A young man, aged 26, has shared the initial signs he experienced before being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Earlier this year, Michael received a diagnosis of diffuse midline glioma (DMG) located in his brain stem. This type of brain cancer is known for being both rare and aggressive, and it cannot be surgically removed.
Michael is now participating in a clinical trial that involves brief sessions of radiation therapy with the goal of reducing the tumor.
In an interview with The Patient Story, Michael discussed the early symptoms he observed before his life-altering diagnosis.
He recounted: “I first started noticing symptoms back in early February. My family and I went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to go to the Mall of America.
“We also saw a hockey game while we were up there. And that’s when I started waking up in the mornings and started randomly feeling very, very nauseous for some reason.
“I just thought I had eaten something bad. After we got back from Minnesota, I ended up calling in for an entire week, because I couldn’t lie flat any longer without getting a really bad dizzy spell. It was as if I stood still and spun in a circle and just stopped, and just let my equilibrium go.
“Around the end of February or the start of March, the right side of my face started to get weaker, and I couldn’t smile or blink very well any longer on that side.”
Michael was referred for additional testing with a specialist in ear, nose, and throat conditions.
He continued in his conversation with The Patient Story: “I went up to an ENT doctor in South Dakota, who ended up finding my eye nystagmus. If I looked completely to either side, my eyes would bounce back and forth.
“They were the ones who told me I should get an MRI done. But I didn’t actually get it done until closer to April. That’s sad to say, but it’s just how things went.”
The MRI eventually confirmed the presence of cancer, a diagnosis that dramatically altered Michael’s life.
Michael described feeling ‘numb’ after receiving the news. He removed all the ‘medical stuff’ connected to him and went for a walk, surprising the doctors present.
“I had my best friend, Kevin, and my wife, Becca, with me, and we ended up walking down to the church,” Michael said. “There, it all hit me, and I just broke down.”