Here are the ten most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that folks have about my story:
When did you first notice a problem and what symptoms did you have?
How did you take the news?
Did you have surgery? If so, when? Did you have radiation treatments?
What was your post-operative diagnosis?
How did you determine what treatments to do after surgery?
What dietary supplements are you taking?
What side effects have you experienced?
Who is your doctor?
How have your wife and children been doing through all of this?
What has been the most difficult thing for you to deal with?
When did you first notice a problem and what symptoms did you have?
A series of severe, but short duration headaches began on 08 January 2004. Felt like a lot of pressure suddenly building up in my head. They would subside as quickly as they began, and these headaches did not occur everyday.
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How did you take the news?
Well, I cried like a baby! Nothing I had experienced in life up to that point prepared me for the neurologist’s words: “I’m sorry Mr. Kline, but you have a brain tumor.”
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Did you have surgery? Did you have radiation treatments?
Neurosurgeon Dr. S. Sam Finn removed the tumor on top of my right Parietal lobe on 04 February 2004 at Baylor in Dallas. One month later, I began a six week conformal radiation program, along with concurrent Temodar therapy.
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What was your post-operative diagnosis?
The post-op pathology report indicated that I had a giloblastoma multiforme (gbm), a “primary” tumor, which is one that originates in the brain, but usually does not spread to other parts of the body.
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How did you determine what treatments to do after surgery?
Six weeks of conformal radiation with concurrent Temodar (a pill taken at home) after surgery is the standard protocol. For follow up treatments, I spoke to gbm survivors, read books, did my own research on the internet, visited MD Anderson, Duke and UT Southwest to obtain multiple opinions. I also prayed for wisdom and discernment, as did my family and prayer partners.
Follow up began in March 2004 with 140 mg of Temodar per day for 14 days, along with 40 mg of Accutane. I then stopped the Temodar for 14 days, repeated the sequence three more times, with a MRI capping off the two month cycle. I discontinued Temodar in the Fall of 2006, having taken it for 2 1/2 years non-stop, and switched to Carboplatin and Avastin when the Tumor's recurrance was discovered in early June 2007.
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What dietary supplements are you taking?
I began taking an extensive list of supplements when the battle with the tumor first began. As time has moved on, I have dropped most of these supplements so that today, I take a multi-vitamin and iron pill.
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What side effects have you experienced?
During radiation treatment, quite a bit of my hair fell out. Most of it returned within six months. Initially, there was a ringing in my right ear that would come and go. As of the summer of 2006, the ringing has ceased. I do feel a bit fatigued from time to time. I eventually stopped the Accutane, due to its effects on my skin (a rash and a dry, flush, peeling face and arms). I had a seizure on 23 June 05 that has been controlled with Keppra (1000 mg/day). I occasionally took a Kytril pill to suppress nausea, but doing this necessitates the use of a prescription laxative Polyethelene Glycol.
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Who is your doctor?
My doctor is Dr. Virginia Stark-Vance, a remarkable person who blends oncology with hope. She is up on the latest treatments and truly cares for her patients. Dr. Stark-Vance has two offices: Dallas (214-691-8283) and Ft. Worth (817-926-2555).
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How have your wife and children been doing through all of this?
They seem to be doing very well. The kids are all making good grades in school, and are active in various activities outside of school. Kathy continues to run her AquaKids swim school business as well providing taxi services to our youngest children.
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What has been the most difficult thing for you to deal with?
My fears: Fear of the unknown. Fear of dying. Fear of leaving my wife and five children behind. I had a lot of head knowledge about God and the Bible, and I was and am a Christian, but even studying the scriptures for three decades did not prepare me for this tumor, because I had not experienced a life threatening situation before! But in my weakness, He showed me His strength. I have learned to trust the Lord more and to value each day given to me.
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