the stupidist thing people said....

[Captain Deb]

I don't know if anyone was familiar with the old format of the AN listserve, but if you were a subscriber, you got every post that was posted as an email in your in box.  There was a lot of bickering and criticism--so much that I gave up on it!  This format enables us to take what we like and leave the rest.
As an AN survivor who has spent the better part of the past 3 years in bed with a HEADACHE
I really need to horse around, but I also feel that my experience can benefit others.

Live and Let Live!
Capt Deb

[ppearl214]

A source of great AN info... a dash of entertainment... a WHOLE lotta giggles... gawd, and a few stoopid things thrown in for good measure. Gawd, I luff this site!  

[DSki]

Hey Gennysmom please go back and read my initial post in this thread.

I am not trying to rain on your parade.  I am just saying after everything we have all been through maybe we need to be more sensitive to others who do not totally understand what is going on in our lives, and yes people do say stupid things.   But we all have at some point out lives and we are no better than them just because we had or have brain tumors.

I came to this sight to get some insight that my symptoms are not individual to me, that others are feeling the same as I am.  I made no personal attack, as you said in your post, don't read it if you don't like it, which I do. 


I just find that while alot of information on this sight is helpful,  I am not looking for friends with AN.  I am just here to see if my symtoms are typical. 

Sorry you feel attacked, but before you get on my case, take the time to read my post first. I am sure i have angered some more of you out there and thats too bad.  But I think you are dwelling too much on you situation and oh poor me, rather than, I can beat this thing and it will not rule my life or my thinking.

I am done with this sight and wish you all well in your choices and recoveries.

DSKI

[Static]

Batty,  Yes, it was her on Leno with Simon.  Apparently she has a DVD out called "take it like a man". Haven't found it yet and didn't do a net search, haven't had time.
 Capt Deb, I used be to on that old list too.  Couldn't take all the BS so I left as well.  This forum is much better.
 

[ppearl214]

stoopid is as stoopid does.. and all, I do stoopid all the time!

[Battyp]

  "But I think you are dwelling too much on you situation and oh poor me, rather than, I can beat this thing and it will not rule my life or my thinking." 

Obviously she's preop not the reality of post op and since she never did share her story who really knows but I detect a little bitterness there.  None of us are NOT trying to beat this thing or let it rule our lives.  We are all trying to come to terms with what fate has dealt us.  Speaking for my ownself, life as I knew it no longer exists and I'm trying to find my path since I can not do my current job, I'm a widow and I have a child I'm trying to raise and not in a cardboard box on the street.  My AN experience doesn't RULE my life it did CHANGE my life due to my surgical outcomes. It does however beat the alternative which was Death since my brain stem was involved I coun't myself fortunate.


I just find that while alot of information on this sight is helpful,  I am not looking for friends with.  I am just here to see if my symtoms are typical

I don't think any of us were "looking for friends with AN" we just happened upon each other and are enjoying our friends with AN as they can relate the best to our not so good days and everyday frustrations with the outcome of this tumor.

[DeniseSmith]

I just read this thread and I think you all need to calm down, and respect others and their thoughts and feelings.   

Sometimes it does get silly on this site. Which is not my style, but i just breeze past those threads.  Lets all try to remember why the site is here, to help everyone, no matter what stage they are in and if they don't want to share their "story", then thats okay too.   

Denise

[Battyp]

Stick a fork in my I'm done.

Gennysmom please email and tell me how you are.  Been thinking about you all day.

M

[matti]

DSki - Sorry you feel this way!

 I don't think anyone on here feels that they are better than anyone else just because of having an AN.

I don't dwell on what I have been through, I rejoice in how far I have come. And I have come this far because of the wonderful, supportive, informative and humorous members of this forum. When I had my surgery 8 years ago, there was nothing on the internet in the way of support and the info I came across was nothing but horror stories.

You have the choice to read or not to read a thread, just like TV, if I don't like the show, I change the channel and find something else that interests me. There are alot of threads on here.

matti

[Gennysmom]

OK, he/she is "done with this sight (sic)" so we shall be done as well.  Let this thread go back to be what it was, a way for us to relieve a little stress.  Or let's give this one it's proper burial and start the sequel, and get the bad juju out. 

[Raydean]

Each of us comes to this board at a different stage of our AN journey, we're all so different, but all of us have the AN in common. We come to this board with different needs, different hurts, different experiences and outcomes. .  For some, it may take time to share and to post. Others, jump in with both feet.  I hope DSki stays, I know that we can learn from her experience, and she may gain from our experiences.  At the table of AN there has always been room for all.  

