Big ANs!

[Joef]

it seems we have a lot of newbies with Monster AN's !      a big welcome to everyone ..

[nancyann]

YOU'RE TELLING ME JOEF,

ALL I CAN SAY IS JEEZ LOUISE !!!!!

[ppearl214]

...and thrilled to see each and every one of them here on the site so we can support them.....

Welcome to all newbies.....

Phyl

[brasher]

it seems we have a lot of newbies with Monster AN's !      a big welcome to everyone ..

dear joef,
thanks for the welcome, i feel like a celebrity among the AN community. i got a lot of attention at the hosp.
from other AN patients and their families because they had heard about the size of my tumor.
i would like to be well known for something other than having monster tumor in my head.
i plan on being famous for recovering from having a lg. brain tumor. it is very incouraging to here from all the nice people on this site.
later, tony

[redgrl]

Welcome newbies! i love this forum. It keeps you very informed and you can make lots of great friends and support systems. Thanks to everyone who makes it possible for us to have this website. You guys are the best! 

[Jim Scott]

I think it's important to point out that even the really big AN tumors, like Tony's (brasher) can be removed and the patient do fairly well.  'Newbies' should take note.  Even a very large AN (6+ cm) is not the end of the world.  Not fun, certainly a danger to health and life if not removed...but still operable.  Tony's story is one that needs to be told - and remembered.  Meanwhile, the 4.5 cm tumor I once had now seems a bit small, relatively speaking.  That's O.K. 

Jim

[Battyp]

I'm in awe at Tony's size.  I just thought mine was big!

There seems to be a lot of newbies popping in, hopefully you'll find this a great place of comfort and support.  I know it helped me get through my darkest days.  You all would have died laughing the last two days with me trying to explain my cyber family to a psychologist and a psychiatrist.  They both gave me some strange looks at first like I'd really lost my mind and had some imaginery friends.  And to think they are trying to determine if I'm mentally stable enough to go back to school  HA!  The best part was when the psychologist thanked me for reminding him how simple and uncomplicated his life was.  GEESH!

Welcome all and remember you're not in this journey alone you have a very caring bunch who will help you along the way even if people do look at you strange for having imaginary friends 

[Crazycat]

Looks like we've been "outgrowthed"!  hee heee.

6.5cm!?!?!? That's the biggest I've ever heard of!

Brasher, could you somehow manage to post a scan of that monster?


   Paul

[brasher]

Looks like we've been "outgrowthed"!  hee heee.

6.5cm!?!?!? That's the biggest I've ever heard of!

Brasher, could you somehow manage to post a scan of that monster?


   Paul

hey paul,
i wish that i wasn't the one who "outgrowthed" you!, i dont wish that on anyone. looks like you had quite a monster yourself.
at the time of my mri(dec.), they thought it was 5 cm, but i guess it grew or it was just bigger than they thought?
my docs still have the disc of the mri scan, but i will see what i can do to post it, its not pretty however.
tony

[Crazycat]

Brasher, I know what you mean by the growth appearing larger than the reported dimensions. Mine seemed much bigger than 5cm. I found some scans I had posted last April
buried in the archive. Here's the link to that page. Just scroll down to see them. And while you're there, feel free to explore all of the other posts I've made that are in the archive. This way it is not necessary to repeat one's self :   http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=806;sa=showPosts;start=300

    Take care and great to hook up with you!   Paul

[Sue]

There seems to be a lot of newbies popping in, hopefully you'll find this a great place of comfort and support.  I know it helped me get through my darkest days.  You all would have died laughing the last two days with me trying to explain my cyber family to a psychologist and a psychiatrist.  They both gave me some strange looks at first like I'd really lost my mind and had some imaginery friends.  And to think they are trying to determine if I'm mentally stable enough to go back to school  HA!  The best part was when the psychologist thanked me for reminding him how simple and uncomplicated his life was.  GEESH!

Did you give them the website to look up?  Then they'd know we're real!    Or else they'd put out an APB to round all of us up for the ****y hatch! 

Sue in Vancouver

[mary07]

...and thrilled to see each and every one of them here on the site so we can support them.....

Welcome to all newbies.....

Phyl

I was wondering  how have you dont with going the path you have ( cyberknife )  did you have any side effects ?  I'm trying to find out what path I want to take becouse the tumor is growing
slowly but it is small yet.
             Mary

[ppearl214]

Hi Mary and welcome.

My side affects from CK are minimal. I have full retention of my hearing for what it was at the time of treatment 10 mos ago, occassional/intermittant tinnitus, balance issues (which are primarily caused by other medical conditions I have, but the CK/AN has affected my balance minimally), minimal/intermittant facial numbness, etc. I'm doing fine

Phyl

...and thrilled to see each and every one of them here on the site so we can support them.....

Welcome to all newbies.....

Phyl

I was wondering  how have you dont with going the path you have ( cyberknife )  did you have any side effects ?  I'm trying to find out what path I want to take becouse the tumor is growing
slowly but it is small yet.
             Mary

[mary07]

Hi Mary and welcome.

My side affects from CK are minimal. I have full retention of my hearing for what it was at the time of treatment 10 mos ago, occassional/intermittant tinnitus, balance issues (which are primarily caused by other medical conditions I have, but the CK/AN has affected my balance minimally), minimal/intermittant facial numbness, etc. I'm doing fine

Phyl

    Has the tumor stoped growing or has it gotten smaller for you ?
                         Mary
...and thrilled to see each and every one of them here on the site so we can support them.....

Welcome to all newbies.....

Phyl

I was wondering  how have you dont with going the path you have ( cyberknife )  did you have any side effects ?  I'm trying to find out what path I want to take becouse the tumor is growing
slowly but it is small yet.
             Mary

[ppearl214]

Hi Mary,

As AN's may have minor shrinkage from radiation, the ultimate goal is the kill the core DNA of the growth so it will not grow anymore.   Yes, mine has had minimal shrinkage, but... the ultimate goal is in process as my 2 most recent MRI's show that tumor death is occurring. I hope that helps.

Phyl

Hi Mary and welcome.

My side affects from CK are minimal. I have full retention of my hearing for what it was at the time of treatment 10 mos ago, occassional/intermittant tinnitus, balance issues (which are primarily caused by other medical conditions I have, but the CK/AN has affected my balance minimally), minimal/intermittant facial numbness, etc. I'm doing fine

Phyl

    Has the tumor stoped growing or has it gotten smaller for you ?
                         Mary
...and thrilled to see each and every one of them here on the site so we can support them.....

Welcome to all newbies.....

Phyl

I was wondering  how have you dont with going the path you have ( cyberknife )  did you have any side effects ?  I'm trying to find out what path I want to take becouse the tumor is growing
slowly but it is small yet.
             Mary