Petro's Status

Visitors

2012-02-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

I am up for visitors. But I need to limit it. At the same time I'm not going to be very entertaining. In fact, I'm likely to fall asleep while you're here. Please call or text before coming I have full3 hours of therapy a day. My schedule tomorrow is 9 am10 am 2 pm &230 pm. I need thec down time in between sessions to rest. So eveningsvare the bestbtimes to visit again text me before coming. I don't know where to tell anyone to park I am in the John Burton pavilion terrace rehab unit room 39

Pathology

2012-02-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

I got my pathology report back. Not good news I expected it to be just like last time a glioblastoma. Unfortunately, I was told this was a blend between glioblastoma and pnet. Pnet rumors are typically seen in pediatrics. This is something that puts me in a category all my own. That is never what you want to hear. Seemsbthe plan isvto do reradiation. Reradiation ion conjunction with. Another chemotherapy drug is the best opportunity to beat this. Not sure. What that will do for my release from rehab. B/c chemotherapy and radiation make me weaker so I'll likely regress. In therapy.

2012-02-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

People keep asking about visiting. It's really hard to say when a good time is. I am having to learn how to walk again. As you can imagine this is exhausting and frustrating. 24 here I feel like I have to entertain. I don't want people to come just watch me sleep. That's what I end up doing for most of the day. because I don't really get to sleep at night. I cannot find resti in this hospital at all. I'm grumpy grouchy and I spend most of my time being upset. Not sure that makes for a good visit

Visits

2012-02-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Visitors are really tough right now. My days are full with therapy sessions and appointments so it is tough to nail down good times for visits. Therapy sessions are a trying experience because as anyone who has done them realizes it takes a tremendous physical and mental effort i need to make the most of them so visits during therapy sessions wont work to get then done. Maybe headed to rehab Facility tomorrow which would be a good thing because they have facilities to teach the skills I need to be able to go home. It won't be fun or easy Think of it like an intervention type experience they'll put me in the bad spots i could end up in by myself. And then teach me how to safely cope. My goal is to come out more confident and capable than I went in.

2012-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Huge day today! Walked to the end of the hall using a walker and with a pt/it standing behind me. But considering my leg was literally in responsive/paralyzed yesterday this was huge! Lots of work still to do. But at least I was given a reminder that it was possible today. Every day will not have this much rapid progress and I know I'll have frustrating days where're I make no progress. But today felt good. Once again it is not my job to decide what is possible before I try it. Still not sure when I'll be up for visitors. Partly because I expect to spend a ton of time in therapy.it is hard and exhausting. Tough. To say when I'll beawske and in my room

2012-02-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

Please understand I love to have visitors. But I am still trying to read my t weap my head aroundthidwhole thing. My left leg does not work I need help do things that get to the bathroom. This is a tough pill to swallow. I know you just want to see me but it's hard for me to have people see me like this thy his may be hard to understand. Really had a lot of questions about why tegu we did surgery. Just had those answered tonight
I'm also going to ask that visitors talk with my sister before coming. I'll be in and out quite a bit this week for therapy

Moving on up

2012-02-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

John was moved out of the neuro ICU this morning. He had a busy day in the NIC all day. He was moved again this evening to the neuro critical care unit. John's looking much better tonight, although he told me that he looks better than he feels. He's not quite ready for visitors yet. If you'd like to check in or visit in the next few days please text me 401-359-7727 to ask.

2012-02-07T03:23:00.000-08:00

Madeit through surgery mostly intact. My left leg does
not work at all right now. I'm told it will come back. Very scary right now though. Because. No one knows any thing with 1000% certainty. Just gotta hope for the brst. Really exhausted and in pain right now. More posts to come soom

Out of Surgery

2012-02-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Dr. Q reports that John made it through surgery very well. The tumor caused a lot of swelling. They cleaned out as much as possible. Pathology will not come back for several weeks. We don't know much else because he is still in ICU and we haven't been able to see him yet. We'll do our best to keep the updates coming.

Please keep the prayers and good vibes coming John's way.

"don't count the days, make the days count"

2012-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today was a reminder that it is not my job to jump to conclusions about what I'll be able to do from now on. Yesterday,my left hand and leg did not work. I had to have my father pull me in and out of bed and hold me up while I used the bathroom. Today I can get myself out of bed, granted it takes tremendous effort. I'm not sure why these changes occurred or if they're permanent. Point is I'll take them. This is just one day. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I don't but I'm looking forward to it because it is a new day.
To those who're going to visit please just check in prior to coming. I don't want to have too many people all at once. You don't have to bring anything. But please no sweets, my blood sugar has been a bit high and there is a connection between high blood sugar and the occurrence of siezuress. Nuts, trail mix, fruits, veggies, all ok, no coffee drinks no sodas, no candy no cakes
I'm working on getting a conference room to watch the pats take the title so some people can come watch. It won't be ideal hd television and it will be in a hospital with a few unapologetic pats fans. Let me know if you might be interested. Space will be limited no pressure either way. I'll also have to head to bed right after because surgery is scheduledvfor 730 am Monday.

Surgery delayed

2012-02-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Just talked To dr. Q weaned we postponed surgery until 7 am Monday morning. I will be in the hospital until then. I'm not thrilled about that part. As I posted yesterday I had 3 seizures 2 which were terrifying my leg and arm were barely working yesterday. There has been significant improvement since yesterday. Dr. Q felt lthat my brain was likely in turmoil after those two events. He felt the meds I am now on in the hospital and the improvement signified that my brain was in a bit of turmoil and we would likely get a better result if we let things settle down. He is also just back from Peru and was trying to shuffle my operation today into a full OR schedule. I'd rather have the first op on Monday morning with a fresh dr Q then him scarmbling to get me a chance in a crowded OR after a week of travel.
Watching the pats take the title in the hospital is not ideal. But nothing is these days is ideal so I'll deal. I'm much more open to visitors now since my condition has improved. Just let me know before u decide to stop by so I can make sure I don't have too many at once. Treats except caffiene are welcome as well.I'm also not very entertaining

Never made surgery literally scariest day ever

2012-02-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the hospital and I don't mind saying that today was the scariest day of all of this. I woke up this morning very confused about how to feel. For a long time I had centered a lot of hate and grief on the device I was forced to carry around. Then I started to get used to it. Then I realized I had made it my crutch. Any anxiety or problem was a product of the device. Not the tumor. Almost a bit of institutionalization. My goal had not become beating cancer but getting done with the device.
Before surgery I had a partial seizure and for the first time was not able to take my meds bc I was shaking too badly. My sister found me and helped me and the seizure subsided. 20 minutes later I got into the car to head to the hospital and had a severe seizure. I could barely breathe my hand and arm and leg were paralyzed. My jaw felt wired shut. Literally had a moment where I thought I might die. The best way to describe the fear combined with the helplessness to stop what is happening literally a nightmare that you can't get out of. we called an ambulance but were determined to make it to Hopkins for surgery. We knew an ambulance would take me to the closest medical center so I told them I would not go with them unless they took me to Hopkins. Well while trying to act tough I had another severe seizure and agreed to go wherever with them. Once again I my face arm and legs were frozen and I'm gasping for air. You keep thinking stay calm stop shaking catch your breath. Nothing works. They took me to Anne arundel medical center. Surgery is rescheduled for tomorrow at 2 hopefully we get it in without any surprises.
I'm now at Hopkins bayview. Tough for me to receive visitors because I find my situation a little embarrassing. Please understand In October I'm running 13 miles. Now I need someone to hold me up while I urinate and I have to physically move my left leg with my hand because it is lame

2012-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Things didn't go to plan to start the day. I had 2 serious seizures this morning and had to be transported by ambulance to aamc transferreto bay view surgery seems to be planned for tomorrow

updates

2012-02-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

Unless I talked to you about it beforehand please do not text or call my phone looking for updates. I love my family but the waiting room is going to be a zoo with all of them there and My sister will be right in the middle of it. She also has a baby to take care of( and i don't mean me)
She will be updating the blog. She has more people to update than she can possibly deal with
with. She will update the blog as things happen. If there is no update then there is nothing has happened yet. No news can be the best news sometimes as well.
I'm not sure when I'll be up for visitors. I'm fairly certain I'll likely be in the hospital over the weekend. I know the surgery is supposed to relieve some of the symptoms. last time I was able to do so much before they anticipated. I am not in
shape that I was last time and I was not having as bad of a problem as i am this time. So it will probably take longer to get the
okay to go home. I'm not sure when I'll be up fir visitors either but probably not before saturday afternoon/evening. but check b4 coming

not doing well

2012-01-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

My blog entries are getting shorter. This is because I'm actually dictating them now. My left arm left hand left leg are so bad that I really can't stand it to type anymore.
It should be understood this surgery should relieve some of the symptoms. But I am also risking a lot of things with this surgery. I may be in a wheelchair or have to use something else before I know it. I have decided that I should no longer be driving given my symptoms. This is not easy for me to accept that at 28 i am like a life alert commercial. I am not comfortable with how I appear in public right now.
i am slightly embarrassed about the fact that my legs do not work like I want them to. I have fallen over three
times in the last two days. And then I had trouble picking myself up. The activities that I can do right now are very limited.
This week will be spent in appointments and with family. Surgery has been scheduled for Thursday now. I believe there is a get together tomorrow at bill Bateman's. This will be the last opportunity really to see me before surgery. I am no longer capable of doing things on last minute notice. Please help me out and give me plenty of notice if you want to stop by or do anything.

