Where has the unicyclist got?

[ColinOldnCranky]

I've been scarce for some time on the paths and roads.

I have a 5cm “mass” in my brain which will continue to grow and take up space. We know not yet if it malignant or if it is benign.

For the past couple of weeks I have been living in Sir Charles Gairdner waiting for my body to clear itself of blood thinners before further investigation.

I know little detail except that it is there and it's not small! One way or another it has to come out or growth arrested so I am heading for some serious medical intervention.

I am aware of some function loss already but not so a casual observer would notice. Until a fortnight ago I could still ride the unicycle but could not mount without assistance of a wall or prop. I don't know what else I've lost in in the last few weeks.

Now I need to get back and relearn a simple three ball cascade {basic juggling move).

[warthog1]

I hope it is benign and it is safely removed as an issue for you Colin.
I enjoy reading your insights and opinions.

[ColinOldnCranky]

I've had little from the team that will be working on it. They're playing it close until they see MRIs and make a plan.

But from the scans I've seen and the report I've glanced at it looks like it is deep beneath the Parietal Lobe in a ventricle providing the cerebral spinal fluid. With my limited understanding I'm hoping this will mean less damage to actual grey matter when they try for a biopsy.

Hearsay says that my surgeon uses the Davinci tool - Robotics and AI - that allows great precision, reducing risk an going deep.

But this is in large part my conjecture at this stage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Vinci_Surgical_System

[foo on patrol]

Bloody hell Colin, that's not the type of news that you want. I hope the outcome for you is a good one and you can be up n about on the bike and life in general.

Foo

[P!N20]

Nasty stuff, Colin. Perhaps that explains why you're cranky

I feel like we're all part of a family here at BNA, so we'll all be wishing you the very best outcome.

[trailgumby]

Sorry to hear this news Colin. I hope that it's benign.

[g-boaf]

I hope it can be safely removed and you recover.

That is scary news.

[Nobody]

Sorry to hear it Colin, but sadly on average about 1 to 2 people will end up with some form of cancer/tumour growth eventually. According to the scans I have 2 tumours in my liver and 2 in my spleen. So far they are classed as benign, but that doesn't mean they're not continuing to grow. I've had some minor success with lifestyle change so far, so you may want to look into that on top of other treatments. The combination of lifestyle and medical treatments is usually called integrated oncology. But there are very few practitioners of it.

[brumby33]

Sorry to hear of your latest plight Colin, I'm guessing the hardest part is not knowing for sure what you're going to be up against but your mates here including me are all praying for the best results.
Robotics in surgery are fantastic, providing minimalist invasion of the human body, I was even surprised of the small size of the scar remaining after my total hip replacement but was equally surprised at the very small entry points to remove my wife's gall bladder, you should've seen the size of the stones, my wife asked them to place the stones in a Jar as a monument, 3 of them were the size of marbles

I guess we can all tell of ppl we know that weren't so lucky so hopefully it's in the early stage for you and we want you to remain positive and to keep the dream alive of getting back on that single wheeled horse.

Good luck Colin and keep strong!!

brumby33

[ColinOldnCranky]

I've been cooped up in hospital for about two weeks.

But this arvo I got an outside pass for the first time I got out of the hospital for 20 minutes and had a coke at the Conveneience Store over the road.

I needed it. Felt good.

[warthog1]

Not a huge fan of being in hospital either Colin.
Some people are though.
They are in every town I've worked and frequently call us in an attempt to get back there!

[foo on patrol]

I've been cooped up in hospital for about two weeks.

But this arvo I got an outside pass for the first time I got out of the hospital for 20 minutes and had a coke at the Conveneience Store over the road.

I needed it. Felt good.

All charged up for the fight ahead now.

Foo

[find_bruce]

If you're feeling down Colin, this is a thread you can turn to to remind yourself of how you are valued round here.

Hope things suck less than they sound

Cheers

Bruce

[DavidS]

Just remember we are thinking of you, sounds like a difficult situation, I'm sure anyone who can balance a bike with a wheel missing can get through this, with the help of a bit of coke of course!

DS

[ColinOldnCranky]

At last I have been MRI scanned. They'd normally scan implantees on Wednesday but, in view of the delays, they called in the relevant technician and did this arvo. It then goes in the mix (maybe Wednesday team meeting) to consider what to do and when. I have no particular status or privilege.