TUMORS SUCK! 2012 PART 3

EEG Shenanigans

Hope - I just need a ray of that
'Cause no one sees my vision when I play it for 'em

Dr. Dre (feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey), I Need a Doctor

2010

I spent Monday through Thursday this week at Harper University Hospital in Michigan for a continuous EEG/sleep study. The test concluded that either a) my symptoms are not seizures, or b) because the tumor is located so deeply in the insular region, the scalp EEG can’t pick up the signals. The findings won’t really affect how I decide to treat my tumor, but they might have an impact on seizure medication that I’m taking. I might stop taking Keppra, which I have been on for the past three years; Keppra has greatly reduced my symptoms, but it has never completely gotten rid of them.

Here’s a description of this week in the hospital:

Currently, the doctor decisions are all tied up at 1-1-1 with 3 different opinions:

Karmanos DMC: surgery

Johns Hopkins: watch and wait

Mayo Clinic: surgery is too risky; opt for radiation/chemotherapy

UCSF: will hear back next week

MD Anderson/Dana Farber: still deciding about contacting them

I recorded these videos on Wednesday night when a few friends came to the hospital to visit me..they dressed up in scrubs and managed to stay past visiting hours because they were dressed like nurses/doctors. They put on a little dance show for me and we attempted to make a music video for Eminem’s song “I Need a Doctor”..this is what friends are for!