ARTICLES

Judy Grim
Brain Tumor Survivor

EARLY DETECTION FOR BRAIN TUMORS

The Brain Tumor Foundation newsletter featured an article about "The Road to Early Detection Campaign."
Here is the link to an excellent video on their website:. What's especially chilling is..."Every 20 minutes, someone dies of a brain tumor and it is estimated that one million people in the U.S. are UNKNOWINGLY walking around with one."

My brain tumor journey did not include early detection, but despite that I am a survivor. My reaction to watching this video was, " All I can say is WOW with tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat & feeling a bit angry. You see, this video reminded me of the signals my body had been sending off & on for about 14 years that I & my doctors. passed off as no real concern.

Throughout those 14 years I really wasn't out of commission, just slowing down. In 1993, I started losing my balance, which was blamed on my cerebral palsy. I gradually started using canes & a walker to help me walk. In 2003, I learned that the light flashes in my eye were called ocular migraines, but since they didn't last too long & only happened occasionally, there was nothing to be concerned about according to my optometrist. I don't think I even told my primary doctor about them. In 2005, I started having intermittent tingling down my right arm to my thumb. Then I had to stop swimming laps because after a couple I would get a sharp but quick headache. Again, I didn't think too much about it.

Then finally in May 2007, I complained enough about my right arm discomfort to my orthopedic doctor that he ordered an MRI of my neck to find out why I was having tingling down my right arm. The MRI showed cervical compression & a shadow of a tumor at the base of my brain. Then I heard the words, "You have a brain tumor. It's called a meningioma, & it's probably benign. You need to have a brain MRI done, then you need to see a neurosurgeon." My neurosurgeon told me that because my tumor was 6 cm, it had been there between 10 & 20 years.

I had a cervical fusion in May 2007 & a craniotomy in September 2007 & I am doing great. I'm getting some of my balance back, have suffered no more ocular migraines & I'm swimming laps once again. Life is good! I'm one of the lucky ones.

My realization is that much needs to be done to raise awareness of the importance of early detection. Since my experience, I've been saying that a brain MRI needs to be added to the list of necessary screening as are mammograms, pap tests, colon screenings, prostrate testing, etc., but haven't known how to get past just talking about this need. Hopefully, I will find a way to assist the Brain Tumor Foundation or some other group in promoting the need for early detection. My other hope is that, in the near future, I will be able to write another article spreading the news that brain MRI's are part of preventive medicine.