The Situation/plan

2012-01-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

The tumor has grown. No news there. I need to make it clear this is our plan. There are still a lot of risks and there is no guarantee this will work. We're pursuing our best options at this point. I am convinced this is the best course of action given the situation. The plan now is that Dr. Q will perform surgery next Friday. Surgery will not remove all the cancer cells, but will be used to reduce the symptoms and buy me the time i need to see what treatment may be effective.
After I heal from surgery. I will resume using the device from Boston in conjunction with a new chemotherapy drug called CCNU. CCNU has some side effects which will be difficult to tolerate. Eventually, we will add another drug called Avastin into the therapy regimen. Avastin is a drug which has had success in preventing swelling and growth with tumors like mine. We did not opt for it initially because the side effects, include an inability to have blood clot properly. Avastin could have prevented me from pursuing surgery and other options in a timely manner. This also why it will not be implemented immediately after surgery.
I should be out of the hospital tomorrow.

Breaking point

2012-01-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

I had a seizure at my parent's house at around 5:30. Frankly I wish I had not told anyone because now I am in the hospital. I don't know why I have to be here and I don't know how long I'll be here. I am truly miserable. I hate it. I won't sleep well. Apparently I may have surgery next week, Dr. Q is out of town until thursday. I'm not sure what that means as far as my hospital stay and or date of surgery still have not gotten a definite answer on that.
I am really struggling with this: bad beds, worse food, general uncertainty about what is happening. I expect to know more in a couple days. I'll keep everyone posted.

MRI Results; It's just news

2012-01-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

Got my MRI I results. They showed that there was significant tumor growth. I don't know exactly what that means. I don't know if that means it has happened faster than expected or if this has been pretty much as expected. The news that there is growth is not unexpected to me. As I said my left arm and leg are very uncoordinated and when symptoms pick up it's just naïve to think that nothing is wrong. So this is pretty much what I expected to hear. So I don't look at this as good news but just news. When we attached this device My Dr. said it may take some time before we knew if it was going to work. My doctors consulted when I started this with the understanding that things may get worse. They discussed what may be needed if that was the case. I don't know that we can say this therapy is not going to work based on this news. I'm not going to make guesses right now because I feel like that would really drive me crazy. I have to wait and hear what the smart people actually think. I should hear from my neurologist in Boston tomorrow, My oncologist early next week and from there we'll make a plan that I'll follow.

I am not taking it as good or bad news right now. Obviously I would have preferred to hear that there was no growth. I don't have a lot of answers right now. Still have to talk with my doctors about what we think the best treatment is. We will be in discussions next week about what we think the best course of action is. I'm not going to waste to guessing or speculating. I will keep pursuing treatments until they tell me I can't. There will be a next step I just don't know what that is right now.

Just so everyone understands, I will keep following and searching for treatments until they tell me I can't or my heart is no longer beating.

Problems

2012-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I have an MRI. I am not a doctor but this is not going to be good news. I am likely to find out that my tumor has grown despite this treatment. This is not me quitting. Tomorrow I'll find out what I need to do next to keep on going. I think It would just be naïve to think that nothing is going on considering my symptoms. If you feel the need to pray or tell me that you're going to pray for me that I am given the guidance to make a good decision about what to do next. This is not good news. Tomorrow a tech will likely see that my tumor has grown significantly. I won't get all the answers tomorrow because it will take time for my doctors to review and make decisions. It would be foolish to think that everything is just going to be fine. I will have a lot of work to do. These may be the best days I have left right now. But I'll have days left.

Tense Times

2012-01-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

Big problem in dealing with all of this is my level of anxiety and level of patience is thin. I am doing my best to try to deal with it. Obviously, I have a lot going on. My biggest concerns are in going through all of this is that in dealing with all of this I will lose track of if who I am. That is what weighs on my mind the most. I feel that I am changing from the person that all of you have decided to support and it scares me.
There are multiple levels to this fight. There are things about this fight when I am on my own. On another level I most definitely am not alone. I have unbelievable friends and family supporting me.
My anxiety and patience issues lead me to lash out at times. The biggest problem with that is the people who are most often on the receiving end are the ones I interact with the most. This means these are the people who likely trying to help me the most. Which makes me even more upset that I am having problems controlling myself. Please accept my apology in advance of any slights.
Just so you understand why I get so tense I want to try to give everyone an idea of what I am thinking about.
My left hand and left leg are getting less and less coordinated on almost a daily basis. I find I am able to do less and less each week. My real concern is about how long I’ll be able to do anything with my left side.
With the electrodes on my head I am not supposed to sweat because it causes them to lose their grip and become painful and ineffective. This means I can only exercise when I change them out, which is about 3 times a week. I can't change them myself so I have to be close to someone who has watched them changed. For someone who was running/working out 5-6 times a week it is a big adjustment.
The meds that I am on to control the side effects of the tumor increase my level of anxiety, and also cause me to be hungry beyond belief. Between not working out and always being hungry I have put on quite a bit of weight. The weight, combined with the device make me very uncomfortable with myself in public. I am also frustrated with my inability to do things with this new big belly I am carrying around.
I don’t sleep well at all. I have only slept deep enough to have a dream once since I got this device attached.
I went to the Patriots and Ravens game this weekend which was a really fun but taxing experience.
When I go into public or do activities it takes a lot of planning. It takes me about 30- 40 minutes of planning and prep to be able to leave the house comfortably. I still have not come up with a quick explanation for what it is I am carrying around for when strangers ask. May seem unnecessary, but people ask and it sucks to not have something to say because I have always had an answer for everything. I have actually never really given as much thought about what strangers think and that bothers me as well.
As I you can see I have a lot on my mind and I am trying to deal but it is no easy task. Please give me what I can't right now, patience.

The Situation

2012-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

I have probably not been as informative about what is going on up here with this therapy and in general as I should have been. This therapy involves me using a device made by a company called Novocure. Novocure is an oncology research company. They research and explore oncology options beyond chemo therapy, radiation, and surgery.
My tumor has grown faster than we first anticipated. This is why I had been having headaches and seizures before coming up here. The symptoms are being controlled right now by anti-seizure meds and steroids. Controlled, but not stopped. My left hand/arm is less coordinated and feels numb or asleep at certain parts of the day.
The therapy I am pursuing is what is called TTF. I don’t fully understand the science behind it myself, it requires me to wear sticky electrode patches on my scalp, which need to be undone and reattached every 2-3 days. These patches are attached to a machine which generates the TTF(tumor treatment field). The device weighs about 5 lbs. and runs on battery packs which weigh another 5 pounds. It is very conspicuous, and cumbersome, and bothersome. The battery packs last for about 3 hours at a time.
In essence I am carrying around a 10 pound device which has 3-4 hrs of battery life in a purse that holds nothing besides the device.
The electrodes cause skin irritation, and on occasion cause a burning sensation on my scalp.
I have a braid of cables, which hangs, off my head and attaches to the device, basically like the movie avatar. The goal for treatment is to have the device running for 80% of the time it is attached. I can plug the device into a wall charger but then I limited in how far from an outlet I can walk. More treatment is better but 80% is what the company would really like to see.
At this point I don’t know anything. I don’t know that this will work. The only certainty is that if I don’t do anything this tumor will kill me.; one time table said within 6 months. I have high hopes this will work. But if we knew this worked it would have been what we did first. I may have to tolerate this device or another form of treatment forever. It may take some time to make a determination of whether this therapy is effective. In the mean time the tumor will likely grow and if the symptoms get worse then another surgery may become necessary. Surgery was not the option initially because, it limits the other therapies I can pursue. In the time it takes to heal from surgery the tumor could grow back and I would be in the same spot as I am now but have risked another brain surgery. There may come a day when I’m “in the clear” but to think that way may just be wishful thinking
At this point I need to have everyone understand what I have come to understand these last few weeks: I will probably spend the rest of my life fighting against cancer. Not sure how long that will be but that’s the situation. This is literally a fight for my life and I won’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I can’t tell myself I tried everything that seemed reasonable. Not sure how long that will be but that is the situation. This will not be an easy or convenient life, but it is what I have to do. Concepts of easy or convenient left a long time ago. My activities and energy will be devoted to trying to beat this.
I’m telling all of you this because I need you to understand that I’m going to be going through a lot of changes as a person. I’m anxious, upset, and impatient. I’m not happy with the changes that I’ll have to make because I feel like, in some way, they’re going to change part of me. Although I may have been awkward or stood out a little before, the truth is I considered my ability to be comfortable in my own skin one of my best traits. That is no longer the case.
Doing activities of any kind will be a big deal for me, because I’m not sure what I can do and the planning and effort it takes just to leave the house are fairly significant at this point. Fighting like this will take it’s toll on my ability to be the friend that I would really like to be.
I know all of you have told me that I don’t owe you anything for your support. Unfortunately, that’s not the truth. I promised my friends and my family that I would never quit this fight and I won’t.

This may sound crazy but Told myself this when I woke up this morning

2012-01-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Cancer,
I know what you want. I know you want me to curl up and cry and just give up. There will be days when I do that, but they will be limited. For each day I have where I curl up and cry I’ll have another 2 days where I am rejuvenated to beat you.

