if my liver is as spotted as before, more, or less. The same is "stable" of course (especially since at this point it was 3 weeks ago and 5 weeks since my last chemo! Time is wastin!).

Now my hips are hurting. A lot. Am I supposed to call it a symptom or arthritis? LOL. Tylenol with a rotten liver? No ibuprofen or aspirin derivatives that's for sure. So I imagine if I complain I'll get an xray of my hips. Don't I have enough to consider right now? Bleah. At least I know that can be treated fairly easily. Hecht if I have balance problems maybe I won't need to walk (more PE's, and THAT isn't going to happen!).

Not really griping -- just trying to get a grip. After tomorrow I'll have a better idea, like whether or not I need to make some decisions or whether the sea will still be murky.

I know many have had chemo while having radiation. Votes? Dang I wish this house was sold so I could build my deck and hang out in the hot tub the rest of my days. We'll party all the time! May as well, I'm having a great time for a non-smoker non-drinker. If I had known it would be like this I might have chosen a different lifestyle! They say if you practice you can drink more than once in a blue moon. How much practice, with a bad liver? Just kidding. Sortof.

Just think about me tomorrow, send good vibes or whatever.