{"id":134083,"date":"2024-12-06T19:51:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T12:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134083"},"modified":"2024-12-06T19:51:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T12:51:54","slug":"mom-diagnosed-with-brain-cancer-at-37-thought-early-signs-were-the-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134083","title":{"rendered":"Mom Diagnosed With Brain Cancer at 37 Thought Early Signs Were The Flu"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">This past February, Molly Young\u2019s twin daughters were home sick with the flu. When she started to feel ill herself, she wondered if she had caught it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI got up from my desk, I felt super dizzy, felt super nauseous,\u201d Young, 38, from Apple Valley, Minnesota, tells TODAY.com. \u201cThen I felt so sick that I felt like I had to lay down.\u201d\u00a0A neighbor who is a nurse encouraged Young to visit the emergency room and she soon learned why she felt so sick. She had a brain tumor that had caused a partial seizure, which led to her symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cNo one thinks, \u2018Oh maybe I\u2019m walking around with a brain tumor when you\u2019re having no other signs,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s part of what makes it a surprise to get the diagnosis.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-2x1-241205-02-7ed0b9.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-2x1-241205-02-7ed0b9.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-2x1-241205-02-7ed0b9.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-2x1-241205-02-7ed0b9.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-2x1-241205-02-7ed0b9.jpg\" alt=\"Molly Young and family\" height=\"1200\" width=\"2400\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">As a mom to three toddlers, Molly Young thought her brain tumor symptoms were because of the flu she contracted from her children.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy Molly Young<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"\">Flu-like symptoms lead to unexpected diagnosis <\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">At the end of February, Young\u2019s twin daughters had the flu, so she was working from home in the morning. When her husband arrived for the afternoon shift, he asked for assistance in putting the girls down. As soon as Young stood, she felt ill. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI went to the bathroom to lay down on the bathroom floor by the toilet in case I got nauseous and puked,\u201d she says. \u201cHe came in and checked on me once he got the girls down, and I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know, something doesn\u2019t feel right. I don\u2019t feel good.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Young wondered what could be wrong but figured that if her daughters had the flu, she likely did, too. When the wave of nausea passed, she moved to her bed but still felt unwell. Her husband asked a neighbor who is a nurse to look at Young.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI explained to her what was going on, and she\u2019s like, \u2018That\u2019s unusual. I\u2019d go to the emergency department if I was you,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cShe\u2019s like, \u2018Your lungs sound good. You don\u2019t have a lot of congestion. I don\u2019t think this is flu.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Young visited the emergency department and staff began neurological assessments. A few months prior, Young\u2019s father was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma, which had spread to his brain. Young knew she was undergoing the same tests as he did. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI realized pretty quickly how serious it was because of the neurological assessments,\u201d Young says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Doctors ordered an MRI, which explained what happened to Young.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cDoctors said, \u2018We think what you experienced earlier was a focal seizure,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cYou have a mass in your brain. It\u2019s 4 centimeters by 4 centimeters, and we\u2019re going to refer you to neurosurgery.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Young felt stunned. Her family had recently grappled with her dad\u2019s cancer, and now she a different type of cancer in her brain. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt felt like you\u2019re getting hit back to back with these large medical events,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s also reassuring to see (that) my dad had a craniotomy, where he had brain cancer removed. \u2026 You at least have awareness that the surgery can go well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x styles_portrait__NRWbO\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-04-f4d97f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-04-f4d97f.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-04-f4d97f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-04-f4d97f.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-04-f4d97f.jpg\" alt=\"Molly Young and family\" height=\"2500\" width=\"2386\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Before undergoing brain surgery, Molly Young wrote leatters to her children in the rare case that she died. She wanted them to have something to remember her by. Luckily, she survived surgery and is thriving. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy Molly Young<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">While her father underwent successful treatment for his melanoma, Young needed to decide on her own treatment. She met with two neurosurgeons, and \u201cboth of them pretty much said the same thing,\u201d she recalls. Her tumor was a \u201cslow-growing\u201d Grade 2 oligodendroglioma and brain surgery offered a promising outlook for her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe best option would be to get as much of the tumor out as possible \u2026 without doing harm,\u201d she says. \u201cThey (laid) out all the benefits, all the risks, which is obviously a scary analysis to think of when it\u2019s your life.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Despite knowing the risks of brain surgery, which can include some impairment or even death, Young understood that she needed it. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt\u2019s pretty obvious that I couldn\u2019t keep going about my life having seizures off and on (and) then eventually let more cancer be in the brain to potentially keep growing and keep causing more neurological impacts,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">About a month after doctors found the tumor, Young underwent surgery in March. The wait felt nerve-wracking. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cAll of your fears come out, all of the stress, all the anxiety,\u201d she says. \u201cI want my life. I want time with my kids. I want my kids to have time with me, and to face that fear, it\u2019s a mental hurtle. To write goodbye notes to my kids before surgery was like no one should ever have to write a goodbye note to their kids.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Even the day of the surgery, Young worried. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the pre-op area, your heart\u2019s racing,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m literally putting my life in the hands of these doctors.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Doctors used Medtronic\u2019s StealthStation Navigation to map Young\u2019s brain during surgery. This helped them remove 95% of the tumor, she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThey left some of it in there because it was sitting too close to my motor cortex, and they didn\u2019t want to risk any mobility issues,\u201d Young explains. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever say, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m thankful that doctors left cancer in my body.\u2019\u00a0But I\u2019m literally so thankful doctors left cancer in my body because I\u2019ve been able to go back to living a relatively normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\">Oligodendroglioma<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Oligodendroglioma is a brain tumor that impacts the cells that bolster the nerves in the brain, Dr. Todd Thompson says. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWhen people think of brain cancer, they think of the nerves in the brain, but most of the cells in the brain are the cells that support the nerves,\u201d the neurosurgeon and senior director of medical safety at Medtronic, who did not treat Young, tells TODAY.com. \u201cOligodendrocytes are a type of cell that supports the nerves.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">About 1,131 people are diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma annually in the United States, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/rare-brain-spine-tumor\/tumors\/oligodendroglioma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Cancer Institute<\/a>. Thompson calls them \u201cuncommon but still more common than we\u2019d like.\u201d It\u2019s not a cancer that\u2019s considered to have \u201ca genetic component,\u201d and experts are unsure why they occur.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to trivialize it,\u201d Thompson says. \u201cIt\u2019s, to some extent, bad luck. Cells have very complex programming and sometimes that programming goes sideways.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x styles_portrait__NRWbO\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-03-1f4772.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-03-1f4772.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-03-1f4772.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-03-1f4772.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-03-1f4772.jpg\" alt=\"Molly Young and family\" height=\"2500\" width=\"2459\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Since being diagnosed and treated for brain cancer, Molly Young has a new appreciation for life, including tasks that once seemed tedious. Now she feels it&#8217;s a gift to be able to tend to her sick children or be able to exercise. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy Molly Young<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Most patients, about 60%, per the NCI, experience a seizure prior to diagnosis. Thompson says signs of oligodendroglioma include: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"break-above body-ul body-list-el\">\n<li>Weakness<\/li>\n<li>Numbness<\/li>\n<li>Trouble speaking<\/li>\n<li>Seizure<\/li>\n<li>Headaches <\/li>\n<li>Trouble with vision <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIf you have symptoms, it\u2019s always good to be evaluated,\u201d Thompson says. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Treatment of oligodendroglioma often includes surgery and radiation, and some patients might also qualify for immunotherapy. Advances in neurosurgery help many patients have good prognoses. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe can plan the surgery before going into the operating room,\u201d he says. \u201c(During surgery) we have this roadmap that can guide us to the tumor and equally as important keep us away from those important parts of the brain that we don\u2019t want to disrupt or injure.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\">&#8216;I learned gratitude&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Only 48 hours after surgery, Young left the hospital to stay with her parents to \u201crecover in the relative calm,\u201d she says. Her husband and mother-in-law were caring for her three children at home. Young noticed that she experienced terrible brain fog as she recovered from surgery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cYou still feel like you\u2019re normal, but then you can\u2019t find your keys. You can\u2019t find your sunglasses. You left the TV on overnight,\u201d she says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t doing these things prior to surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Worried that the brain fog would impact her ability to work as a finance manager, she started speech and occupational therapy. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe speech therapy (was) more (focused) around executive functioning,\u201d she says. \u201cSo giving me a lot of skills to be able to come back to my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">As time progressed, Young experienced less brain fog. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI\u2019m really thankful that I advocated for myself to get those referrals because it\u2019s hard when you\u2019re faced with your own failures \u2014especially as a person who\u2019s used to being a very competent, highly effective individual,\u201d she says. \u201cIt probably took a good two months to get all of that functioning back to where it felt like was an acceptable level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x styles_portrait__NRWbO\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-01-b416f0.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-01-b416f0.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-01-b416f0.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-01-b416f0.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-12\/molly-young-flu-brain-tumor-mc-241205-01-b416f0.jpg\" alt=\"Molly Young and family\" height=\"2500\" width=\"2282\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Months before being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Molly Young&#8217;s dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma, which spread to his brain. Seeing him go through treatment, including brain surgery, gave her hope that she, too, could survive and thrive after such a surgery. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy Molly Young<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Young is on a \u201cwatch and wait protocol,\u201d where she undergoes regular scans to make sure the tumor isn\u2019t growing. If it does, doctors will reconsider her treatment plan. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Undergoing treatment for a brain tumor has helped Young appreciate life more. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI learned gratitude in a way that I don\u2019t think you can really experience until you go through something pretty terrible,\u201d she says. \u201cThese things that felt like burdens before suddenly it\u2019s a gift that I get to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Having a cancer diagnosis or facing difficult challenges can feel isolating, and Young hopes that her story helps others who feel alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">\u201cIf my story can provide any peace for someone else who\u2019s going through a cancer diagnosis \u2026 that\u2019s a great reason to share,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/disease\/mom-diagnosed-brain-cancer-37-thought-early-signs-flu-rcna182997\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This past February, Molly Young\u2019s twin daughters were home sick with the flu. When she started to feel ill herself, she wondered if she had caught it. \u201cI got up &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134083\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134083\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}