Brain Surgery
Well... It's time for a few updates. It's been a while since I've posted on here. Hopefully my excuses are acceptable. I'll be posting a handful of updates just to try and catch up. The first update is of my brain surgery, which took place on January 25th, 2019 at the University of Utah Hospital. Dr. Fultz was the surgeon. More on the surgery in a minute, but first I'd like to discuss some of the build up to the surgery.
As many of you know, I chose to treat my cancer holistically. My wife and I had done quite a bit of research into the alternative treatments available and, after much discussion with each other and with the Lord, we decided to pursue alternative treatment. I want to make it clear that I do not and will not ever regret that decision. Nor have I turned my back on the alternative treatment world.
It's amazing how sometimes the perfect storm can conspire to cause issues. In December 2018, I started receiving help from the White Sage Clinic in Wales, UT. As I worked with these two brothers, I started to see improvements in my body. Tumors were shrinking and we were hopeful that their protocol would provide significant help. A couple of weeks prior to my surgery, they informed me that they were going to clean up my lymphatic system, which I knew needed some help. They advised me that this would be a significant detox that would likely include debilitating headaches. I was informed that they would provide me with some items to hopefully help with the headaches, but to let them know if that didn't help. Keep this bit of info in mind...
About a week prior to my surgery, my symptoms began. Shortly after visiting with my parents, I was waiting in the car while Kim checked out some stuff at Savers. While waiting in the car, I unexpectedly and without warning had the sudden urge to vomit and almost did. I told Kim about it, but didn't think much of it. After getting home, I was standing in the kitchen. Again, without warning, I had the urge to vomit and actually did so this time. Fast forward a few days to Sunday... I threw up 7 times on Sunday. I then threw up 5 times on Monday. All of this without any nausea or warning. I had to do my best to make it to some receptacle that was acceptable haha At this point, we were concerned. I had also started to develop some significant headaches and found that curling up in bed was my best way of dealing with the pain. I was also dealing with some constipation. Just a lot was going on.
We were able to schedule a visit with the White Sage Clinic for Tuesday. We spoke with them and they informed me that my vomiting and headaches were a result of a significant detox. I've done much research into side effects of detoxing the body and none of this jumped out at me as being unexpected. The two brothers took me off of all my supplements and gave me some stuff to help with the vomiting, sleep, and provided some guidance with the constipation and dehydration from the vomiting. They also informed us that, based on my current status and the amount of toxins in my body, receiving an IV could potentially kill me. This guidance was based on some first hand experience they had with one of their patients and the research they had done. Keep that in mind for a little bit as well...
So here we find ourselves... Our belief is that my body is detoxing too heavily and needs some time to clear things out and a break from treatment. We've also been informed that I'm not in a position to receive an IV. This information and these beliefs played a huge role in what took place over the next few days. I continued to spend my days lying in bed. What they gave me for the vomiting didn't help and my headaches failed to improve. I also stopped eating much and my willingness to drink declined. Our concern over the IV situation made us reluctant to go see a doctor. On Wednesday, January 23rd, Kim finally called a friend whose mom happened to be an RN. They both came over and the mom checked my vitals. She said that everything looked good, but if I didn't start drinking, I needed to be taken to the ER. Well... Later that night Kim decided that I need to go to the ER. I just wasn't drinking.
The ER doctor talked to us about what was going on. He checked my electrolytes and gave me a saline drip to help. My electrolyte levels came back good, which I suppose was good news. He also gave me ONE pill to help with what he believed was a migraine, which I've never had. Kim asked about a brain scan, but the doctor essentially dismissed it. Despite the doctor knowing I had stage 4 melanoma, which migrates to the brain, he said there was no need for a scan and asked us what we'd even do after the scan. Needless to say, we weren't too happy with his "help". More on this later though...
So we went back home. If the doctor wasn't going to do much for me, I just wanted to be in my own bed. The pain med helped for maybe an hour, but then it wore off. And he only gave me one. Not much help overall. That next morning, my parents showed up to the house and I wasn't in good shape. This is where my memory of what took place starts to fade. To sum things up, I deteriorated quite a bit. My eyes started swelling and the left side of my body stopped functioning well. I refused to eat or drink and just wasn't in a good spot. About halfway through the day, the decision was made to take me to the ER again to get a brain scan. As soon as we arrived at the ER, the CT scan was done and my primary physician sat down with me. I informed him that my original PET scans showed a clean brain and clean organs. He informed me that my situation was dire. I had two tumors in my brain that were compressing my brain against my skull. After providing me with a priesthood blessing, my doctor spent over an hour on the phone with the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the U of U Hospital to get things sorted out. I was loaded into an ambulance and taken up north.
Surgery took place at about 1:30 pm the following day, January 25th. Dr. Fultz and his team removed two melanoma tumors from my brain. These tumors had hemorrhaged, which caused leaking blood and fluid to create cysts. As these cysts grew, they placed increasingly greater pressure on my brain, which lead to the deterioration of my body and functionality. I was in surgery for a couple of hours. Fortunately, the surgery was a huge success. The doctor and his team were incredible. The worst part about the whole thing was having the catheter removed that evening! Never again! haha My recovery was incredible and went as well as it could. I was told I would be recovering in the hospital for about 10 days, but ended up being discharged less than 48 hours after my surgery had been completed. I attribute this to the grace of God as well as to my diet. My clean diet, I believe, had my body in a position to heal that quickly. So, we left the hospital with two fewer tumors and 16 staples in my head.