You snuck into my life and have tried to make yourself part of it. You’re not my friend, you’re not my family, you do not get to
decide how I live my life. You’re a pest, a nuisance, and an unwelcome tenant.

The problem for you is this is not your decision. This is still my body. No matter how much you might like to disagree. I thought I made this clear to you twice before. You can keep coming back and I’ll keep telling you to go fuck yourself. You can make it as hard as you want, but the harder you try, the harder I’ll fight.

I’m not gonna do the job for you. You’ll have to literally kill me before this is over, and you might. But the lines have been drawn and I’m gonna keep crossing the ones you draw until I can’t.
This is your 3rd eviction notice.

Your host,
John Petrovick

Worse than I imagined

2012-01-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

This device has been awful today. I am sure iwill make adjustments but right now this is horrendous. I cannot imagine it being worse unless it actually caused some sort of physical pain. It is incredibly annoying. I have an array of electrodes on my head that is powered by a battery pack which is about a 1 ft square package. It weighs about 10 lbs. And has a life of about 3 hrs. I have 3 backup batteries which sit on a charger that weighs about 20 lbs. I can plug into a standard 3 prong outlet but I can't get far from the outlet. The array makes my head warm and I have to instantly lay attention for low battery alerts or disconnection alerts.
As is plainly obvious I am less than thrilled about this. I have no idea how I'll deal with this. Irate the thought of this and n it may not even work. If it does work. I'll have to have it going 80% of the time.
Mean time the coordination in my left hand is not getting better, I'm having trouble seeing as far as I once did and I'm not sleeping well.
2012 started off on an amazing note. My friends sending ne to the patriots game was awesome. As high as I was from that I'm feeling really low right now. I have the terrible feeling of having limited time left and not wanting to do anything all at once because I have this device now. It makes for high anxiety.
Seriously questioning whether this was worth it or not. If it doesn't help than it is an incredible burden that has wasted valuable time. Just feeling very confused.

Timing is everything

2011-12-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

As you could probably tell from my last post I was extremely disappointed with how things were going up here. As I said I knew the tumor had progressed just from the symptoms I was going through that did not make it any easier to hear that was the case. It seems we're back on track to hook this device up. I was feeling extremely down for a while because this device is not a miracle worker. It is designed to sue reds the growth of tumor cells, but not necessarily destroy them. This means I'll probably be wearing this device as long as there is no progression of the tumor. I posted pictures on face book of what it will look like once it is attached. It is nothing that will go unnoticed.
In the grand scheme of things it is a small price to pay. Thinking about having to deal with this was bothering me.
That combined with the idea of having to go through a spinal tap was not giving me a whole lot to look forward to.
Then my friends came through in a big way. As most people know I am a huge patriots fan. I got news that they got me tickets to the patriots game this Sunday. This is no small gesture considering the location of the tickets gotten on short notice. I am really excited for this and it came at just the right time since I was pretty bummed out. Even the game will only be about 3 hours the impact will last much longer.
I am feeling reinvigorated about taking this on. There will certainly be hard times to come, but knowing how many people have decided they have a stake in me getting better means more than words can describe.
Thanks for all the support. Although it has been appreciated, support does not have to come in grand gestures or surprises every time. Just letting me know you're there or hanging out from time to time is enough. But it seems as though you guys know me well enough to sense when in need a pick me up. Thanks again.

Things are not great but that's nothing new and never boring

2011-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

This morning I went into the hospital for what I knew was going to be a very long and hard day. As I mentioned in my last post, I was due to meet the director of the clinic, have an MRI, and then a spinal tap. It was going to be a long day of poking and prodding no matter what. After my MRI, I talked with the neurologist and we looked at my MRI and noticed that the tumor had grown a lot more than they anticipated since my last scan.
I'm not a neurologist but I had an idea that this was going on. Someone who has a brain tumor cannot be naive enough to think that having seizures, getting terrible headaches, and having trouble processing information is nothing. This does not mean it was not difficult to hear. The tumor was big enough that they rescheduled my spinal tap for friday. The results of the spinal tap will be the ultimate determination about whether I'll be eligible for the treatment.
The bottom line is that the growth is faster than what is the norm so the clock is accelerated. Meaning, untreated, this tumor will take my life inside of 6 months.
The good news is that the director informed me that this was no longer considered a trial but an FDA approved treatment method. that does not mean that it will work for me at all. It does mean that there had to be a good bit data that showed it was effective as a method of treatment in a large number of cases. Dr. Wong, the director of the clinic still thinks this treatment is a good option.
I am going talk to Dr. Q tomorrow about the scans and see what he thinks the best option is at this point. I'll be posting more often to update people because it is exhausting to have to relay this information to a lot of people.

Shipping off to Boston

2011-12-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way to this trial in Beantown. It is christmas night and I am at my Dad's house in Wilmington. Tomorrow My sister and I will drive to her house, where we will meet my mom. My mom and I will go into to meet the director of the clinical trial on Tuesday. I'll fill out some paperwork and then get an MRI and a Spinal tap as late Christmas presents. Then I have appointments january 3rd and 4th which will be used to hook up the device and check back in to make sure it is hooked up correctly. From there I'll be allowed to continue any activity I can handle and then check back in monthly for a new scan. Treatment will continue as long as the tumor does not progress.
This was the hardest Christmas that I can remember. I had minor episodes on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. I spent the majority of christmas eve feeling out of it which carried over to christmas day. I felt awful, I had literally a splitting headache all day which served as constant notice that this is not getting better. Things are changing and getting harder and I know why. I could not get myself packed for this trip up to boston on my own. I could not figure out what I needed to bring or where it was.
This has been my greatest fear all along. When I encountered this second tumor I knew I was the under dog in this fight. I accepted that while I would not give in, tumors would likely be what killed me. What scares me is that I'll spend whatever time I have left confused, or as a different version of myself.
I should be back down in the Baltimore area by mid January. Wish I could say more but I don't know what to think right now.

Why I'm headed up to Boston in a wicked hurry

2011-12-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

So I was accepted to a to a clinic at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston. This trial uses a device, The NovoTTF-100A, to hit the tumor with Electric fields in a similar to the way a magnet exerts forces on metallic particles within a magnetic field. TTFields are alternating electric fields of low intensity. This means that they change their direction repetitively many times a second. Since they change direction very rapidly (200 thousand times a second), they do not cause muscles to twitch, nor do they have any effects on other electrically activated tissues in the body (brain, nerves and heart). Since the intensities of TTFields in the body are very low, they do not cause heating. The breakthrough finding made by NovoCure was that finely tuned alternating fields of very low intensity, now termed TTFields (Tumor Treating Fields), cause a significant slowing in the growth of cancer cells.

Other cells in the body (normal healthy tissues) are affected much less than cancer cells since they multiply at a much slower rate if at all. In addition TTFields can be directed to a certain part of the body, leaving sensitive areas out of their reach.
The treatment will consist of wearing four electrically insulated electrodes on my head. After an initial short visit to the clinic for training and monitoring, I will be released to continue treatment at home where I can maintain a regular daily routine.
I am supposed to return monthly for re-evaluation for as long as the treatment is effective. Effective means that the tumor either reduces in size or shows no signs of growth. There is a lot of skepticism amongst those in the medical field about this type of treatment. The chances of it shrinking the tumor are pretty slim. This is one of the only phase III trials for people with a recurrent tumor like mine.
The reason we need to give this a try is because we tried the gold standard for treating this type of tumor and it did not work. There are other options but pursuing these before trying a clinical trial is likely to eliminate me from being eligible for a trial.
The point is that I need to focus on the good news and that is that I have been given a chance to try another form of treatment which may work. If it does not then we will likely try another type of chemotherapy and repeat radiation along with another surgery.
I am sorry that I have not gotten back to each one of you that has texted, called, or e-mailed but the truth is it is exhausting to have to deal with this and I think I am starting to feel the effects of this tumor. My left hand is less and less responsive each day; I have trouble on focusing on things; I have taken to carrying a notepad around with a pen because I am starting to forget things more often.
I have to be in Boston before December 27, which gives me less than 2 weeks before I have to be on the road. I appreciate all of the support, I have had a lot of people ask me to do things. I’m not bragging, but I won’t be able to accommodate everyone before I go particularly with the holidays being here. Please try to understand that I want to see as many people as possible. I should be around Baltimore this Saturday but anything beyond that will be difficult because I have my mom’s birthday and then Christmas.

Where we are

2011-12-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
First let me say thanks for all the prayers and well wishing. I'm going to tell all of you everything I know to this point, I wish I could tell you more. At this point my doctors have decided to discontinue with the chemo therapy that I was doing. It obviously is not effective since another tumor has started to grow despite doing it. We may change chemo therapy drugs.

Starting radiation again is something we're going to explore. I have an appointment next thurs. with a radio-oncologist. He will evaluate the likelihood that radiation therapy will have any effect on the tumor.We did not do that in the first place because it is not proven to be effectiveon a tumor within the same radiation field as a previous tumor.

My oncologist has informed me that the options we're discussing are not likely to be solutions. Any effect that they may have is likely to just be temporary. So, I am not inclined to do things which will make whatever time I have left miserable.

I am exploring clinical trials throughout the country to see if I am eligible, but these are experiments and may not work even if I am admitted. This is the last front I have to put up a fight.

I don't know why but another surgery seems like it is not an option. I have reached out for second opinions and alternatives.

