Sarah Lane's Tumor Ruin: All Signs Point to No
November 17, 2009I got some good news today. Really great news. The kind of exceptional news where afterward your only real choice is to throw some Daft Punk on Pandora, put the headphones in, and just start skipping down the street, smiling at everyone. (I actually did that, btw. If you saw a small, maniacal, skipping woman wearing super cute green/pink Pumas on Fillmore today between Clay and Page, that was me, dawg! And I was smiling at YOU.)
I had my 5th MRI yesterday, the one that was supposed to tell me if my parasitic nightmare and ensuing slightly embarrassing overshare (um, sorry, btw, wow) was all worth it, and if the neurocysticercosis had filed for bankruptcy and foreclosed my house.
And guess what? I met with my new neurologist today, and we went over yesterday’s scans in detail, and…. it looks like my tumors bought in the height of the market, and they thought they were really scoring, and then the bottom dropped out of their neighborhood, rendering them yet another statistic in this national recession of fallen property values.
But seriously, between the radiologist’s and neurologist’s notes, I was told there was “progressive reduction”.. indicating that not only had my tumors already diminished, but that they are expected to continue to.
O, happy, blessed day. Seriously. You don’t get that kind of news every day. I don’t, anyway.
The next step is to meet with a highly specialized infectious disease doctor (I guess they have those and these people spend their entire lives researching people like me, which is rad) and make sure that she doesn’t think I need another round of Albendazole/Prednisone, just to make sure the killers are really truly dead. I guess my particular disease is one that’s still being figured out and the treatment options modified regularly.
Basically I got the best news I could possibly get at this point. If the parasite in my brain that manifested into the tumors that gave me an epilepsy is truly dead or soon to be dead, then if I’m lucky (and I don’t need to be all that lucky since the odds are 80% in my favor), the resulting brain scar tissue from this whole ordeal will stay in my brain, but cease to cause me further issue.
Obviously the whole thing will be closely monitored. For example, I still get the headaches I started getting before my seizure, and that always worries me a little. My neurologist thinks it’s likely residual pain from all that radiation I went through. If anything in that department gets weird, I’ll get looked at. But at this point, I’m considered “on the mend”.
I can’t believe it, and yet I can… because as insignificant and brief my ordeal has been in the grand scheme of human suffering, I consider the entire experience a gift to a vain, materialistic, silly woman like me who really needed a little perspective. It worked, UNIVERSE! GOT IT! I love life and I love being here. It’s all very obvious to me now, and if it’s always been obvious to you, then I’m so happy to belatedly be in the club.
Reader Comments (133)
YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
ALRIGHT SARAH =]
RAD!
That's great news, Sarah!
WOW...just learned of your ordeal today, so to see this tonight is great......Glad the tumor seems to have gone all French and surrendered.
That's such great news! Yay!
Congratulations Sarah! Glad you'll be around for even more slightly embarrassing overshares in the future.
Great news Sarah!
Wonderful news Sarah! This beats just about anything else I've seen today. May you continue the healing process.
absolutely awesome news! but seriously, you have scar tissue in your brain. +1 for sarah! be confident, but don't too cocky. best wishes.
Thank god sarah
I will still place you in my payers next time I pray.
peter
Hooray!!!!! :) So glad to hear the good news!!! YAAAAAAY!!!
Beautiful.
I'm so happy to hear this! You are a great lady! Keep on healin!
Right on Sarah! Enjoy the big juicy bite you're going to take out of life. You rock.
FUCK YEAH!!! Don't mess with my Sarah Lane or you'll get your ass so fucking hard!!!
So happy for you, Sarah. I actually learned last month that my grandfather's sister developed a brain tumor when she was 30 and she was admitted to a mental hospital for the rest of her life. The procedure for removing the tumor would've killed her, so they let her be crazy... she truly believed the hallucinations she saw (for example, flying to Ottawa to eat lunch with the President of Canada). You fight those parasitic assholes until they're outta there!