Recovery for the first week was rough. Once I was off those pain meds the hospital pumps you full of, my body crashed. I hadn't slept much for over a week and I was emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. I struggled to sleep due to increasing back pain. Sleeping on a wedge forced me mto use my upper back muscles more than I normally did and they eventually got angry, which Made sleeping and moving very difficult. But, by about day 10, I was starting to function normally again. We had the staples removed, my energy was coming back, the back pain was lessening, and things looked bright.
I just want to touch on a couple of things... Not every decision in situations like this is black and white. There's a lot to consider and there are a lot of aspects at play. I mentioned the perfect storm, and that's really what this was. Based on how I was treating my body, we simply believed I was dealing with detox symptoms. There was no reason for us to think that anything more serious was taking place. We acknowledge that we probably should have been receiving regular scans on my brain to monitor it, but that's just something that we had to learn the hard way.
I also want to talk about the Lord's timing... I mentioned the doctor at the ER the first night we went. He seemed reluctant to really care about me and my situation. If the brain scan had been done that night, I wonder how much effort he would have put in to ensure I was truly taken care of. Waiting 12 hours to return to the hospital placed me in the hands of a man who I have had a relationship with for multiple years and who spent more time than was necessary ensuring I was taken care of. I believe that is a significant tender mercy from the Lord, ensuring that I would be placed in the best hands capable of taking care of me. I'm grateful for that one day delay and have learned throughout this process that God's understanding and vision far surpasses our own. While our prayers might not be answered right away or how we want them to be, we must be willing to trust in His loving and caring hand.
I am very grateful to Dr. Cary Judy for making sure I was placed into the best hands possible, the ambulance crew for successfully transporting me up north, Dr. Fultz and his team for the care with which they treated me during and after his surgery, and for the nursing staff that helped me through the next couple of days, especially Matt in the NCCU. I want to thank my family for their love and support throughout the surgery and recovery. I thoroughly enjoyed the parties we had in my hospital room. Finally, I want to thank my wife for the dedication, love, sacrifice, and service she showed me throughout this difficult trial. She was unwaivering in her love and desire to do what was best for me.
As many of you know, I chose to treat my cancer holistically. My wife and I had done quite a bit of research into the alternative treatments available and, after much discussion with each other and with the Lord, we decided to pursue alternative treatment. I want to make it clear that I do not and will not ever regret that decision. Nor have I turned my back on the alternative treatment world.
It's amazing how sometimes the perfect storm can conspire to cause issues. In December 2018, I started receiving help from the White Sage Clinic in Wales, UT. As I worked with these two brothers, I started to see improvements in my body. Tumors were shrinking and we were hopeful that their protocol would provide significant help. A couple of weeks prior to my surgery, they informed me that they were going to clean up my lymphatic system, which I knew needed some help. They advised me that this would be a significant detox that would likely include debilitating headaches. I was informed that they would provide me with some items to hopefully help with the headaches, but to let them know if that didn't help. Keep this bit of info in mind...
About a week prior to my surgery, my symptoms began. Shortly after visiting with my parents, I was waiting in the car while Kim checked out some stuff at Savers. While waiting in the car, I unexpectedly and without warning had the sudden urge to vomit and almost did. I told Kim about it, but didn't think much of it. After getting home, I was standing in the kitchen. Again, without warning, I had the urge to vomit and actually did so this time. Fast forward a few days to Sunday... I threw up 7 times on Sunday. I then threw up 5 times on Monday. All of this without any nausea or warning. I had to do my best to make it to some receptacle that was acceptable haha At this point, we were concerned. I had also started to develop some significant headaches and found that curling up in bed was my best way of dealing with the pain. I was also dealing with some constipation. Just a lot was going on.
We were able to schedule a visit with the White Sage Clinic for Tuesday. We spoke with them and they informed me that my vomiting and headaches were a result of a significant detox. I've done much research into side effects of detoxing the body and none of this jumped out at me as being unexpected. The two brothers took me off of all my supplements and gave me some stuff to help with the vomiting, sleep, and provided some guidance with the constipation and dehydration from the vomiting. They also informed us that, based on my current status and the amount of toxins in my body, receiving an IV could potentially kill me. This guidance was based on some first hand experience they had with one of their patients and the research they had done. Keep that in mind for a little bit as well...
So here we find ourselves... Our belief is that my body is detoxing too heavily and needs some time to clear things out and a break from treatment. We've also been informed that I'm not in a position to receive an IV. This information and these beliefs played a huge role in what took place over the next few days. I continued to spend my days lying in bed. What they gave me for the vomiting didn't help and my headaches failed to improve. I also stopped eating much and my willingness to drink declined. Our concern over the IV situation made us reluctant to go see a doctor. On Wednesday, January 23rd, Kim finally called a friend whose mom happened to be an RN. They both came over and the mom checked my vitals. She said that everything looked good, but if I didn't start drinking, I needed to be taken to the ER. Well... Later that night Kim decided that I need to go to the ER. I just wasn't drinking.
