8/31/2023 Five years ago today, this gem of a photo was taken: That photo was taken just before I went into surgery to remove an almond sized lump from my right armpit that multiple physicians were confident was just a…
Life Changing News
10/4/2020 In September of 2018, Kim and I received life changing news when I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma. What a journey it has been since then! In September of 2020, we received more life changing news, but…
Second Brain Surgery
8/29/2020 ***Warning: At the end of this post is a photo of my cut open skull. If that makes you queasy, don’t look. Morning of Surgery It’s been a while since I last posted… That’s mostly due to a challenging…
Brain Surgery Update
7/29/2020 Another Round of Steroids Several weeks ago, after three failed attempts to manage seizures with steroids, I met with Dr. Randy Jensen, the neurosurgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) to discuss what to do moving forward. After a…
Infusion with Port Access and Arm X-Rays
7/29/2020 On July 9th, I had another infusion and x-rays for my arm. This was my first infusion wherein I would be awake while my port was accessed. I had been told to use a numbing lotion prior to the…
Port and Infusion
6/27/2020 When I first started my infusions about a year ago, a port was brought up. I knew I’d be receiving infusions for a couple of years, and so a port seemed like a viable option. For whatever reason, though,…
Scan Results and Brain Surgery Status
6/13/2020 This past week was a big week with a couple of visits, some new scans, and another infusion. The fallout of this last bit of radiation on my brain tumor has been quite the adventure! I haven’t ever experienced…
Third ER Visit and Second Set of Seizures
6/6/2020 Here’s a bit of a recap… On April 2nd, I had a small tumor, that had grown in size over the course of two consecutive MRI’s, irradiated. I didn’t experience any issues following the treatment until April 20th. On…
Medical Alert System and Limitations
5/23/2020 After my seizure episode, Kim approached me about something that I never thought I’d have to deal with. At least, not as a 33 year old. She approached me about getting a medical alert necklace so I could alert…
Another ER Visit and Infusion
5/23/2020 On April 20th, as you may already know, I went to the ER as a result of several small seziures, which resulted in a major seizure shortly after arrival at the hospital. I spent a couple of days up…
No rest for the weary…
5/9/2020 After my visit to the hospital for my seizures, I was prescribed Keppra. Keppra is an anti-seizure medication. While it is effective, it can come with some side effects that aren’t the greatest. In my particular case, it makes…
Seizing the Day!
4/28/2020 On April 2nd, I had a session of radiation done on a tumor in my brain. The tumor sits just above my right ear on the edge of my brain. The treatment session was short and pretty simple and,…