Love you,
Casey
What's got 2 thumbs & also got some very good brain news today? THIS GUY. There is significant shrinkage!
When you said "THIS GUY" and shrinkage, I was thinking a guy going into the cold ocean and the potential embarrasing thing that happens to guys. I'm most relieved that "THIS GUY" is your tumors and not the former!
Ooops... I left out the word "kicked". :P
Goddamn it Sarah, that's some really super info there. So glad to hear you're mending up my dear :)
You are right. Experience is a gift when it allows us to appreciate our lives. A person once said to me " a fish does not realize he is in water until he is removed from it". The fish that gets put back into the water has a new view and that is a good thing. Welcome to the club!
So Happy for you - you are such a bright shining light it would be a major loss to not have you sharing your gifts with the world - love and hugs from Australia xxx
Good to know. Stay healthy!
So happy for you! Keep fighting!!
Skipping down Fillmore indeed! So proud of you. Love you.
Does a "w00t!" work here?
w00t!
Thats really great news Sarah! Wishing you the best!
yay sarah! dammit i need a tissue.
twif-rific news! see, you are a tenacious, formerly treacherous, ball of steel! score 3-points for petite sarah!
*High five!*
Glad to hear you are getting better!!!
As a great Doctor once said stay warm and
take a lot of warm water.
Stay Safe
I wasn't worried for an instant. I was kind of scared for a while, but I wasn't worried. I'm glad that you're doing better and wish you all the luck in the world. :-)
Wow! Thank you for letting us see your heart and be apart of your bad and good times! In a world full of hate, and termoil, you bring the beauty of it all to my conscience. I went from oh she is an atractive women to everyone that merly gets to be in Sarah Lanes company is a blessed person, and if they don't get anything out of being in her company then they have not the Love of Jesus Christ in them.
I have gotten that from this trail you have gone through. Thank you for sharing it with me!
God Bless,
Jonathan A. Gonzales
Best news Ive had all day. Be sure to party, get those drinks that Marty owes you!
best news ever i am soooo happy for you. Sarah lane kicking tumor asses is her super power lol
Awesome news!
Woohoo!!!!!
That is fantastic news! I am so glad that you are getting better and will keep up all of the awesome stuff that you do.
That's great news, Sarah! Keep smiling even if -- and of course, I hope they don't -- tell you to take the annoying 'roids again, or whatever... Be happy, but if you have to do some of the 'fun stuff' again, just remember that you'd done it before.... and maybe the Universe wanted something more, you know, like a goat or something...
That's great news! I'm so happy for you!
Rock on Sarah Lane!
Sweet!
That property metaphor confused the poop outta me and I had to reread the beginning twice.
So, will you be back on Net at Night now?
fantastically great news sarah lane! so now that you got the whole brain tumor thing out of the way... wanna go out? oh okay... good... you'll call me!
Saw this on twitter and I have to say, "Way to go!" That's great news, Ms. Lane.
And welcome back. Keep kicking the parasite's ass to oblivion.
WOOHOO! That's great news Sarah. Don't ya just love science.
So Cool, it is amazing what we can do with 21st Century medicine!
That's great news Sarah! Sending positive vibes your way.
Great News
".....only makes us stronger!"
sarah, wow - stumbled upon ur blog and am 'textless'. i've been familiar with ur work since waaaaay back, i even met you once years ago in santa monica the night kevin left the ss. i forget the bar but i do remember how cool and friendly you were. :-)
anyway, it's quite a shock to read what has transpired over the past few weeks. SO glad to hear things are back on track. unreal. how fragile we are huh?
well, keep tweeting (i'm following) and i can't wait till ur 100%...then again, who is ever actually 100%? hehe. i maintain a solid 84.2%.
cya,
-dave
@kokoki
I'm dancing a little jig right now in celebration.
OK... not actually dancing a jig - but a metaphorical one.
So happy that this is work out for you Sarah - you're the best!