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Good news everybody
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olePigeon
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Jun 14, 2011, 02:50 PM
 
I'm somewhat elated because my second contrast MRI came back negative. My first two MRIs showed a lump that appeared to be growing on the left hemisphere of my brain. Turns out it's protruding from the skull and not the brain, so everything's OK.

I'll be going in for surgery to have it removed and get a biopsy, but since my bloodwork was negative as well, everything's looking on the up and up.

Just a big sigh of relief. My family has a huge history of cancer, both my grandparents died form cancer (they weren't smokers; grandmother from breast cancer, grandfather actually died from the radiation therapy rather than the cancer itself), and my mom had two separate bouts with breast cancer. So I was really nervous going in for a third MRI.

If anyone's interested, I'll post pictures of my brain once I get the images.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
OAW
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Jun 14, 2011, 02:52 PM
 
Wonderful news olePigeon!

OAW
     
turtle777
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Jun 14, 2011, 02:55 PM
 
Good news indeed. Glad it's nothing serious.

-t
     
SpaceMonkey
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Jun 14, 2011, 02:57 PM
 
I'm happy to hear this. Best wishes for a successful surgery.

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finboy
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:00 PM
 
Wonderful news, indeed. Good luck with the surgery stuff. Medical technology is really miraculous these days, ain't it?
     
Big Mac
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:03 PM
 
Congrats, Pigeon.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
andi*pandi
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:04 PM
 
Great news.
     
nonhuman
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:07 PM
 
Pics or it didn't happen!

(But that's great news, happy for you and your family!)
     
Doofy
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:15 PM
 
Dammit. I thought for a minute that this was going to be about another Firefly film.

(Joking. Congrats man.)
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jun 14, 2011, 03:44 PM
 
I have to say that the MRI machine was awesome. It's like it's right out of Star Trek. It's large, white tube with blue-white accent lighting and a robotic bed. You sit on the bed and it slides you in automatically. Then on the inside it's all white with a cool blue-white strip along the top that spreads light out the edges so you can see. Pretty relaxing with a light, cool breeze coming in on the machine. I'm sure all the accent lighting is to keep you calm. Fortunately I'm not claustrophobic so I actually had fun.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
bstone
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Jun 14, 2011, 05:12 PM
 
Have you had a PET scan?
Emergency Medicine & Urgent Care.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jun 14, 2011, 05:14 PM
 
I might have, the machine they used does all the major scans. As far as I know it was just an MRI.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
Face Ache
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Jun 14, 2011, 05:41 PM
 
Science has concluded your brain is normal, but you've got a thick head?

Congratulations. I guess.
     
besson3c
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Jun 14, 2011, 05:44 PM
 
Awesome news! I'm interested in seeing those pics! I think we should all get pictures of our brains so that we can compare sizes and shapes with each other.
     
dav
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Jun 14, 2011, 05:57 PM
 
great news, happy for you and your family
one post closer to five stars
     
ort888
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Jun 14, 2011, 06:03 PM
 


Came in expecting Futurama news... was momentarily displeased, and was then pleased...

Glad to hear your good news!

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
ghporter
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Jun 14, 2011, 09:30 PM
 
Good to hear. Congrats and best wishes in getting your life back, especially since you didn't apparently have a disease in the first place,

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
P
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Jun 15, 2011, 03:42 AM
 
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jun 15, 2011, 05:15 AM
 


Medical imaging is cool. I got to tour the university department where they invented NMR once.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
ebuddy
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Jun 15, 2011, 06:24 AM
 
Excellent news olePigeon.
ebuddy
     
ghporter
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Jun 15, 2011, 07:08 AM
 
I may have related this here before...

Just before I retired, I noted to my Air Force doctor that I had a ringing/tone sound in my ears. He said it was probably just due to "aging and exposure to high noise levels" but that there was a remote chance it was a brain tumor, so he scheduled me for an MRI to check. It was not a tumor, but when he told me the results he asked "are you married?" He offered to give me an official statement that the MRI had indeed verifies that I had a brain, just in case my wife wanted proof.

