Brain Cancer Podcast

Well hello and thank you for listening today! It's been two years since my second craniotomy for a small recurrence of my brain tumor. I cannot believe that it's been two years already! I just wanted to share how I felt back then and how I'm feeling today while still going through my own treatments. I have to apologize for not getting everything I wanted to get done for Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Like I mention in the episode, I just don't have enough hours in the day after work and getting everything cleaned up and planted outside. I also have to manage with the fatigue as well.

Hello! This is just a short episode talking about Brain Tumor Awareness Month here in May 2023.  I just started talking and just went with what I was feeling. Not exactly a structured episode but sometimes I like to just talk. And thank you for letting me talk. This is a show for all of us and it really acts as a bit of therapy for myself as well. Some days ARE difficult. But I am so lucky that I've got an outlet like this. I got some not-so-great news recently as we've lost another good soul far too soon. It's this awful situation where we meet under such unfortunate terms but I don't take any days or anything for granted. I know one day we will be able to beat this disease. Thank you all so much. Please never hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything. Chris

Hello! I am so sorry for the delay between episodes! I also did not realize I already did an episode about MRIs but I'm not going to waste a recording I made. Maybe it can help someone and that's all I want. It's been a very hectic few months and I'll be doing an update. Don't worry, I am still going and our journey continues! I was also at work a bit more, spring cleanup outside, starting seeds for the garden, and we just had the Boston Marathon and had a great time as a spectator! Even with some rain near the end, I am always excited for seeing these athletes run. I've got a few great ideas for episodes and we're going to have a great summer!ChrisLinks:https://radiology.ucsf.edu/patient-care/prepare/mri#-https://radiologykey.com/imaging-of-brain-tumors-mr-spectroscopy-and-metabolic-imaging/

https://moffitt.org/cancers/brain-tumor/diagnosis/mri/

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/imaging-center/med-pros/neuroradiology/mr-spectroscopy.html

https://4rai.com/blog/3-types-of-mri-machines

https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri

Hello! I'm sorry for the delay and I'm getting caught up on things. Normally, I should have more time but I've been busy with so many things and I wanted to record. This is just a short personal update and I also felt like I wanted to talk about some of the things we as brain cancer patients and caregivers hear both online and in real life. I want to thank you all so much for supporting me over these years and being so kind to me. I always have so many potential topics going through my head but please let me know if there's something you want to hear about. This is our show! Chris

Hello and welcome! In this episode, we go over the latest step in my current treatment and discuss what lomustine is, potential side effects, and a story of how much control some companies have over our treatments. I'm sorry for the slight delay in releasing this episode. I've been working, going to appointments, and my voice has been pretty rough the past week or so. That makes recording just not something I could have done. I also normalized the audio to the industry standard because I'm still learning things here! I hope it sounds ok and that the volume is balanced from start to finish with nothing being too loud or quiet. Please let me know if there are any issues. Thank you all so much for your support and being the greatest group of people. I practice gratitude every day and it helps me so much. Links from the show:https://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/Lomustine.aspxhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/alkylating-agenthttps://www.drugs.com/drug-class/alkylating-agents.htmlhttps://cancerletter.com/trials-and-tribulations/20210716_7/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-cancer-drug-gleostine-no-longer-an-option-under-medicare/https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/fulltext/2021/09160/a_glioblastoma_drug_is_abruptly_withdrawn_from.6.aspx

Hello and happy holidays!! As we head into 2023, I wanted to do a little recap of 2022 and talk about some plans for the next year. I'm really excited to see what we have in store next year. Thank you all so much for all of your support during these 6 years! I am so thankful to have you all in my life. Make sure you give the show a follow on your podcast app of choice and if you enjoy the show, write a review so that others can find it!Chris

Hello! I figured that a new year would be a good time to update our trailer since I made the original one quite some time ago. It's just a 1 minute trailer and I tried to fit what the show is and the purpose all within a minute. I wanted to keep it in that general range so that more people can hear a quick trailer and tune in. Be sure to share it and thank you all! 2023 is almost here and we've got a lot more to talk about!Chris

Hello! This is the 3rd year of our Thanksgiving episode series. I have a feeling we will have a few more years of these :)I also give a quick update as to how I'm feeling after radiation. This is being uploaded a couple days after Thanksgiving but it was a hectic few days. I'll be sure to do at least some posts on the Facebook page at Facebook.com/BraincancerpodcastFeel free to leave a review/comment if you'd like! I just have so much in my life to be thankful for and I hope you enjoy! Chris

Hello! Lots going on and I wanted to give you all an update on how I have been. It's been a very hectic few weeks and I wanted to give you all a bit of a recap on things. I've actually already recorded another short update after finishing this one so stay tuned for the next one! Thank you all so much! I decided to get one more upgrade for our show and I'm working on how to get it sounding how I want it to both during recording and in post. I love doing this and over the past couple of years I've saved up for some small upgrades to improve our show. I think getting a mic booster however many months ago was quite an improvement! I'm excited for what is next on our journey!Chris

Hello! I just wanted to sit down and have a chat about dexamethasone. This is one of the episodes I had been wanting to make for a while. Many of us will experience this drug at some point. It's important to understand its side effects and how it can work against the very idea of immunotherapy.Many of us in the community have felt those side effects and it's important to be informed. I've included some links below as well for your own research. Thank you all for your support. I appreciate all of you so much! ChrisLinks:

Immunotherapy episodehttps://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-d9d8j-111c5bb

https://www.drugs.com/dexamethasone.html

https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/glucocorticoids.html

https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/services/cancer-services/cancer-services-information/taking-dexamethasone-when-you-have-a-brain-tumour/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31346902/

https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/brain-cancer-immunotherapy-steroids-limit-effectiveness