Next step starts tomorrow…

Right now I'm watching USA Hockey vs. canada...hopefully I won't get too distracted...

The next step for me, radiation, starts tomorrow at 11:15am at St E's. Tomorrow they have to get the proton thingy's set up, so it'll take 45-60 minutes. But from Tuesday on it will only take about 15 minutes. I will go five days a week for six weeks. It will be a localized radiation therapy, as opposed to total brain radiation therapy (lack of a better term), since she got it all This is a good thing...the side effects of a localized radiation are far more minimal than those of the total brain radiation. I pretty much am certain I'm going to be fatigued more so than usual. I may notice dry mouth and I will have to drink water or Gatorade all day. My taste also might get screwed up. On the bright side, I don't have to do chemo. It is what it is and I can handle it...but just the same six weeks can't get here soon enough.

Speech and occupational therapy are going very well. My speech is improving every day. I still get hung up occasionally trying to find a word, especially later in the day when I'm tired, but it's drastically better.  OT is also going well. My fine motor skills (typing) are still not up to par...but I have full movement and strength in my right hand. I'm confident I'll be back to my old self eventually

Check out the sweet shirts a few of my co-workers created. Click on the t-shirt link at the top of the page. Thanks to all who's had a hand in this!

Thanks again for all the kind words of support and love...it means a great deal to us to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Be well...TB

Great news…

Met with Dr. Aizenberg today to get sutures out and received some great news...

THEY GOT WHOLE TUMOR!!!! TOTAL RESECTION!!! Pathology determined what they initially thought to be small piece of tumor actually was brain swelling

So many emotions are running through me I'm shaking!!

This doesn't mean I'm cancer free...there are cancer cells still left which we need to kill with radiation. But this is a huge step in the right direction

To think...this went from being in-operable to TOTAL RESECTION...I'm speechless...

To the amazing and talented Dr. Aizenberg, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!

Good to be home

That's an understatement...being at home is exactly where I need to be.

I want you to know how much strength I have drawn from your love and support...words can't explain. I hope you all know how grateful I am to have such wonderful family and friends like you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I apologize this so short; it's frustrating not being able to type (it's coming along...slowly but surely ).

Be well...TB

Countdown…

Aside from barely getting to see my boys on their 3rd birthday, today wasn't too shabby...been a long day, but nothing new there. I did get to talk to the boys on the phone, they're staying with my parents tonight, and it made my day and broke my heart at the same time...I know I've said this before, but I'm glad they don't understand what's going on. I just hate how it takes me away from them...the only comfort I have is knowing they are in good hands.

As I type this it's roughly 7hrs til game time. I have to be at the surgical center at 6am. It'll take 60-90 minutes to get me set up. I'm not real clear on what all this entails other than immobilizing my head. I know they will have curtains (lack of a better term) set up and the folks who I will be able to see will not be able to see the surgeon. I believe they have surgery set for 730am or thereabouts...can't start soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

The first part of the procedure is the craniotomy, cutting and removing part of the skull. There is a cranial fluid sack (can't recall what it's called) that is between the brain and the skull so that is next...I'm not sure what she'll do but I do know she will repair this sack before replacing the skull section (apparently there are surgeons who allow this to repair itself...?).

Once she's comfortable with all of that, they will wake me up...still seems weird/scary. I guess they're never sure how people will react to this...she's had people who are totally groggy and never really 'with it' and others who are wide awake and completely aware of what's going on. I have no idea which side I hope to be on...

Once I'm awake they will do different tests involving motor and speech skills. Basically the surgeon is learning exactly what the tumor is touching in relation to the brain. Specifically, she's looking for primary functions and secondary functions so she knows where she can cut and where she needs to stay away. Primary cannot be re-learned and she has every intention to stay away from anything primary...but secondary can be re-learned and she will be more assertive in that area. I'm ok with this...completely ok. If it means being around longer for my boys and for Karla, hell yes I'm ok with it.

In speaking with the surgeon, she appears to be extremely meticulous...and of course I'm also perfectly fine with that It's hard to say how long surgery could last...they've pretty much scheduled it for most of the day. I won't be surprised if it's 8+ hrs. I assume they'll let me somewhat get my bearings about me...but not long after the surgery is completed they will shove me in the effing tube again and do an MRI scan which will serve as my new baseline for future scans (Lincoln has an 'open air' MRI...wonder if I can go there??).

They will keep me in the hospital for 3-5 days for sure...there's a lot of unknown's until after the surgery. Hopefully I'm boring you all with another blog post Wednesday or Thursday

I probably sound like a broken record...the support Karla and I are getting from you all is nothing short of amazing! Please know that it means more to us than words can describe! I hope you all are well. Take care...I'll chat with you later.

PS...The Thousand Cranes are hanging up in our room and will be waiting for me as soon as Karla learns what room they're putting me in!

Hook’em

As most of you know I've been a Texas Longhorn fan for a long time (and I'm certain most of you are not )...nonetheless, whoever contacted the UT Football department and got Coach Mack Brown to send a signed photograph as well as a photo signed by most of the 2009 team to me, along with a note from Coach Brown, thank you! This was pretty cool and something I will always appreciate...and I would love to personally thank you if only I could find out who pulled the strings

Tomorrow we're celebrating the Boys' 3rd birthday! I can't believe they're already 3...seriously, where the hell did time go? At the same time I'm very thankful they are not old enough to understand what's going on. Next week is going to be tough...I've never been away from them for more than a couple of nights. Hopefully I'm doing well enough on Wednesday that Karla can come home and be with them...