I've had 3 MRIs so far, one to make sure I didn't have any spinal problems before centrifuge training (9 Gs is rough!), the "it's not a tumor" test, and more recently to determine whether I had a recently acquired neck injury (I did not). Before the first MRI, in 1997, I had to describe any potential metal in my body, from metal splinters to how many fillings I had. Before the last one, last fall, I didn't even have to completely undress. Pretty amazing improvements over just a few years...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 15, 2011, 10:21 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
I may have related this here before...

Just before I retired, I noted to my Air Force doctor that I had a ringing/tone sound in my ears. He said it was probably just due to "aging and exposure to high noise levels" but that there was a remote chance it was a brain tumor, so he scheduled me for an MRI to check. It was not a tumor, but when he told me the results he asked "are you married?" He offered to give me an official statement that the MRI had indeed verifies that I had a brain, just in case my wife wanted proof.
     
Jawbone54
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Jun 15, 2011, 11:30 AM
 
Great news, olePigeon! I'm glad things are looking up.

And yes, I most definitely want to see your brain.
     
Jawbone54
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Jun 15, 2011, 11:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
I may have related this here before...

Just before I retired, I noted to my Air Force doctor that I had a ringing/tone sound in my ears. He said it was probably just due to "aging and exposure to high noise levels" but that there was a remote chance it was a brain tumor, so he scheduled me for an MRI to check. It was not a tumor, but when he told me the results he asked "are you married?" He offered to give me an official statement that the MRI had indeed verifies that I had a brain, just in case my wife wanted proof.
Haaaaahahahaha...

As for the ringing in your ears, did it ever go away? My dad has had a ringing in his ears for several years, and the doc indicated it would probably be with him the rest of his life without offering a solid explanation as to what it was. Weird.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 15, 2011, 11:35 AM
 
     
Eug
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Jun 15, 2011, 10:43 PM
 
Meningioma? Or is it actually from the bone?

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
Medical imaging is cool. I got to tour the university department where they invented NMR once.
I attended a lecture by a mathematician whose life work was the development of functional CT scanning technology. He said their very first real-world human CT scan image (not a whole organ scan, but just one image) took three days for their mainframes to calculate.
     
ghporter
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Jun 16, 2011, 06:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by Jawbone54 View Post
Haaaaahahahaha...

As for the ringing in your ears, did it ever go away? My dad has had a ringing in his ears for several years, and the doc indicated it would probably be with him the rest of his life without offering a solid explanation as to what it was. Weird.
Sadly, I continue to experience tinnitus. There is no way (right now) to determine which of several theorized mechanisms are at work with me. Considering that I have had very little unprotected exposure to high level noise and that I have no other real neurological problems, these two "expected causes" aren't very strong contenders. I just go on living and try to ignore (or more likely cloak with background sound) the irritating symptoms.

Back to the thread's core issue, olePigeon, what exactly was the diagnosis?

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
andi*pandi
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Jun 16, 2011, 07:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Before the first MRI, in 1997, I had to describe any potential metal in my body, from metal splinters to how many fillings I had. Before the last one, last fall, I didn't even have to completely undress.
I've had two in the last 3 years, and they still asked me the metal question (also had to remove earrings of course. ) I had a bit of exacto knife snap off in my eye long ago so I had to get an xray before the MRI to prove it was gone.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jun 16, 2011, 04:01 PM
 



(Original, one of hundreds of images. I'll post a few more of the more interesting ones.)
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jun 16, 2011, 04:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Back to the thread's core issue, olePigeon, what exactly was the diagnosis?
I had a "nodule" or bump that looked like it could be either on the skull or the brain, but they couldn't tell from the normal MRI. So I got a contrast MRI, and fortunately it turned out to just be an enlarged lymph node on my skull, but not too big as to be of concern. We'll just monitor it for growth, and if it gets any bigger, they'll biopsy it. However, when I first got my MRI I also went in for all sorts of blood tests and everything looks OK from there, too. So as of now it's nothing to be concerned about.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
-Q-
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Jun 16, 2011, 06:29 PM
 
Great news, indeed.
     
Jawbone54
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Jun 16, 2011, 07:06 PM
 
     
ghporter
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Jun 17, 2011, 08:08 AM
 
Excellent news. Lymph nodes are fairly easy to deal with-and typically are redundant enough that having to lose one is usually no big deal, even inside the skull.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
osiris
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Jun 17, 2011, 09:06 AM
 
That's great news olePigeon, these kinds of scares are difficult to go through. Glad things worked out!
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