• The KillerFrogs

It’s hard to believe.

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
I’m just going to reminisce a little so please bear with me. I’m not fishing for comments but do appreciate them.

This is just a look back in time

It was a year ago today that I woke up with a headache that by the afternoon felt like someone was inside my head with a jackhammer.

All day long I kept dropping things, I couldn’t make my right or left hand coordinate with each other. It wasn’t until I struggled to put on socks and then couldn’t tie my shoes, I thought something was wrong. Boy was it.

Thinking that I was having a stroke, I called my doc but after doing a few exercises in front of a mirror, she wasn’t sure about a stroke but advised me to go to the emergency room.

In retrospect, I have no idea how I got there. I remember driving erratically and am amazed that I wasn’t pulled over and issued a DUI.

They found swelling in my brain, transferred me to St Davids in Austin for an MRI and the next morning, ( Wednesday, ) Dr Peterson, laid the news on me. “ You have two tumors in your brain, one is small, the other is the size of a lemon.I’ve identified it as Grade 4 Glioblastoma and I’ll remove them Friday afternoon.”

As soon as he said Glioblastoma,I said oh crap, but it was a stronger word than that.

With my wife in London handling the semester abroad for the university she teaches at and my daughter leaving on her honeymoon the next day ( Thursday), I sent them both a text. “ hey don’t freak out but I’m going to have brain surgery on Friday.”

It didn’t take long for them to call and my wife was on the next plane to Austin. I told my daughter to go on her honeymoon, Ii’ll Be ok.

“Dad are you out of your mind ( probably) “I’m not going to let you go into something like that and not be there with you”

I was never so happy to see them walk through that door to be there with me and I knew that with them, I’d be OK.

Surgery took 2.5 hours and I went home on Sunday.

The truly amazing thing about this surgery was the lack of pain. I fully expected to wake up with a whopper of a headache but it never happened.In fact any pain or discomfort that I did experience was covered with Tylenol.

So what now? I am still waiting on a call back from MDAnderson and its been a week.frustrating and disappointing.

Tomorrow I see my oncologist and on Friday I have the IV port surgically implanted. I assume that next week I start on IV chemo.

Surgery is still an option and I guess we’ll talk more about it tomorrow, unless MD Anderson decides to finally get back to me.

It’s been an interesting year and I know that there is more to come.It isn’t over yet.

One thing that has moved and motivated me are the calls, messages, prayers, BBQ, bourbon, books and kind thoughts sent my way and I am so very grateful to all of you for that. I wish that I could look each and every one of you in the eyes, shake your hand and personally thank you for your kindness and friendship. You have sustained me this past year, and I know that you’ll help keep me going for the next year.

I love all of you and thanks for keeping this Horned Frog going.I couldnt have gone this far without you

Support the Frogs

Wes
 

Eight

Member
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wes,

the older i get the more certain i am about the less i truly know and understand.

there are a few certainties and among those is that you are a true blessing to anyone who is fortunate to know you and have you in their life.

your spirit, the manner you carry yourself, the strength you have shown through so many challenges in your life humble me.

i don't know why this happened, but the one thing i know is each morning you are in my prayers and each tuesday morning there is a group of people asking god's wil for you.
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
Wait a minute. I'm disputing this one:

“ You have two tumors in your brain, one is small, the other is the size of a lemon. I’ve identified it as Grade 4 Glioblastoma and I’ll remove them Friday afternoon.”

Everyone knows you get a lime in your coconut, not a lemon.
Good one.

Thanks, I needed that
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
giphy.gif


wes,

the older i get the more certain i am about the less i truly know and understand.

there are a few certainties and among those is that you are a true blessing to anyone who is fortunate to know you and have you in their life.

your spirit, the manner you carry yourself, the strength you have shown through so many challenges in your life humble me.

i don't know why this happened, but the one thing i know is each morning you are in my prayers and each tuesday morning there is a group of people asking god's wil for you.
I thank you for that. You humble me
 

Punter1

Full Member
You went home Sunday after brain surgery on Friday??? Whaaaat the darn??? Two tumors removed and you're out in 48 hours??? They kept me longer for an appendectomy in '93. I reread that five times just to make sure it was correct...

Your attitude is something I seriously try and copy and remember when I am having a bad/tough/stressful day. And I guess it hasn't registered you are in the Austin area....I'm in Buda. Gonna slide into your DMs soon so we can plan a lunch....
 

froginmn

Full Member
I googled Wes and got these hits:

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What did you google to find that?
Oh and have fun with the ads that start to show up in your browser.

Wes, continue thinking about you and praying for a positive outcome with each step. You mean a lot to me, and to so many of us in this community.

God bless.

John
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
You went home Sunday after brain surgery on Friday??? Whaaaat the darn??? Two tumors removed and you're out in 48 hours??? They kept me longer for an appendectomy in '93. I reread that five times just to make sure it was correct...

Your attitude is something I seriously try and copy and remember when I am having a bad/tough/stressful day. And I guess it hasn't registered you are in the Austin area....I'm in Buda. Gonna slide into your DMs soon so we can plan a lunch....
Sounds like a plan

We live in Georgetown, so not far from Austin

Yeah I was surprised at how fast he got into and out of my brain>. Hell my knee replacement took 4.5 hours.

I kept asking him if he was sure I could go home that quickly? Yep.

It was a short but miserable stay in the hospital. Of course I had IV’s in my arm and was tethered to them.I had an inflatable cuff around each calf that helped prevent blood clots so I literally had about 18 inches of leeway. I was technically in an ICU room that hat no toilet so I had to use that little hand held urinal, which I placed on the floor when I was finished. I did so, then knocked it over and stepped in it. Hearing a tirade of expletives, they came in saw what happened and cleaned me up.God it was miserable.

Anyway, That part is over

On to the next chapter
 
We choose our paths through the hostile jungle of life. Those paths bring us to where we are. Your choices have brought you into a clearing filled with love, prayers, and good will. You are reaping what you have sown. No one knows where we are headed, but wherever your journey lies you will go there surrounded by the love, dignity and respect you have shown others. God bless you my friend.
 

Land Frog

Darn baylor!
Wes, do you get up to Fort Worth much?

If so, I'm sure many of us would like to drink a glass of bourbon with you.

If not, I'll see if I can get some other knuckleheads on here to join me in a Saturday adventure to Georgetown.
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
Wes, do you get up to Fort Worth much?

If so, I'm sure many of us would like to drink a glass of bourbon with you.

If not, I'll see if I can get some other knuckleheads on here to join me in a Saturday adventure to Georgetown.
Since I am not supposed to drive anymore, I don’t gret up there often.I did get to all home football games and went to a baseball game a few weeks ago.

Hopefully i’ll Be there for more soon.I sure as hell miss it
 

Brog

Full Member
Wes, the best thing about your sharing all this with us is to remind us that we, too, are mortal human beings, and no matter how great things are sailing along today, we, too, can wake up tomorrow with a headache and then......... Most of us have never had the opportunity to follow along with someone in this kind of situation, and I really do thank you for letting us do it. We're all with you, and for whatever that's worth, don't forget it.
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
Wes, the best thing about your sharing all this with us is to remind us that we, too, are mortal human beings, and no matter how great things are sailing along today, we, too, can wake up tomorrow with a headache and then......... Most of us have never had the opportunity to follow along with someone in this kind of situation, and I really do thank you for letting us do it. We're all with you, and for whatever that's worth, don't forget it.
I appreciate that. It started as a headache, which I normally would have shrugged off but when the other things started happening, I had to act.

Sometimes minor things aren’t so minor
 
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