I am just being completely honest at this point. I am not quitting but options are limited. My time seems to be limited, I don't know how limited. I have given extra ordinary effort toward this fight but I am without the tools to continue to do anything but make each day count. I am so sorry I could not will this into the happy ending that all of us wanted this to be.

I am willing to talk with anyone but it is exhausting and extremely difficult to try to explain this. It is easier to text or e-mail

From Bad to Worse

2011-12-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well at least I know now why I had another seizure. As many of you probably have heard I have another tumor growth which has shown up. I just talked to my Oncologist at about 10 this morning so every thing is still really new.
What I am going to say is not easy to say and it does not mean that I giving in or giving up. The truth is the clock is now ticking. I’m trying to be realistic.
The chemotherapy that I was doing is not effective. If it was, another tumor would not have started to grow. Another surgery may be an option, I’m not sure at this point. My Oncologist would like to try radiation to see what it can do, but we did not do radiation in the first place because the site of the tumor was in the radiation field from last time and it is not proven effective to use multiple times in the same field.
I am seeing if I am eligible for a clinical trial at Duke. If so I would have another surgery so they could study the tumor and work up a vaccine to treat whatever cells were left after surgery. This seems like the option with the highest probability of having an impact, but it is by no means a sure thing and I may not even be a candidate.
I will continue to do whatever is reasonable to try to beat this but everyone should realize that the odds are not in my favor this time. My Neurologist and Oncologist, whom I have a lot of faith in, are out of reassuring answers regarding treatments that have worked for a large number of others. They are making suggestions about what they want to try.
None of this has been fair or pleasant. I came into this fight with my head held high and I plan on continuing that way and leaving that way. Part of that is continuing to fight and to try any treatment that seems reasonable. I don’t want to spend my time being sad or angry, even though I am. I’m so sorry if me saying this really hurts or upsets people but I just want everyone to know the truth about what’s going on.

2011-12-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

This will not be an inspirational blog entry. For those of you who think anything nice about me I would not recommend reading any further the summary of it is I’m struggling. This is more of a confession about how I really feel. It will be whiny, and contain mostly self pity. I’m not fishing for compliments or money. This is the Blog entry I would not allow myself to write before this. It is all the thoughts that I’m ashamed of that I have never allowed myself to voice out loud. If I am going to keep this blog up it cannot be all inspiration and good stuff. It has to be honest so here goes
I never wanted to be any one’s hero. I didn’t want to be an inspiration. I just want to the average to below average person I was before all of this. Unfortunately, I don’t get that choice. In Fact, I don’t have the luxury of choices at all any more. It is “take this, go here, have blood taken on this day…”
I had a seizure yesterday at work. I did not lose consciousness, but I felt confused and my left arm was shaking involuntarily. I was able to ask someone in the cubicle next to me to help me out and communicate that I was having a seizure. She helped me get into a chair and it was a few minutes before I regained control of my arm and my full awareness.
I have anti-seizure meds, which should keep me from having further seizures, but the whole situation has really irritated me. I was supposed to go visit my sister this weekend but my Neurologist said he did not want me getting on a plane given what had just happened. Pardon my language; THIS FUCKING SUCKS.
The simple answer, “is just take the meds and you’ll be fine.” The whole reason I stopped is because I’m tired of all of this.
It is yet another reminder that I’m not capable of living a normal 27 year old’s life.
I have tried to take everything in stride, while taking everything one step at a time, and keep my chin up, and keep moving forward, and keep on swimming, and not feel sorry for myself and know that good things come to good people and blah blah blah.
As far as faith, I have none. I feel either abandoned by God or cursed by him.
The truth is that all of you guys inspire me. I don’t have a thing in my life that I like except for the people in it. My friends and Family are really the only things that make me peel myself out of bed every morning. I have limited self pride. I have 0 resources. I have almost no belongings. Lately, I’m struggling to see what purpose I have.
I wake up these days believing that I won’t have as long a life as 95% of the people I know and I grind out what I consider a fairly unimpactful existence. In most aspects of life I am average, and my health issues seem to be preventing me from being able to use the gifts I do have to their fullest extent.
I find myself being jealous of the accomplishments and successes of others and I hate it. I am full of rage and erupt about tiny things like dropped phone calls or losses by my favorite teams. I have lost my way. I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing any more.
The reason I enjoy running so much is because I just get to turn my mind off for however long I’m out there. Now I won’t be able to run with out the fear that I may collapse in a quivering heap.
I’ll spend a quarter of the next 6 months feeling absolutely terrible doing treatment which may or may not work. I'
This entry has all the makings of someone about to do something crazy, but I’m here to assure I won’t. I’ll keep living this meager existence for however long I have because I love all of you that much. I’m sure most of you disagree with what I’ve said and that's fine, this is just how I feel right this moment.

Limits

2011-10-06T09:03:00.001-07:00

I apologize for not getting a new blog post up in a long time. I was reminded by a friend that I was overdue for a post. Feedback certainly encourages me to post more frequently.
As everyone can see the fundraising is going great and we still have a week left to get more donations together. Please try to circulate the letter/flyer that I worked up to anyone you can think of. Remember, I do not care about the size of the donation. I just want to see a huge number of donations.
This last chemo session was particularly difficult. I felt so good before this session started. I did not get to start this cycle when I would have liked to. My oncologist informed me that my blood counts had not bounced back to where he would like them to be before each session so I was delayed in starting. This was a major concern for two reasons. First, because I had the cycles timed out so that I would be as far away from the 3rd cycle as I could be on race day. Second, because it was a new hiccup I had to deal with. I had to come to the realization that I cannot control when I get to start my chemotherapy cycles.
When I did start, everything seemed the same as usual for the first three days. Day four I noticed that I felt nausea throughout the entire day as opposed to just feeling it in the morning and after taking my dose at night. Taking my last dose was very problematic. I gagged several times in trying to get each of the three pills down. I still shutter thinking about it right now. Tuesday morning I woke up and tried to start to get ready for work but could not make any progress because I had to keep running back to the bathroom and heaving. It was painful because as I mentioned in my last post there was nothing in my stomach to get up.
I still do not feel normal. I have had a lingering sense that I might throw up for 2 days now. Just think of that feeling you have when you’re extremely nervous because you’re not prepared for something really important. I have to step out side for air to try to prevent the pending threat.
Before this cycle started I was tricking myself into thinking that if I trained hard enough I could actually do the half in 1:30. Now I’m realizing how limited I am. We’re a little more than a week away from the race and as any runner can sympathize after taking a week off I feel pudgy and out of shape. I feel right now that I’d be lucky to finish the half.
I am limited because I can’t think my way out of everything with positive thoughts. As crazy as it might sound, somewhere along the way I had actually convinced myself that if I wanted anything badly enough I could make it happen.
The truth is I cannot will my cancer to go away and never come back. Nor can I force my body to be ready for a chemo cycle when it is convenient for me. These may seem like obvious statements to most of you but to me, these are hard truths I have had to come to accept in this last month
While that is certainly the case for some things I can still will myself to do more. I find it a useful exercise to take note of the things that I can control in my life. I can control how many days a week I run. I can control what time I get up and put those miles in. I can control how many people I tell about my fundraiser. I can control the attitude I face these challenges with.
I find a lot of inspiration in the life of Steve Prefontaine. For those who don’t know he was considered among the most talented American distance runners ever. However, if you asked him just what his talent was he’d gladly tell you that he just had more guts than any other person. I have always kept this mentality in the back of my head when dealing with whatever cancer throws my way. If I don’t allow something to bother me than it won’t. Now I realize that I am limited in that respect.
However, Prefontaine’s coach once reminded him “Everyone has limits. Steve be thankful for your limits because you’re as limitless as anyone.” I just need to find the balance between guts and limits.
On an entirely separate note, Steve Jobs’ death was a tragedy. He was the Howard Hughes, or Thomas Edison of our time. In a time when it is hard enough for most of us to stay current with technology he had a way seeing ahead and shaping the curve. He told us what we needed/wanted before we even knew we did. The lesson to take from all of this is that we need a cure to this ASAP!
Cancer does not care about your brilliance or wealth or kindness. Steve Jobs and I were in the same boat and unfortunately more people join this fraternity every day. Those of you who have contributed and supported me have decided that you have had enough! Now we all need to help others decide that they want to say they have had enough as well.

