Hi. I've never come to this board before. I've received much help, support and advice on other boards. Here, I'm hoping you'll offer up your prayers for a very dear friend of mine who is going thru so much pain and suffering now.

My friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor several years ago. It was benign. For years, it stayed about the same size so the course of treatment was a wait and watch thing. Then it started getting bigger and interfering with her ability to walk among other things. A couple of months ago, it got bad enough that the doctor said it was time for surgery. She had the surgery and was in ICU for a while. She started to recover and was discharged to go home and recouperate there.

About a week before my friend was supposed to be given the ok to slowly go back to her daily routine, her sister suddenly passed away. Her sister's funeral was a few hundred miles from where my friend lives. The funeral was postponed until my friend was ok'd to travel there. My friend and her husband went there for the funeral. My friend got very ill there and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. At the time the ambulance was loading her, her husband fell and broke a couple of his fingers so bad that they were nearly severed.

My friend has had every test imaginable. The doctors thought she contracted meningitis. Test came back inconclusive as did several other tests. The doctors now say that she contracted some sort of virus that rendered her unable to walk. She is now in a rehabilitation facility learning to walk again.

In the meantime, all of this other stuff (the stress of her sister's death and added illnesses) has set her recovery back from the brain surgery. She's very tired. My friend is in her 70's. I call her my second mom. She's been a mom to me ever since I met her.

Please pray for her and her family.

Barb

Many prayers from a brain tumor patient!! :angel:

My heart goes out to your friend. I pray things improve for her and her family very soon.

Thank you both so much for your kindness. I'll remember you in my prayers too.

Love, Barb

Hi Barb, I will pray for you and your friend. My father was diagnosed with a brain tumor (4.6 cm) about a month before he passed away. He had a multitude of health problems, the worst - next to the tumor - was copd. He also had emphysema, diabetes, high blood pressure, lower lumbar stenosis. He kept getting infections once admitted to the hospital. He was admitted on 4/4 and passed on 6/6. He had a stroke a year before and we thought his weakness and inability to walk was due to his recovery and the pain in his back. He's always complained about his back and we were scheduled to see his doctor a few days after he was admitted and he told me he was going to ask about his back. He was never one to complain, but that hindered his care. I told him in the hospital, 'dad, please tell us what's bothering you.'

After a month in the hospital, the doctors (neurologist) wanted to look further and do a head scan because they didn't understand why he wasn't getting better and was getting weaker. My dad had a heck of a time in the hospital. He started in ER, then hospital, then living center, then ER, then hospital, then living center, then ER, then hospital, then ICU, then back to hospital. By then we had no time or desire to move him to hospice.

My thoughts and prayers are with your friend. My dad was on steroids to reduce the swelling in his brain. He was unable to even have biopsy surgery due to his multiple infections. His wbc was always 18 or higher. One point it was 28. Prior to going to the hospital he was unable to walk but a few feet and that was very shaky. He started sleeping a lot and my mom said he looked dazed and like he was daydreaming. By the time he passed he could barely move. The last week or so he could only get a whisper out so it was hard to communicate. He couldn't write either.

Brain tumors, whether benign or not, are very dibiletating (sp?). Because of the size and swelling, the tumor pushes on areas that control functions. my dad's was in the front right lobe which controlled motor skills.

take care

I'm so sorry for your loss and for what your dad had to endure. And what you and your family went thru was a painful experience too.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. I'm sure it couldn't have been easy to write.

My prayers are with you and your family too.

Love, Barb

I hope that your friend gets well, and overcomes her terrible illness.
My heart goes out to her xx