Often times I am described as strong, knowledgable in AN issues, confident.  But that wasn't always the case.  I came to this board feeling very much alone, overwhelmed with medical issues and responsibilies, hurting and unsure of where we've been,(much less how we got there) and not a clue to which direction we were headed. But the members took the time to listen, to ask questions, they shared and helped me research.  I found our way in part due to members of this board. My life is balanced now with the AN being a part of our lifes


All on this list are so  much more then their AN  and outcome.  The AN
 is a part of our lifes, but not our whole life."

Blessings to all
Raydean

[Larry]

I know we are done on this site but to DSKi,

I am one of the posters that enjoys a laugh and posts accordingly but it's important for you to know a little of my story and others will have similar but different issues - hope you are still reading this.

I was diagnosed with an AN 3.5 years ago. i was told - got to get it removed quickly coz it will grow and will require more invasive surgery. i was rushed (within days really) into surgery and wham, bam thank you man, i was under the knife. I didn't know of this site or do the research or look at options - idiot - maybe, but I trusted the ENT surgeon. i would never had surgery had i been as informed as i am now.

Well, 3.5 years later, debilitating headaches, from day one of the surgery and the %^^&^% has grown back.

This site has provided me with fantastic amounts of research material, experiences advice and, this is the bit that you don't understand, a theraputic recovery process - that is, some of the humour posts. You'll actually find that a number of the posters that post humour are in a lot worse physical condition than you might think and do consider this to be fantastic therapy.

You may not believe this but when i am writing something silly or reading other silly posts, i forget about my troubles and laugh myself stupid. No drugs, shrink or surgeon has been able to emulate that.

If you are not interested in the humour / therapy, thats fine, there are probably 5,000 odd posts here that will give you facts and experiences. Read those. We are here to help you and even amongst the humour, we all look at other posts and answer them accordingly.

To me, this site and the posters have been a life saver coz these headaches of mine have nearly pushed me to a level that i don't want to think about. This site rules as do the posters.


Larry

[Mark H]

OK, while I do read some, I seldom post. I do have what they are calling possible bilateral AN's, but whatever they are, they're so small (about 2mm each) they're not sure they are AN's. That's what the Dr's call them when we talk, but so far no definite diagnosis. I do have a few other NF type tumors in my head though. As far as being silly, I blame every screw up I do on them. as in "I would have got that right, but I got these darn tumors in my head." The guys I work with have picked up on it too. "Don't blame him, it's those darn tumors." AN's or not, I just can't stay serious about much of anything in life for any length of time. I love humor, especially when it's at my own expense, and I work hard at leaving myself open to to be picked on in a fun way at the NF (neurofibromatosis) boards. Do I know what AN's can cause? Yep. I already have shaky balance, tinnitus on both sides, some dizziness, so far, mild hearing loss,  and had a cataract removed while I was in my 40's. Like I said, I don't post 'cause I don't have a positive Dx, and I don't figure I really belong without it. I just wanted to say keep up with the humor and silliness. 
Mark 

[Gennysmom]

Mark - as far as I'm concerned, post away.  One, if you can further our humor therapy and help make us "forget", that's a good thing.  Two, I feel, the whole journey of AN starts with finding out you have something "foreign" growing in your head, and as far as I'm concerned that pretty much hits high on the "holy crap" scale, no matter what size it is.  Whether it be AN, or end up being a meningioma, or whatever, it's still something in common with us and our friends/families. 

Larry - you are a dear, dear, man.  Those hormonal women in your life are pretty lucky 

One last thing, you know, I don't think I have yet, in the last 3 weeks I've known about the bugger, even had the thought "oh poor me".  Those of you that know me so far would probably say that's not my style.  What's funny is that I've gained so much knowledge here that today I blew the Dr. out of the water and made his job a hell of a lot easier today when I was 10 steps ahead of where he thought I would be.  My response to my assesment and his opinion of Translab?  "Get er done, as long as I can go on vacation".  Cool.  Not looking forward to the mess, but I'm nowhere near a pity party.  It's life, you deal with what you get and you're stronger for it.  Bring it on.  If it weren't for you guys boosting my strength, I'd probably be a puddle now.  Thanks bunches!! 

[Karla83401]

Good Morning Everyone,

I was back at school yesterday and did not have time to post but did do some lurking around. This silly thread has been so much fun for me to watch and to  manage to post in once in awhile. I have to agree with gennysmom I am not on a pity party, rather I feel that life has set me forth on an unexpected path I need to travel. On this path I will meet people who enrich my life and as with all difficult times I will come out stronger and better on the other side.

I too am a widow raising three children and going to college full time so who has time for a pity party or to be bitter. I am determined to educate myself as fully as possible about surgery options and what to prepare for on the other side so that I can move on with life. I feel that I need to be as physically and mentally healthy as possible prior to the surgery and this site has proven to be a power tool in that endeavor.

Okay I will quit rambling and simply say thanks for being there.

Karla