Enjoyed this evening with my wife...Jodie and Dean (sister in law/brother in law) watched the boys at their house so Karla and I could enjoy dinner and a movie at home. It's been a really long time since we've done that and it really was wonderful. Thank you Jodie and Dean!

As always, I hope you all are well. Take care and talk to you soon...TB

Friday’s thoughts…

Went into work for a few hours; needed to wrap a few things up and wanted to see my work family one last time (until I get back ). Little did I know how special these few hours would be...and how incredibly grateful I would feel.

Pretty much started off like most any day...WAY too early...nothing new there! Got a few last minute things done and spoke with a couple of clients. Not long before Karla was picking me up to head to O-town, my buddy Cameron walked into my office and matter-of-factly lets me know there are 'some people who would like to see me'...so that was a bit of an understatement. My friend and co-worker, Tae Yamaki, presented me with the chain of cranes (picture below) along with dozens of my friends and co-workers. There were so many people involved in getting this done, thank you so much!

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origame cranes will be granted a wish.

To elaborate some on the picture's caption, the crane in Japan is a mystical or holy creature and is said to live for a thousand years; by folding a thousand cranes, one's wish will come true.

Tae, correct me if I'm wrong but I think you said there are 1377 origami cranes in all! Simply amazing...but there's more...this was all done in the last week!!! It get's better...a few of the strands were cranes folded by some of the kids at Sheridan Elementary School, my old stomping grounds (thank you Stephanie!)! I still don't know what to say...thank you doesn't seem like it's enough...I truly hope that you all know what this means to me. I have every intention of bringing this to my room for pre and post surgery and I can't wait to tell everyone the story of how this very special gift came into my life.

The MEG test was pretty interesting, but exhausting at the same time. It's weird...you'd think these scans wouldn't be any big deal as far as the effect they have on someone. But they seriously wear me out. The MEG was like a bank vault...literally. The door looked nearly identical to a bank vault door; enormous, thick, crazy big lock. Inside I sat in a chair that was pretty comfortable. What sucked though was when they raised the chair and basically forced my head into this 'helmet' for lack of a better term. My eyes weren't covered and I could see fine...but I could barely move my head, and much like the MRI's, I was told several times to 'stay as still as possible'. The scans themselves were fairly short, but there were several to go through. For the first scan they showed me random words for about 10 minutes; I had to essentially read the word (not out loud) and if the word rhymed with 'trail', I had to tap my finger. Another scan involved being shocked...the technician hooked these electrical things up to both of my wrists; when the thing fired it would make my thumbs twitch. It didn't hurt...it was annoying more than anything. Then they did the same thing but this time the electrical things were hooked up to my ankles, making my big toes twitch.

I then had an MRI, the shortest MRI I've ever had which is great since I'm not a real big fan of  the tube they put you in. This MRI will basically be overlapped or synched up or intertwined with the MEG scan, allowing Dr. Aisenberg to have what she described to me as a GPS look at my brain (I don't pretend to know exactly what this stuff is, pretty much just repeating what Karla and I have been told). If it helps her do what she needs to do, I'm all for it

Thank you so much for all your kind words and support. Having this website is proving to be a wonderful source of strength and encouragement for Karla and I.

I hope you all are well and warm. Take care...TB

Just another update…and meet my neurosurgeon

I'm not really sure how often I'm supposed to blog...if this all seems random, it is. I really want to thank my good friends Mark Hatten and Mike Wittmann for putting this site together. They put in a lot of time and effort, and Karla and I truly appreciate everything they've done.

Gonna have a long day tomorrow...I'm ready to just be done with it. Karla posted a link below that explains the MEG test...it's pretty crazy that Omaha of all places has one of these MEGs. I think it's safe to say my neurosurgeon is a big reason why the Med Center has one of those. Karla found this link where you can watch a short video and read the amazing story of a gal named Amy whom Dr. Aizenberg helped.

If you are praying for us, please pray for Dr. Aizenberg...and if you're sending some positive-mojo-energy-vibes our way, please send them her way too

I hope you all knows how much we appreciate the kind words, support and love we're getting. It means a great deal to us to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you all, for everything.

I hope you all are well and enjoying your day. Take it easy...TB

Time is slow…

Well...not really sure where to start as I've never 'blogged' before...I assume if you're reading this you're curious what the hell's going on...

The current plan of action starts Monday, February 1 (my boys 3rd birthday). I have a series of tests I have to go through, including a physical and pre-surgery consult. This will take most of Monday and we will stay in Omaha that night (I'm already looking forward to some Zio's pizza!).

Tuesday, I'm scheduled for surgery at 730am. It will take around 1.5 - 2 hours for Dr. Aizenberg to perform the craniotomy (open my skull). During this time I will be knocked out from the anesthesia.  But lucky me...once she's done with that, they're going to wake me up! It seems completely crazy to me...but from what I've learned, doing an awake surgery only helps in trying to make sure no permanent damage is done. The surgery overall will be anywhere from 6-8 hrs, maybe longer. I feel horrible knowing Karla will have to wait through that...the only comfort I have is knowing her sis Jodie will be there and we've been told that they will give her updates every couple of hours.

I wish this was all happening tomorrow...I just want to get after it so I/we can start figuring out what's next. In the meantime, I'm just trying to enjoy time with my family and keep myself occupied.

Be well.