Brain Tumors

Black Diamond

I can't believe it's a coincedence, but last night I found out another friend (business) has been diagnosed with a brain tumor after having a grand mal seizure in his 5 year olds bed. Just had surgery but could not get it all out. Only one doctor was willing to do surgery.

This is the 3rd friend who has gotten one and been operated on in the last year. I know the talk of the cell phones and power lines, etc but I did not take it seriously.

I imagine if I personally know three people (and I don't like people so I don't have a large group to look at), then it must be bigger than I imagined.

Anybody else seeing this?

Slap upside the head

No, but I did have 3 friends with acute cases of ear wax build-up.
Funny thing is, they didn't use a cell phone or live anywhere near a powerline.

CROJAM95

My Dad passed away from it on Dec 16th 2007, still can't believe 3 years is fast approaching. My Dad was a strong, healthy guy..... God only knows what causes it. He wasn't a big cell phone guy.... But I do think we are uncertain if those levels of radiation are in fact dangerous.

I can't say ive heard of many others with Brain tumors, but cancer in general seems to effect more and more people over the past few years.

Claireack

I think that with modern technology/medication etc there are still many things we don't know/understand.

Sorry to hear about that BD.

redrock

It may just be coincidence. Since my husband had his massive stroke at 49, I seem to know a good number of 'younger' people that have had one (some survived, a couple died) in my larger circle. I guess it may be because I'm more 'in the midst' of it? I'm sure as many had them before but just not aware of it, or it didn't register.

From a brain tumour point of view, I think better diagnostics are also part of this.

mca47

redrock wrote:

From a brain tumour point of view, I think better diagnostics are also part of this.

I work in cancer research, and one of the specific cancer types I'm working on right now is glioblastoma multiform (a type of brain cancer).
The numbers of GBM have increased over the last 10-15 years, but they are similar to many other types of cancer. Sadly, this type of cancer doesn't get the research or funding that many more popular types of cancer get...breast cancer. Sadly, breast cancer has a monopoly on most research funds...and it's not even close. While the prevalence of breast cancer is much greater than many types, it is also more treatable and less invasive than many other types...such as brain cancer.

Anyways, diagnosing BC isn't terribly hard as all it takes is a simple biopsy, however people don't realize they have it until they start showing signs of a growing tumor (seizures, focal problems, coordination problems, etc.) and often at that point, it has grown to the point where surgery is either a) not an option or b) they cut out what they can in the attempt to keep the patient alive longer.
The only thing that can be done at this point to catch it early is to have bi-annual brain MRIs...and this could also cause some issues.

eyedclaar

It's not a tumah...

norm

Black Diamond wrote:

I can't believe it's a coincedence, but last night I found out another friend (business) has been diagnosed with a brain tumor after having a grand mal seizure in his 5 year olds bed. Just had surgery but could not get it all out. Only one doctor was willing to do surgery.

This is the 3rd friend who has gotten one and been operated on in the last year. I know the talk of the cell phones and power lines, etc but I did not take it seriously.

I imagine if I personally know three people (and I don't like people so I don't have a large group to look at), then it must be bigger than I imagined.

Anybody else seeing this?

sorry to hear this bd...i lost one of my best friends to a brain tumor when he was 33...his doctors said it was a slow growing tumor that he probably had his whole life and he never had a cellphone so i doubt that was the cause

sadly, cancer is becoming more and more prevalent and is taking too many good people and it's really pissing me off

unlost dogs

I'm sorry to hear about that, BD. It's such a scary diagnosis.

Iost my best friend to a brain tumor when we were 18. She'd complained of headaches for as long as I could remember, and we went to nursery school together. She was diagnosed the summer before senior year in high school and died when I was a freshman in college. (She never got to go, she was accepted but too ill to attend.)

I'm not sure if we're hearing about them more, or if the incidence has increased. Brain tumors are reported to a national registry for epidemiologists, researchers, etc. They would be all over reports of clusters of the same type of tumor in a particular population, but as a previous poster mentioned, that work takes money.

I hope your friend is all right.

iluvcats

i'm sorry to hear of all the brain tumors.

do you think if a person has dental xrays every 6 months that they could contribute? I had many scans and xrays on my back (some tests were repeated too!) so when i got my teeth cleaned, i declined xrays for a while.

Jeanwah

Sorry to hear this news BD. My sister works in public health and she's downright scared about cancer hitting our family because she feels it's become so common-place; she hears about it generally much more often happening to people she knows, as well.