What it's like to walk in my shoes

2011-08-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of my 2nd chemo session. I think this makes the 10th session I have had overall. This counting the 8 months I did last time I was battling a brain tumor. I guess this makes me kind of an experienced hand at all of this. Let me make something clear: THIS SUCKS!
I’m sure I didn’t really need to tell anyone this but I just want to make it crystal clear how bad this is. I generally only share as much as I think people can handle because if every time people checked in on how I was doing, I actually told them I feel like people might stop asking.
A lot of people are curious what it feels like to go through this. It is an experience that I would not wish on the people I think the least of. The best terms to put this in is to compare it to a condition that almost everyone can relate to. I am fairly certain that almost all of us have had a few hangovers in our lives. It is the equivalent to having a hangover that makes you swear you won’t ever drink again. You don’t get the fun of the night before though.
The night before consists of timing your dinner so that you can take your pills on an empty stomach to avoid throwing up while you’re asleep or while you’re trying to go to sleep. You also are trying to time the taking of the meds to a moment when you can fall asleep quickly so you won’t have to be awake when they really take hold. When you take the Temodar you get a taste in your mouth as if you have swallowed some sort of toxic chemical concoction, because you have. You wake up with a headache which you are not sure how to get rid of. You feel like you’re on the verge of throwing up but you haven’t gotten to eat since about 7 the night before. This means that if you try to throw up you’ll get nothing but dry heaves. And throwing up will not make you feel any better anyway because by this time the chemo drugs are no longer in your stomach but have been absorbed into your body. When you finally feel as though you can peel yourself out of bed without having your legs buckle from being dizzy, you have a debate with yourself about whether eating something is a good idea. Throughout the day you feel as though you haven’t slept for days and you get angry with yourself about how little you feel you can accomplish. As the day winds down you start anticipating your next dose and realize that tomorrow is going to be worse than today because the effects are cumulative. The closer you get to the end the more the drugs have built up in your body and the worse you feel. So in effect the closer you get to the end of the 5 days the harder it gets push through.
The entire week of treatment you're terrified about ending up some place where you might vomit and not have access to a bathroom. The treatment also throws your digestive tract into a tailspin. The naturally occurring bacteria which helps with proper digestion is killed by the chemo drugs. This persists into the next week without drugs.
I feel better each day that puts me further from my last treatment. The catch 22 of the situation is that the better you start to feel the more the clock is ticking in your head. The better you feel the closer you are to the next round of treatment. You will never get back to the 100% that you once knew and always took for granted.
This description is not to conjure up pity or praise from people, but rather to make sure everyone understands why it is important to support research to find better solutions. I hope that I’m around to see the day when solutions like surgery and chemotherapy and radiation are thought of as archaic routes to take in the treatment of cancer.
As I said I would not wish this on anyone but unfortunately all of you will know or already know another person that has to go through something similar or something worse. In some cases some of you will have to go through something like this. Right at this moment we all have the opportunity to try to get ahead of this. The amount of the donations is not what’s important to me. As I said previously, I would prefer a million small donations to a few large ones. In order to donate you can send cash or checks to me at 506 S Curley street, Baltimore Md,.21224. It is probably easiest for people to make donations on: http://www.active.com/donate/qquest/johnpetrovick

Cancer can take so much from anyone but it can only take Hope if you let it!

2011-08-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

I attended a the 4th annual survivor's luncheon for Dr. Quinones today. It made me realize how fortunate I have been so far. You may read that and think that I have finally lost it. How does a guy who has had two brain tumors in three years say he is fortunate? I looked around the luncheon and realized that some faces from previous years weren't there this year, and its not because they were on vacation. Some individuals can barely work or have trouble speaking or seeing. Some people were wheel chair bound. One woman there had gone through some 30 different surgeries. I have graduated from law school and will run in my 3rd consecutive Baltimore running festival.

All of us at the luncheon have the pleasure of having the best surgeon in the world. But what I have is the best family and friends that anyone could ask for. Which is why I am not afraid to issue a challenge which I will explain later on.

While I have been fortunate, I will never be able to fully explain the sacrifices I have had to make in order to deal with these tumors. Among other things, I have had to give up graduating on time from law school, having the freedom to go where I want when I want, I have lost or failed to be able to earn an unimaginable amount of money through missed time or lost work opportunities, and finally I may end up losing my life. This is just the beginning of the list and I'm positive I'll have to give up more, but what I refuse to give up is hope. My hope is that we find a cure for this. Maybe it is a fool's hope but I wholeheartedly believe that there will be a cure for cancer in my lifetime; I have to. My hope is based on the research and the advancements I have seen happen in cancer treatment and the research I have witnessed in Dr. Q's lab. I watch these brilliant minds give up a plethora of opportunities to spend endless hours doing research in this lab.

Basically, I am asking that from now until race day you give something up or take a moment to put a small amount aside each day, or each week and then take that and donate it to the lab. So, the challenge that I am putting to anyone who is reading this is to give something up which you do daily or weekly. This could be getting coffee at Starbucks instead of making it, or packing a lunch instead of eating out, or taking a night off from going out. I honestly do not care how much the final amount ends up being. My surgeon says that he would rather get a million $1 donations then get a few large donations and I completely agree. I realize these are tough times for anyone and I don't want anyone putting themselves in financial trouble but setting a small amount aside each day, even if it is just the change from your pockets adds up. It could be the $5 you donate that puts the lab over the top to purchase equipment, or samples, or pay a lab assistant for their time. If this seems like a lot just think of the sacrifices I have had to make in my life at 27 yrs. old and weigh it against giving up $.50 a day or whatever you may decide to do.

I appreciate you sticking with me and all I can offer back is my friendship and my comitment to never quit trying to beat this

Chemo session 1

2011-07-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

I am about to take the 4th dose out of 5 for this session. I would be lying if I said this was easy. It sucks! Best way to describe it is like being car sick or motion sick; not like you're going to get sick right away but you just feel off.
My chemotherapy is not taken by iv, instead I am prescribed pills for five days and take them before I go to bed. The idea is that I sleep through the worst side effects. The problem is it makes for an awful morning and it gets worse as the 5 days go on. I do this once a month for the next 12 months. So I am feling pretty crummy right now.
I am going back to work on august 1. It will feel good to have a purpose again.
Been feeling a little lost and aimless lately.
A lot of people have been asking me to do things in the fall or winter. Unfortunately, my chemotherapy schedule and my financial situation will not allow me to commit to a whole lot.
The best thing anyone can do for me during chemotherapy weeks is to help me out with dinner. I have to allow for 2 hours between dinner and my chemotherapy dose. The food tidings website seems to be gone. But just call, text or email.

Training tip of the week: sign up for whatever race you want to enter fee will go up and spots will fill up soon!

Training time

2011-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention that we have under 90 days now until the half marathon on October 15. There are also other options in the baltimore running festival for those of you who are concerned about doing the half. The relay is an option that i know is a great way to put together a team while limiting the distance for each person.
The ideal training time to start from 0 is about 90 days. So we're already a little behind if you haven't started training yet, then time is now! We still have plenty of time to get everyone to the goal. The important thing to remember when starting is that distance is always more important than pace. As you go along picking up the pace will come because you'll be in better shape and much better equipped to add some speed. Remember the goal in all of this is to finish the distance; I hate to say it none of us are gonna win this thing.
There are 2 kinds of runs during training.
Maintenance runs= runs you do either 3 or 4 times a week (Mon.-Fri.)
Stretch Runs= runs you do once a week to push the distance you are doing. It is preferable to do these on Saturdays so you can allow proper time to hydrate the night before, eat/hydrate the morning of, and then relax/ice afterwards.
Here is the training Schedule that I recommend. Once again I am not a trainer so adjust this as needed.

July 18-22 maintenance run- 1 mile; July 23- 2 miles
July 25-29 maintenance run- 1mile; July 30- 3 miles
Aug. 1- 5 maintenance run- 2 miles; Aug. 6- 4 miles
Aug. 8-12 maintenance run- 2 miles; Aug. 13 - 5 miles
Aug. 14-18 maintenance run- 3 miles; Aug. 20 - 6 miles
Aug. 22-26 maintenance run- 3 miles; Aug. 27- 4 miles
Aug. 29- sept 2 maintenance run- 3 miles; Sept 3- 7 miles
Sept. 5- Sept. 9 Maintenance run- 4 miles; Sept.10- 8 miles
Sept. 12- Sept. 16 Maintenance run- 4 miles; Sept. 17- 9 miles
Sept. 19- Sept. 23 Maintenance run- 4 miles; Sept. 24- 5 miles
Sept. 25- Sept. 29 Maintenance run- 4 or 5 miles; Sept. 30- 10 miles

I recommend at least one week of scaling everything down before the race in order to let your body be 100% on race day but some people may need 2 weeks. You're maintenance runs should be 3 miles, no more than 3 times a week.

Don't worry about the fact that the schedule does not go all the way up to the full 13.1 miles. If you stick to the schedule and are capable of doing the 10 miles before hand you will have enough to get 13 on race day I'm sure of it. It is very rare for anyone to train all the way up to the full distance for any long race.

Here are a couple of tips to start off.

DO NOT skimp on shoes; it is always tempting to go to a discount store and try to get cheap running shows or to get the wrong size because they're on sale. Don't do this, you'll pay for it at some point during training; There are some good running stores that will get you fitted and tell you which type of running shoes are ideal for you (they will always tell you the most expensive ones are the best). You don't need to opt for the most expensive model but don't go for the cheapest either.

Stretch, Ice, hydrate and eat:
This sounds like the most basic advice in the world but taking 10-15 minutes before and after to stretch will allow your joints and muscles to feel much better during runs which ultimately allows for better form. If something hurts after a run, then put ice on it for 20 minutes. It makes a huge difference. After my long runs I actually take ice baths; if you can handle them they make a huge difference.

Allow 20-30 minutes before a run to hydrate/eat something; it really will help you to make it through runs.

I'll post at least one training tip a week with my usual post.

Anyone who has any questions should feel free to ask me. Good luck

This only takes a minute

2011-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone--

I really want to thank you guys for doing everything you have done for me so far. I want to say again, You really are the best collection of friends that I could ask for.