The ER doctor talked to us about what was going on. He checked my electrolytes and gave me a saline drip to help. My electrolyte levels came back good, which I suppose was good news. He also gave me ONE pill to help with what he believed was a migraine, which I've never had. Kim asked about a brain scan, but the doctor essentially dismissed it. Despite the doctor knowing I had stage 4 melanoma, which migrates to the brain, he said there was no need for a scan and asked us what we'd even do after the scan. Needless to say, we weren't too happy with his "help". More on this later though...
So we went back home. If the doctor wasn't going to do much for me, I just wanted to be in my own bed. The pain med helped for maybe an hour, but then it wore off. And he only gave me one. Not much help overall. That next morning, my parents showed up to the house and I wasn't in good shape. This is where my memory of what took place starts to fade. To sum things up, I deteriorated quite a bit. My eyes started swelling and the left side of my body stopped functioning well. I refused to eat or drink and just wasn't in a good spot. About halfway through the day, the decision was made to take me to the ER again to get a brain scan. As soon as we arrived at the ER, the CT scan was done and my primary physician sat down with me. I informed him that my original PET scans showed a clean brain and clean organs. He informed me that my situation was dire. I had two tumors in my brain that were compressing my brain against my skull. After providing me with a priesthood blessing, my doctor spent over an hour on the phone with the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the U of U Hospital to get things sorted out. I was loaded into an ambulance and taken up north.
Surgery took place at about 1:30 pm the following day, January 25th. Dr. Fultz and his team removed two melanoma tumors from my brain. These tumors had hemorrhaged, which caused leaking blood and fluid to create cysts. As these cysts grew, they placed increasingly greater pressure on my brain, which lead to the deterioration of my body and functionality. I was in surgery for a couple of hours. Fortunately, the surgery was a huge success. The doctor and his team were incredible. The worst part about the whole thing was having the catheter removed that evening! Never again! haha My recovery was incredible and went as well as it could. I was told I would be recovering in the hospital for about 10 days, but ended up being discharged less than 48 hours after my surgery had been completed. I attribute this to the grace of God as well as to my diet. My clean diet, I believe, had my body in a position to heal that quickly. So, we left the hospital with two fewer tumors and 16 staples in my head.
Recovery for the first week was rough. Once I was off those pain meds the hospital pumps you full of, my body crashed. I hadn't slept much for over a week and I was emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. I struggled to sleep due to increasing back pain. Sleeping on a wedge forced me mto use my upper back muscles more than I normally did and they eventually got angry, which Made sleeping and moving very difficult. But, by about day 10, I was starting to function normally again. We had the staples removed, my energy was coming back, the back pain was lessening, and things looked bright.
I just want to touch on a couple of things... Not every decision in situations like this is black and white. There's a lot to consider and there are a lot of aspects at play. I mentioned the perfect storm, and that's really what this was. Based on how I was treating my body, we simply believed I was dealing with detox symptoms. There was no reason for us to think that anything more serious was taking place. We acknowledge that we probably should have been receiving regular scans on my brain to monitor it, but that's just something that we had to learn the hard way.
I also want to talk about the Lord's timing... I mentioned the doctor at the ER the first night we went. He seemed reluctant to really care about me and my situation. If the brain scan had been done that night, I wonder how much effort he would have put in to ensure I was truly taken care of. Waiting 12 hours to return to the hospital placed me in the hands of a man who I have had a relationship with for multiple years and who spent more time than was necessary ensuring I was taken care of. I believe that is a significant tender mercy from the Lord, ensuring that I would be placed in the best hands capable of taking care of me. I'm grateful for that one day delay and have learned throughout this process that God's understanding and vision far surpasses our own. While our prayers might not be answered right away or how we want them to be, we must be willing to trust in His loving and caring hand.
I am very grateful to Dr. Cary Judy for making sure I was placed into the best hands possible, the ambulance crew for successfully transporting me up north, Dr. Fultz and his team for the care with which they treated me during and after his surgery, and for the nursing staff that helped me through the next couple of days, especially Matt in the NCCU. I want to thank my family for their love and support throughout the surgery and recovery. I thoroughly enjoyed the parties we had in my hospital room. Finally, I want to thank my wife for the dedication, love, sacrifice, and service she showed me throughout this difficult trial. She was unwaivering in her love and desire to do what was best for me.
My brain one month after my surgery. The white spot on the left is the cavity from on of the removed tumors.
My brain the day before surgery. The large solid gray spot on the left is one of the two tumors/cysts removed. It was a 5cm x 5cm cyst. You can see how my midline and spinal fluid columns have been displaced.
Dr. Fultz who performed the brain surgery
Back home. Ignore the hair. It took a while to shower haha
Hospital food wasn't the greatest...
Not sure what was up with my eye! haha
That left side is still recovering. Can't quite smile correctly...
Pre-surgery condition. This is how I spent a lot of time leading up to the surgery.
Staples were just removed!
16 staples to keep that head shut!
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