I'm wondering about radiation in x-rays as well. I've had so many x-rays as well as an MRI and 2 CT scans in the last 9 months, that I'm wondering exactly what all that radiation can do to a person. Anyone know?

iluvcats

Jeanwah wrote:

Sorry to hear this news BD. My sister works in public health and she's downright scared about cancer hitting our family because she feels it's become so common-place; she hears about it generally much more often happening to people she knows, as well.

I'm wondering about radiation in x-rays as well. I've had so many x-rays as well as an MRI and 2 CT scans in the last 9 months, that I'm wondering exactly what all that radiation can do to a person. Anyone know?

the mri is different. i was told it is not radiation like a ct scan, mammogram, or xray.

Cree Nations

work friend of mine had a brain tumour removed from her right side (the size of a baseball) two weeks ago, she didnt know it was there either and it was cancerous, she starts chemo asap

PJGirl321

I read this article a few weeks ago and found it really interesting. It supports that cancer is likely related to environment and lifestyle.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ancer.html

It makes sense to me that all the crap we're exposed can send cells haywire. Just look at certain neighborhoods and regions where there are "cancer pockets" of unusually high cases in clusters. This happens in industrialized areas among other places.

Just look at the 9-11 first responders. So many of those poor guys have either died of cancer or are suffering from it at an alarming rate. (this includes the rescue dogs used for 9-11 as well..several of them have been put down because of cancer.)

RKCNDY

i used to work at a vet clinic, and took radiographs/x-rays regularly...5 a day. We did have docimeter tags and the exposure levels were so minimal so I would not worry about getting dental x-rays and such. (Rays are directed to a specific part of the body, machines need to be checked by the state health department every other year, so it's fine) I only really worry about full body x-rays for business travelers. Full body...not so good.

BD, I too hope your friend is ok. I have known 3 people with stomach cancer, and it never came out good. My aunt got breast cancer twice, but came out fine (her husband was one of the 3 that had stomach cancer). Our world now is so scary with all these diseases, cancers, etc. I'm here if you want to talk...Be well.

Jeanwah

4and20 wrote:

i used to work at a vet clinic, and took radiographs/x-rays regularly...5 a day. We did have docimeter tags and the exposure levels were so minimal so I would not worry about getting dental x-rays and such. (Rays are directed to a specific part of the body, machines need to be checked by the state health department every other year, so it's fine) I only really worry about full body x-rays for business travelers. Full body...not so good.

Yeah, that's me with a few full body scans and many partial body scans of both legs, pelvis and arm. Should I be worried? My doc won't prescribe me w/ another ct scan yet because he knows I've had plenty radiation already. I just don't know how to take this information...

RKCNDY

Jeanwah wrote:

4and20 wrote:

i used to work at a vet clinic, and took radiographs/x-rays regularly...5 a day. We did have docimeter tags and the exposure levels were so minimal so I would not worry about getting dental x-rays and such. (Rays are directed to a specific part of the body, machines need to be checked by the state health department every other year, so it's fine) I only really worry about full body x-rays for business travelers. Full body...not so good.

Yeah, that's me with a few full body scans and many partial body scans of both legs, pelvis and arm. Should I be worried? My doc won't prescribe me w/ another ct scan yet because he knows I've had plenty radiation already. I just don't know how to take this information...

a few full body scans I wouldn't really worry about. I assume they are covering the rest of your body with a lead apron when they are doing the arm/leg x-rays? The main concern of mine is thyroid cancer, which apparently affects a higher percentage of those who work with/around radiation.
Certain x-rays contain more concentrated rays than others. Basically the 'thicker' a person is, the more concentrated the rays...the major concern is what they call 'scatter' the areas outside of the direct beam of light when they take xrays of the leg/hand/foot. Only so much scatter is allowed, but still, when I was wrestling 100 pound dogs trying to get them to lie down to do the xrays, I had full lead on...apron, gloves, thyroid guard...for business travelers, I'm talking about the travelers that fly 2x @ week or more. that many xrays can't be good, no matter what the TSA says. (IMHO)

catefrances

catefrances

last year my aunt had a brain tumour. she didnt even suspect anything was wrong. my mother pointed it out to my cousin. my mum said my aunt didnt quite sound herself. she was in her 70s, active, mentally and physically healthy and not on any medication. about a month later she was dead. she was such a lovely person. i hate cancer.