I hate to keep asking you guys to do stuff, but I'm going to, particularly when it comes to supporting research causes. My doctor has been up front with me in saying that I'm the underdog in this fight. I am confident that my treatment will work, but it is not a cure. My Doctor and I have discussed this in terms of it being a chronic condition. I really hope I won't have to, but the reality is that even if my chemotherapy is successful, I may have to deal with a brain tumor again in my life. The reason I tell you this is because I want to stress how important the research aspect of everything is to me at this point. I fully believe that it is possible to find a cure to cancer within our lifetime. Below is an email from the Livestrong foundation and essentially it is asking for support in signing a letter to the UN.

Did you know that six out of 10 deaths globally come from diseases you can't catch like cancer? And that we can prevent millions of these deaths with tools we already have?

This September, world leaders are meeting for a historic UN Summit on cancer and other non-communicable diseases. I just signed onto LIVESTRONG's open letter calling on world leaders to make the world's top killers a top priority.

Will you add your name as well?

http://www.LIVESTRONG.org/SignOn

If we can get 100,000 signatures before the summit, LIVESTRONG will hand-deliver the letter to the UN Secretary General and key Heads of State.

Thanks.

Getting Started

2011-07-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

I have been back at my house in Baltimore for the last week and everything has been going really well. I have been able to resume with a light workout schedule, which has really helped with how I am feeling. It is still pretty far off, but I have made the decision that I will be running the Baltimore half marathon this year. My surgeon Dr. Q is running, and together we will be fundraising. Anyone who wants to run with us let me know and I will give you some details about the team we're putting together. I'm also willing to help anyone with a training regiment. While I am not a professional trainer I do know from personal experience what it is like to try to start from scratch and get ready for a race. I prepped for my first marathon after not being able to run at all for about 4 months. I am also about 20 lbs. heavier than I normally am and so my training has started off very light as well. I am going to be doing at least 3 chemo sessions between now and the race so there should be opportunities for people to keep up with my training regiment. Let me be clear I want people to run with me and Dr. Q but I don't want anyone to do anything they know they shouldn't or which will be detrimental to their well being. 13 miles is a lot, and I'm confident i can help get just about anyone get there, but I don't want anyone to do so in spite of their own health.

I am going to return to work this week and I will start my first round of chemotherapy on Friday this week. This is the tough part. The weeks where I am doing Chemo are very hard on me. I am tired, and just do not feel like myself. This is when I need reminders about why it is worth keeping such a positive attitude and how many great friends I have. I need everyone to remember that this is likely to go on for about a year and I'll need help the whole way. Right now I am still on high about how well everything is going. Everyone wants to help right away, but when I really need everyone is when I get 6, 8, and 12 months into this.

At this point I am feeling really great, unfortunately I go from feeling great to exhausted on a minute to minute basis so I am subject to changing my mind about what activities I am up for fairly quickly. So I want to apologize for times when I "flake out" on doing stuff with people.

A lot of people from out of town have asked about ordering dinners for me since they cannot be here to do so in person. I will put some places and some new dates on the food tidings website, so please check there.

Getting Back to normal

2011-07-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

I have been back up in Baltimore the last 2 nights. Feels really good to be getting back to normal. I have another Doctor's appointment tomorrow morning where they will remove my stitches and perhaps set a schedule for my chemo schedule. I am hoping to get back to work some time this week. A lot of people have asked what I need people to do to help me. A lot of people have provided dinners so far and it has been a tremendous help. I want to thank all of you that have already done so.
I am going to set up the food tidings website again. Please feel free to sign up. If you do sign up I really enjoy eating with whoever brings the meals so try to allow for an evening where you may have some time to hang out though it is not a requirement. I enjoy everything except bananas so feel free to be creative. I appreciate everything that people have done for me to this point. I am still open to visits at just about any point. So feel free to stop by, just let me know before hand so I can make sure to be home. If you haven't been to my house before I am at 506 S Curley street, Baltimore Md.
The schedule will have more days added, particularly once i figure out the chemo schedule because those weeks will be especially exhausting.
http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=287f6bd2-1c2c-4095-9421-df29cd569729

Test Results

2011-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a Doctor's appointment. The doctor had my oncology reports which was unexpected. The results were not good. Last time I was diagnosed with a stage 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma which is serious and fairly aggressive tumor. This time I am facing a stage 4 Glioblastoma which is a more aggressive and faster growing tumor. This is as high a grade of brain tumor as there is. I will be forced to undergo a regiment of chemotherapy again. I will be taking a drug called Temodar. This is the same form of chemo I took last time. Most likely I will take it for 5 days in a row each month for approximately a year. The good news is that there is no sign of the tumor remaining but this also means that there is not really a way to tell how effective the chemo is on the cancer cells. It is not likely I will be doing radiation this time, which is a good thing because that was the part of treatment which was devastating last time.
I'd just be lying if I said I was fine with all of this. I did this once though and I'll do it again, this time I have the advantage of having a better idea of what is ahead of me. This part of the process is the real grind and this is where I'll need all of you to help me more than ever. I am reluctant to take help so please be insistent. Not sure I am really up for talking about it because it is a little hard right now. The good news is that surgery was incredibly successful, there is no sign of the tumor remaining right now, but this is the problem with a glioblastoma; it is something which cannot be predicted about when it may recur. I am not exactly sure when we're going to get started on chemo but it should be in the next two weeks. I plan on trying to get on with my life as normally as possible during this process; last time I completed a semester of law school and trained for a marathon while going through this process. So I intend on doing somethings and beating this again.

Updates will be more regular from now on

2011-07-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Happy fourth of July Everyone! I am going to try to update the blog every week on Sunday from now on so that it is a little easier to keep up with.
I am back from the beach and hanging out at my parents house again completely open to visitors and invites to just about any event. It feels great to get out of the house every now and again although I get tired more quickly than I'd like to admit. Getting places is a bit of an issue right now because I am not sure when I will be allowed to drive.
For those of you who are unaware some of my friends got together and collected money and purchased me an ipad. I was blown away by this! Not only the gift itself but short period of time they accomplished it in. They also had enough left over that they donated approximately $500 to Dr. Q's research group. I am mentioning all of this because they deserve a lot of recognition. This gesture absolutely had a real effect on why I was able to recover so quickly.
This goes for everyone that has called, or stopped by, or dropped something off; You have given me so much to want to fight for. It means so much, I feel as though I owe all of you something which I never will really be able to repay. The best I can do is to never let any of this get the best of me, and I promise you any part of this I have a say in will be fought with unbelievable determination.
Thanks for everything to this point you have been an inspiration on what it means to be there for a friend.

Pardon my confusing texts

2011-06-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

I have gone from a very regimented schedule to doing virtually nothing all day. a side effect of all of this is that I have completely lost track of dates and days of the week so I probably have sent some confusing textxs regarding visiting dates and times to people. Bear with me. I am lucid. that being said I am leaving for the beach tomorrow morning and coming back friday morning so obviously the only people here to visit will be my mother and sandy. While they appreciate company, visiting for the next few days may not be as exciting. Thanks for everything everyone, feeling better every day.

Don't feed the bear!

2011-06-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

I appreciate the visitors and the company at my parents so this next request will seem very odd. But from this point forward I am asking that anyone who comes to visit me avoid bringing snacks. the dinner schedule is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I am on some meds which make me hungry non stop and I cannot have cookies, brownies, cakes, candy, and all sorts of other desserts readily available to me. You'll be helping me greatly by not bringing such items despite the fact that it seems nurturing. Once again I am happy to visitors at any time i just want to make sure my arteries make in through the next few weeks

Just hanging out

2011-06-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am resting at my parents house now and visitors are welcome. The most exhausting part is actually scheduling visitors. Shoot me a text if you wanna swing by not really an issue. I am not much entertainment but i'll be here. Thanks again everyone. the love and support i have received is a huge reason why i am doing so well

heading home

2011-06-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone sorry I have not updated this in a while. the internet connection at the hospital is spotty at best. I am headed home in a couple of hours. I'll be open to visitors but keep in mind that I need to get a lot of rest. This process has gone even smoother than last time, but i still have a long way to go. The best news in all of this is that my surgeon told me that for this operation he was able to dehydrate my brain so much that it was small enough that they were able to remove the tumor without taking any more blood vessels or brain tissue. This should make for an excellent recovery without a lot of side effects. Really exhausted now but I'll see all of you soon.

Out of Surgery

2011-06-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

John just came out of surgery. As they wheeled him past us he gave us a wave and said "love you guys". Fantastic news! There is a long way to go, but we've cleared the first hurdle. We'll keep everyone posted as we get more news. Keep the prayers coming.

big day

2011-06-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

First off some house keeping issues: I realize that many of you are concerned about me and want updates about what is going on instantly, but this is a slow process at times. The blog will be updated regularly by my sister and my family so please check back regularly. My sister will be available for calls and texts but please be understanding that she does not need to be overwhelmed during such a stressful process and will do her best to update everyone.

For those of you who know me even for a little while it becomes fairly evident that the best way to try to get me to do something is to tell me that I can't do it and I'll go to extreme lengths to make sure I can. Obviously the challenge which I am again faced with is of a different nature. This is a somewhat familiar challenge but nonetheless daunting. To try to say this is fair or part of a plan is honestly not something I can willingly subscribe to. To try to figure out "why me" or "what did I do" is even less productive. All I can say at this point is that I can take it. I know this because all of you have constantly reminded me how strong I am.

