jaystrupp

I feel for you and your family. Three years ago my 29 year old husband was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor and this is not curable. He had two crani to debulk the tumor and the last time they put chemo waffers on the tumor in his brain to slow down the growth. Initally I was told he had 6 months to live, but being that he was strong and so young, he did live 18 month. We have two children who are now 9 and 8 and since he has died, I have never been myself. All that I can say is don't get caught up with all the procedures and next MRI and next treatment because we miss the days that they are here. I don't know if this makes any sence, but I was so focused on yes we will beat this, that I wasted time that I could have been making memories for my children and myself with him. Yes have hope, but also make it be realistic hope too. Jason was on chemo to help slow down the spread of the tumor in the end, but the side effects made him so ill and he could not enjoy the time that he had left, so he stopped taking the chemo. He did still take the Dexamethazone and Dilanitn but he had the best 3 months of his last life as he could. We took the kids camping, fishing, to Disney world, we went on a cruise. I am thankful for the good times that we had once we realized that he was going to die with or without the treatment. I am not saying give up or that type of thing, I am just saying look at the whole picture not just the here and now because that picture is what is matters. My blessing are with you and your son.

I remember working on a cardiac floor and preoping a patient for a CABG. The kicker was that the patient was 92 years old. Why would we put a patient through this? The family felt that she had some good time left. I asked the surgeon who responded that she is a "young 92 year old." I stated that she may act young, but her ogans are still old. They did the surgery and she died of cource, and I always wonder what that family felt like. Did they make the right decision? I would have rather had grandma around for a few years on medication and keeping her comfortable, but in todays medicine we are always trying to push every procedure and such no matter what the outcome may be. Sad.