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dmercer's Recent CancerCompass Activity

  • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

    At this point I would say to absolutely make sure he is being seen at a major brain tumor center. 65 isn't that old and believe it or not, brain surgery can be fairly uneventful and radiation and chemo are fairly well tolerated by most people. Keep us updated.

    February 20 at 8:07 PM view post
    • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

      So sorry you have had to join us, but welcome. Yes, anaplastic Astrocytoma is treated like GBM from everything I've seen. The best thing that helped my nausea and what helped my appitite was jalepenos. A friend told me about them and sure enough I found relief with them. I would eat them whenever I could. Grace and Peace, Danny

      January 30 at 7:21 PM view post
      • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

        I'm also not sure what they mean by "FISH negative." FISH is simply the process of testing for chromosomal characteristics. It probably means that you are negative for the deletions, or it could mean that the 1p19q are indeed missing, thus the negative for the particular genes. I would call and clarify this, immediately. There are many long-term survivors with this tumor. I started a post on this board recently, but...

        January 23 at 2:30 PM view post
        • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

          Your post is so real and so honest. It is the very thing we want to be. To tell the truth about our situation. To hurt and cry and lament that this is not how life was supposed to turn out. To affirm our greatest fear that the beast has won. Yet, when I hear your words, I think that in some small way, the Beast didn't win at the whole contest. "For the first time in two days he smiled at us.....pain was finally ea...

          January 16 at 7:41 PM view post
          • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

            Hux, I am compelled to respond to your post.  Let me narrate my experience and then conclude with whether you serve a purpose on this board. I am now 2 years into my journey. As with most of us, my diagnosis was sudden and a shock. I did what we all have done, I went to Google to find out exactly what I was up against. I was crushed at what I found. What I found was the realization that I may not get to walk m...

            January 08 at 6:05 PM view post
            • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

              My first symptoms were about a year before diagnossis. They included vertigo, aura type symptom after being kicked in the head and then later after doing a belly flop into the pool. Doctor missed diagnosed as mild hypothyroidism. The symptom that sent me to the ER was a severe sensation of disorientation. Couldn't put my finger on it, just felt profoundly strange. The highly calcified mass they found suggested it had...

              December 30 at 11:39 PM view post
              • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

                "Thanks for this severely cut-and-pasted and outdated message" said, noone, EVER. And, who would have thought, cottage cheese? Sorry, I'm being a little snarkey, but this message is not helpful.

                December 07 at 8:54 PM view post
                • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

                  Yes. I have never regained my energy since my surgery and treatments (Surgery 2 years ago, radiation 1.5 years, chemo ended 8 months ago. My doctor enrolled me in a sleep study to see if this was the problem. I did one study, then another with the CPAP machine. They found I have mild apnea so I've been using the machine for a few months now. I must admit, I haven't been that consistent with it. So far I can't tell an...

                  December 04 at 5:24 PM view post
                  • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

                    This is a side note, but shortly after my surgery I developed severe back pain. An MRI revealed I had developed cysts on my spine. The only way these develop is from meningitis or debris that get's in the spinal column from the outside. The only two times my spinal column has been compromised is from a spinal tap I got upon diagnosis and my brain surgery. To this day my doctors tell me the cysts are not from either o...

                    November 29 at 8:50 PM view post
                    • dmercer has replied to a post on the message board

                      I also had pretty sever pain in my shoulder and little aches in other joints and muscles. My NO swore that it was not related to the chemo. He said it sounds like arthritis. I'm 39. WHAT? I was also a Black Belt Taekwondo instructor and never had this problem before my diagnosis.  He put me on Celebrex and the pain eventually went away (after completing chemo) and I don't have it now, I've been off chemo for 9 m...

                      November 29 at 5:54 PM view post
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                      About dmercer

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