I wish I had enough time to talk with everyone that I have heard from this past week. The honest to god truth is that I did not have time to talk with each one of you because i have had so many people call, e-mail, text, and visit. This is for everyone. At times it could be said that I have a bad habit of not throwing things away in my life; old clothes, documents, or knickknacks of various kinds. This week and the support I have received has made me realize that I seem to have a habit of doing the same with people. This is one habit I have no regrets about. I have so many people that care about me in my life that I am literally amazed.

I can't say I have always known what I wanted to do with my life or why I'm doing things. I will say that as I have gone along throughout my life my one consistent goal has been to make impression of some kind on those that I have encountered. This week has given me a wonderful sense of fulfillment because I have realized that if nothing else to this point in life that goal is intact.

Food schedule

2011-06-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

We've set up an online schedule for food thanks to the many offers. Here's the link:
http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=90d4011d-d2c1-4d11-8a29-a4af7db9f532

Thanks.

Got sent home

2011-06-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I was sent home yesterday afternoon. I am not allowed to drive right now because all the evidence points to the fact that I had a seizure while running and therefore, even while on anti seizure medication I'm not cleared to drive. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Probably going to stay at my house in Baltimore on Saturday night. Visitors are welcome whenever and are always appreciated.

I don't have a whole lot of information about what's going on and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But what I will say is that I am convinced I will come through this fine and for anyone who has ever had an argument or a conversation with me you know that once I am convinced of something I won't be talked out of it. I don't plan on starting now!

Hopefully Headed home

2011-06-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I'm headed home at some point today it seems. Thanks for all the texts and other messages. They are really helping me stay positive and keep my chin up. Obviously this is very important because it is the only thing I can control. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday June, 21. I am headed back to my parents house in Arnold. Visitors are welcome as mentioned please text me or my sister before coming.

Same story just a different date

2011-06-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

So once again, I was running, I had a seizure, I was taken to a hospital, I had an MRI and they discovered a tumor. It is a smaller tumor in a similar spot. The difference is this one may be a little more intertwined with blood vessels and the part of my brain involved with motor function but the treatment plan seems to be the same. Surgery is scheduled tentatively for Monday June 21st. I think I will be headed home today probably to my parents. Visitors are all welcome just let me know in advance so I know to be home. Text either me or my sister her #401-359-7727. If you don't hear back from me I may be asleep. The only thing is sick people should probably wait til after surgery to come because I don't want to catch anything that may delay surgery and my sister's new baby is there as well. Not up for talking yet but texts and e-mails are most welcome. Thanks for all the love see you soon.

ways to donate

2010-10-14T06:56:00.001-07:00

There are several ways to contribute.

Online: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/make_gift.html

You can make the gift “In honor of John Petrovick”

704 Rusack Court

Arnold, MD 21012

Or directly:

Make a check payable to Johns Hopkins and in the memo part of the check write Dr. Quinones Stem Cell Research and mail it to:

John Petrovick

704 Rusack Court

Arnold, MD 21012

Office of Development
Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery
c/o The Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine
100 North Charles Street, Suite 401
Baltimore, MD 21201

Thanks again for all your support.

John Petrovick

Inside all of us is HOPE.

2010 marathon

2010-10-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

As you know I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008. I was fortunate in that I was set up with a brilliant doctor/surgeon. He heads a research group that is responsible for some of the methods that help to control and treat brain tumors. I have gone to their lab and sat in on their meetings. I am confident that this group will ultimately find a cure for brain tumors.
Brain tumors require different treatment methods than other forms of cancer. That is why it is important that specialized research groups get funds and donations directly. My surgeon Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, is a member of a research team at Johns Hopkins which works towards developing innovative methods for treating brain tumors. Further information about the group can be found at: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/brain_tumor/.
Once again I will be running the Baltimore Marathon and I am asking that people make donations and sponsor me in my race. I will be accepting donations well after the actual race.
Thank again for all your support.

2009-10-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

I finished the Marathon in a time of 3:40:45. It was a big day for me because it marked the end of the most difficult period of time thus far in my life. It finally felt like I was able to put some of the things that had happened in the past year behind me. I like to think that I kept the "why me" moments to a minimum during this time period. I will confess that I felt like somethings had been taken from me when all of this happened. I now feel as though I am better off than I was when this tumor presented itself. I may not have all my hair back, but I found out a lot about myself. I also found out how many good friends I have.
Tomorrow I will be turning over all of the donations that you sent me. I have not totaled the amount yet, but I think I eclipsed $5000! I'd like to thank all of you for your contributions. You may not fully understand how much it means to me. I was reminded this week about why I was raising funds. A man that I met during my radiation treatments named Jimmy Schwab did not win his fight with his brain tumor. I did not know he had passed in June. He went right after me on the radiation machine everyday. I saw him everyday that I had treatment and he was always in a better mood than I was. While I am saddened by the news of his death, it makes me all the more appreciative of how much support people gave. Treatment has come a long way but there is still a long way to go.
Your money will save someone who is a parent, a sibling, a child, or a friend to someone. You invested your money in a research team that I fully believe will have a hand in finding a cure to cancer.
So from the bottom of my heart thank you!

It has been a whole year

2009-09-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

It may surprise some of you to know that I will be running in the Baltimore Running Festival Marathon on October 10, 2009. I hope that some of you will sponsor me in this event in order to raise money for brain tumor research.

For those of you who are not aware, finishing a marathon has been a goal of mine for sometime. I was training for the 2008 Baltimore Marathon when I literally ran into some bad news. One year ago today I was running in preparation for the race when I collapsed due to a seizure.

Doctors discovered a malignant tumor in the right frontal lobe of my brain. Eight days later I underwent brain surgery and the tumor was successfully removed. The results of my pathology report required me to complete radiation and chemotherapy. The treatment was a long and difficult process but, it is not nearly as tough as it was even five years ago.

Brain tumors like the one I had require different treatment methods than other forms of cancer. That is why it is important that specialized research groups get funds and donations directly. My surgeon Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, is a member of a research team at Johns Hopkins which works towards developing innovative methods for treating brain tumors. This group is responsible for some of the only methods effective in treatment of brain tumors. Further information about the group can be located at: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/brain_tumor/.

I received overwhelming support in my fight against cancer from so many different people. Since it seems as though I may have won my battle, I am asking that you direct your support to a cause that can help many others get to where I am. Any donation toward this goal would be most appreciated.

Thankfully,

John Petrovick
Jpetrovick5@gmail.com
Cell- 443-527-5402

Please make checks payable to "Johns Hopkins." In the memo part of the check, please write Dr. Quinones Stem Cell Research. Those of you wishing to contribute can send donations to me at:
704 Rusack Ct.
Arnold, MD 21012

Finished

2009-08-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how many people are still reading, so maybe I'm just talking with myself. I just want to thank everyone for the support I have received. Unless I have made a mistake in my count, I am finally finished with my chemotherapy. This was the last portion that was part of my treatment plan.
I cannot say enough about the friends and family I have. I would not have been able to do this without you. Those who supported me the most saw me in my lowest moments and pulled me through them. I owe all of you something I can never pay back.
I am so wiped out right now I really don't think I have had a chance to let this moment sink in.

Wow

2009-05-10T01:08:00.001-07:00

I don’t mind bragging about what I just did. I finished a semester of law school which I never believed I would do over again. I never told anyone else but I was lying if I said I knew I could do this. Some people doubted whether I had what it took to get into law school to begin with. I won’t finish number 1, but after what I’ve been through this school year it doesn’t matter. I know that there is not a person on this earth that I can’t stand toe to toe with when it comes to determination. I owe that to all of you. It may not seem like any big deal to anyone else but one semester of law school is now the proudest moment in my life.
I don’t mind telling everyone that I cried for a half an hour when I turned my last exam in. The support I got from everyone was unbelievable. Your assumptions that I could do this drove me to this accomplishment. I stood on all of your shoulders to reach what I could not have done by myself.
I still have some a long way to go before I can say I am fully recovered but this is an unbelievable achievement for me.

Getting there

2009-03-04T13:09:00.001-08:00

I finished my first chemo treatment and I must admit that it was a real challenge. I felt pretty crummy for most of the treatment. It is nice to get one done and only have 5 left to go. Classes are starting to really pick up. I am excited to have spring break in a few weeks.
I said that I would be doing some fundraising soon but one of my friends beat me to the punch. There is a 5k Race in Washington DC called the “Race for Hope”. This race is held in effort to raise funds to support brain tumor patients. My friend Laura Hertzman is running in the race. She is running on a team associated with a few of her friends. If any one wants information or would like to contribute funds the team website is: http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/RFH-DC2009?team_id=21530&pg=team&fr_id=1340

I will not personally run in this race. I will be going to DC to support those that are running. I still plan on doing fundraising before I run in the Baltimore Marathon in the fall. But this is an excellent opportunity to do something in the mean time. Thanks in advance everyone.

