[nylan8301]

My mother called me about four hours ago to tell me that my grandfather has a very large cancerous tumor in his brain. We won't know anything until they operate next Wednesday as to how serious the tumor is, other than it is rather large.

I've been fortunate in the fact that my immediate family has never gone through any kind of serious illness or loss till now.

I don't really know what to do, other than just wait and hope that he'll be alright.

And, I guess I just needed to tell somebody.

Thanks head-fi,

Nylan

Update 4/14/08: My mother and aunts had a meeting with the doctor today. It seems that my grandfather has a Glioblastoma Multiforme, which is a very aggressive tumor. The surgery will happen on Wednesday of this week (4/16/08).

Without treatment, the doctors gave my grandfather three months to live. With treatment, a year. I know there are tons of stories of people being able to beat the doctors assessment, and I hope that he does...but it's really hard to hear that.

Again, thank you all for your support,

Nylan

 

[stewtheking]

Our thoughts are with you. Hang in there.

 

[usc goose]

Wow. Hang in there. Godspeed to your grandfather.

 

[gilency]

Man, that's tough. Your family and friends are your main source of support. My prayers go out to you and your family.

 

[Carmantom]

It's a tough time, but you will get through it no matter what. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Make time to see him of course- that is what he would want, to see his family.

Maybe write letters or call him?

You must think about what he would want in times like this.

 

[mrarroyo]

Hope everything goes well with his surgery. The work cancer is very scary, but have faith many recover and have very rewarding lives.

FYI, my father had kidney cancer about 12 years ago. He is still around and at 76 years works 6 days a week 10+ hours a day.

 

[ok computer]

I'm sorry about that. Hope everything turns out alright.

 

[subfocus]

My thoughts go out to you and your family during this difficult time .

 

[rocdoc]

Prognostic for these things varies widely depending on the tissue type in the tumor. How old is your granddad? Is he going to see a Neurooncologist? If there is one in his area, seek them out. They are trained to deal with all the complexities around this. Beyond that, show him you are there for him, makes a huge difference. Best of luck to your gramps.

 

[plainsong]

This is how my brother in-law died, and how my granddad died. In both cases the operations and recovery were successes. In the case of my brother-in-law it was just aggressive and kept growing back. In grandddad's case it was some kind of catalyst that made him spiral downhill fast.

My Grandpa is having similar problems with a tumor removed from his lungs. That was a success, but it suddenly he now has cancer throughout his body, and he has months maybe.

I couldn't go home for either case. Why? Too stressful for the family.

Brain tumors vary so much, he could yet be fine and pull through. Hang in there.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Best wishes for your grandfather. Don't assume the worst, some people come through fine.

Is he nearby? Get over and spend some time with him. If you can't, call and make plans to visit ASAP.

 

[bundee1]

Keep him in a positive mindset and show him lots of support.

 

[dantztiludrop]

Very sorry to hear about your unfortunate news. I have witnessed first-hand (with my mother) the power that positive attitude can have in successfully defeating cancer. There is always hope. Always. For you, it is important to lean on your support network at this time & that includes us here at head-fi. And then of course, there's our music, which often can't be beat for emotional therapy.

Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise, we know that there's
Always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long, that I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem, that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

 

[daveDerek]

Nylan, try and hang in there. sometimes large tumors are slow growing benign ones, meningiomas for example, and many people do quite well with those. it's important to have a good surgeon. it might be a good idea to ask several doctors who they would choose to do the surgery on themselves or their loved ones. even if it means traveling, i'd recommend seeking out a surgeon who your grandfather and family have confidence in.