Home Stretch

2009-02-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

I am nearing the end of my treatments. I am going to start my final chemo treatments soon. These are 6, 5 day treatments, spread over 6 months. The prognosis has been great so far. My follow up scan looked great according to my Doctors.
I resumed classes a little more than a month ago. I love my schedule and teachers. Mostly I love being back.
I'm not sure if anyone is still following this blog. But for those of you who are keep others posted and watch for updates regarding my completion of treatment. I will also be doing some fundraising in the future, so watch for that.
thanks everyone

Taking a break

2008-12-20T04:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I finished with my radiation treatments on December 17. I won't really know how effective those treatments were for about 6 months. I am now on a break until late January. At that point I will most likely continue with some chemo therapy. These treatments will be for one week periods over 6 months. I have been taking these treatments everyday while doing my radiation so hopefully this will not be taxing treatment.
I responded as well as anyone could have anticipated to the treatments. The only thing that would make it apparent to most that I went through this is the lack of hair on my head. I'm told that the first time it grows back it will likely be a different color /texture. Interesting part of that is that I didn't lose it all over so I may have two tone hair when it comes back.
I still plan on returning to law school in January.
I want to thank everyone for their support and concern. My radiation treatment flew by and that would not have been possible without the network of people who helped me.

Test Results came back

2008-10-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I got my test results back this morning and the news was good but not spectacular. I was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma tumor. For those of you who are unfamiliar with tumors. The grade of the tumor indicates the severity. The most aggressive and dangerous tumors are typically grade 4 tumors.
The most important thing to hear as far as I was concerned was that the tumor was not what is called metastatic. This means that the tumor originated in my brain and did not spread from another location. It also means that that the probability of this tumor spreading to another part of by body is unlikely. The bad news is that this is considered a fairly aggressive tumor. The good news is that while it is an aggressive tumor it is relatively slow growing and my doctor feels that he got all of it during surgery.
I will have to undergo some secondary treatment. This is not entirely unexpected. I will have to undergo chemo therapy as well as radiation therapy. While surgery may have been the riskiest part of my treatment, this will be the most difficult.
My doctor and I talked about a lot of things, but what was most important is what we did not have to talk about. I am dealing with something that is difficult but we did not have to talk about "how much time I have." That's because I can, and will come through this just fine. My doctor has dealt with more severe tumors than this and his patients usually survive.
The timeline we did discuss was how long it might be before I am able to get back to school. He thinks that I will be able to resume spring classes. He anticipates that I will be able to choose if I feel I am ready to resume.
Unfortunately discussing this is a little difficult for me right now so I don't want to talk about it over the phone. It makes me sound like I am having a much harder time with this than I really am.
I told members of my family that I didn't take too much time to wonder why this happened to me. The answer has always been obvious. This happened to me because I can take it. With the overwhelming support everyone has shown me throughout this experience, I am only convinced further that we can take it.

Results

2008-10-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There really hasn't been anything ne to post. Today I was supposed to get my results at my follow up appointment. Unfortunately my pathology report was not ready today. It was a real bummer. It looks like I won't be driving for a while, so for those of you wondering what it is you can do to help. Rides will be highly appreciated for the next few months. I will update the blog the minute I get the report.
Thanks again to everyone who came out to my fundraiser. It was better than I could have ever hoped for. It meant more than you can understand to see how many people I have supporting me.

2008-10-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Since I have been home things have come along nicely. My body feels stronger everyday. I know I have said it already but to this point everything has gone better thah anyone could have imagined. As of right now I think the time line is fairly uncertain b/c recovery has been quicker than most could imagine to this point. I have a follow up appointment in two weeks which should shed some light on the situation. Right now there are not a whole lot of answers excpet that the first, most difficult step, surgery, went very well.
All visitors are welcome to come by just give some notice so that we can make sure I can give everyone some time while they are here. When you do visit feel free to structure it anyway you want. I realize that you guys are the ones with things to do. I really have nothing to do right now but sit around and heal. I think at some point today I may try to stop by Spalding to watch my cousin's football game. I think that happens at around 3.
If I don't answer phone calls i is most likely b/c I am with someone, and as I said, I like to try to make sure everyone gets to see me when they are here.
Thanks for keeping up with my status everyone

Short update

2008-09-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Been making big strides today. My hair almost looks normal all things considered. Sorry I have been slacking on the entries. I'll make a longer entry for tomorrow with some interesting stuff. Just really tired right now

ANd I'm Back

2008-09-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

I just arrived back at home. I might be capable of talking to people starting tomorrow. Please call before stopping by. I'll admit I am not very entertaining right now. Good to be out of the hospital. Thanks for all the support through the surgery. Looking at me right now is not easy by the way. My head is stapled together right down the middle.

Sunday move

2008-09-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

John's been moved out of the critical care unit to the neurology care unit. He's still in the ICU, but feeling much better...I think the ND win and the USC loss really helped the recovery! He actually walked himself down to the new room and says he felt good doing it, just a little light headed. He'll probably be heading home tomorrow or Tuesday. He's looking forward to seeing everyone this week. Once we're home we'll set up some sort of schedule so he's not overwhelmed. He really appreciates all the prayers and comments on the blog. He knows everyone is thinking of him and wishing him the best. Thanks again for all the prayers. They're keeping us all going. We'll keep the updates coming.

XOXO
Buffy & Caroline

ICU

2008-09-27T09:04:00.001-07:00

John will be in ICU for the next few days. Visits are limited to family at this point. He's looking forward to seeing everyone next week.
He's sitting up today and feeling a little tired. The game schedule is lined up and he's resting so he can cheer ND on this afternoon. He knows everyone has been praying and thinking of him. We are over the first few obstacles, but the next few days are still critical, so keep it up~

Spectacular

2008-09-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

We got to see John tonight. I asked him how he felt and in John fashion, he replied, "Spectacular." He's tired and drugged, but looks great for someone who just underwent brain surgery. He's in ICU, so please don't send flowers b/c there really isn't room and they aren't allowed.
His sense of humor is intact and he's moving his hands with ease at the moment (one of the concerns of the surgery). We'll have to wait and see what the next few days and weeks bring, but right now things are looking good.

Awake and Alert

2008-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

John's nurse Amy just came in to let us know that he is awake and alert. He immediately recognized her and asked for a drink. A few of us will be able to visit one at a time in the next hour or so and then he will be moved to ICU.

First Hurdle Cleared

2008-09-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Dr. Q came out grinning! So far so good. John will be waking up soon (around 6) and the family will be able to see him shortly. We won't know exactly what type of tumor it was for at least 10 days. Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts. We'll keep you posted as we get answers. The next few days will still be touchy, so please keep praying. Love and hugs to everyone!

XOXO,
Buffy & Caroline

No Sweat

2008-09-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

Just waking up and getting ready to head down to Baltimore. The news that USC choked was a pleasant surprise this morning. Things are already looking up!
I couldn't ask for my friends and family to have been any better throughout this experience. Everyone keep it up and there's no way that this will turn out anyway but perfect.
There should be news about how everything is going around 6 tonight. My mom or sister will update the blog and will have my phone. I will be asking Josh Grogis and Kyle Dixon to keep my friends in the loop for the most part.
Can't wait to see everyone on the other side of this. Thanks again!

Counting Down

2008-09-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Going in for my pre-op mri tonight. Surgeon should know exactly how he plans to attack everything after tonight. I am supposed to report for surgery at 10:20 tomorrow morning. My sister or my mom will be updating the blog after that point. Thanks for all the cards everyone has sent so far.
Looks like my law school semester is over at this point. But don't worry I'll be back in no time, whining, complaining, and making stupid comments in class.
I'll be hanging around my parents til the appointment at 7 tonight but feel free to call at any time.

Wed. Night

2008-09-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am headed up to my father's house for dinner this evening so I won't be around tonight but feel free to call me if you want to chat. I am feeling much better today. I should be around thurs. during the day if anyone wants to call or stop by. Just so everyone knows I think space will be limited at the hospital for visitors and gifts. If you want to send something my parents house is the ideal spot. Once again all the support I have received has been fantastic. Thanks again

The Schedule

2008-09-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine I have a lot of commitments this week. I have Dr.'s and family and friends that want to see me. So tonight Tues. night I am going to hang in at my parents. Any one is welcome to stop by and see me. I am going to decline going to the O's game tonight. I appreciate the offers but it just seems like it will be a lot to handle. This is probably the best opportunity to see me for the rest of the week b/c I have to get together with family on wed. and thurs. night. The response to my blog has been awesome. Thanks for all the well wishes.
It is important to remember that everyone can see me after my surgery as well. I am too stubborn to let this keep me down. I really appreciate everyone being there for me. Please remember to take care of each other as well. And I realize I have a diverse group of friends so just try to tolerate each other for the next couple days.
My Parents Address is
704 Rusack Ct.
Arnold, MD 21012
Stop by any time

Update

2008-09-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

For all of those of you who are wondering what is going on in my life. I created this blog so everyone could stay up to date on my condition. On Thursday the 18th I was in the middle of a run when I started to feel strange. My hands seized into my chest and wouldn't move. I started to lose my balance and sat down on the curb. I suppose I passed out b/c I came to and found about 5 people standing above me telling me an ambulance was on the way. They took me to Hopkin's Bayview campus. They described my episode as a seizure. After doing a number of tests they determined that I had a lesion in the right frontal lobe of my brain. Rather than do a biopsy the neurosurgeon determined that the location of my lesion made it ideal to just go in and take out without haste. My surgeon's name is Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa. I am absolutely privileged to have him.
My surgery is scheduled for friday the 26th. I will undergo a craniotomy.
I am on some meds which are kind of giving me a hard time right now. I spend most of my days napping off migraines.
I want to talk to everyone so please don't be afraid to call but please understand that I have a lot to straighten out in the next few days and so I may not be able to get back to everyone, please do not get upset about me not getting back to you right away. I value all of your thoughts and prayers. I'll try to update this blog regularly