PyeratGirlG - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Music is my life, man. Started singing at an early age. Started piano at age 6 after failing miserably at the violin. Played drums in elementary school. Was in a band in the 80's. Started dancing in 1988. Finally back to singing, currently with the Torrance Civic Chorale which allowed me the opportunity May '06 to travel to New York and perform at Carnegie Hall. Truly an experience of a lifetime. All of this in spite of the discovery of a very large brain tumor on 12/27/05 and partial resection (60% removed) on 1/5/06. Fortunately, it's an oligodendroglioma grade I which the surgeon calls "relatively benign." I was on Temodar from June 06 to August 07 to shrink the remaining tumor which has worked very well. I am starting to get parts of my life back, but it is an extremely slow process made all the more difficult by people's individual prejudices, and preconceived ideas about cancer and anything to do with the brain. The lack of awareness and knowledge of these conditions is truly astounding sometimes.

My Interests

Helping people better themselves. Sharing information that others may find valuable. Letting others learn from my mistakes when possible so they don't have to make their own. Music, Costume design, Dance, Singing, Being alive, Pirates (since I was 8), my bunnies - Blue and Benny, travelling, Disneyland!

I'd like to meet:

People who don't feel entitled. People tryng to regain their lives after brain surgery and/or brain cancer. Help! One of my favorite friendships of old involved a man I met just as he was beginning to piece a life back together again. Seeing the world through his brand new eyes and watching him relearn the basics of life was and still is an amazing experience. I will always remember and cherish it. I appreciate the experience even more so now having come through my own version of it - having a chunk of my brain removed and getting my brain to rewire itself and relearn things. Love you, Brian. And you were right, I was supposed to marry you. Sorry for being so awfully stupid. The things I have learned since then...

Music:

so varied...don't know where to start. Old stuff, new stuff. In between stuff. Music is never background.

Movies:

Star Wars, Very Bad Things, Gone with the Wind, Lost Horizon, Anything from the 1930's, James Bond, Anything Katharine Hepburn, lots of foreign stuff, either historical or totally twisted so I don't know what's going to happen. I HATE predictable and formulaic. I rarely go to the movies because within 10 minutes I know the ending and that's just not fun anymore.

Television:

Peep and the Big Wide World (Discovery Kids Weekdays 6:30am and 9:00am). There is something about the innocence of Peep, Chirp and Quack discovering the world for the first time that really appeals to me (I'm sure it's not just cuz I had a big chunk of my brain removed) Waaaa! They killed my Deadwood, man! Best show ever. I must say that I am enjoying Dexter, though. Lost. Californication.

Books:

Chronicles of Narnia (Magicians Nephew and Voyage of the Dawn Treader are my 2 favs). The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Tuck Everlasting, Under the Black Flag, Brain Tumors; Leaving the Garden of Eden, I had brain surgery, what's your excuse - Suzy Becker. Some day I will write a book with all of the info I wish I had known along this journey called "brain tumor" But not today. Today I am too busy living.

Heroes:

Currently - Me. Been through hell and back in 2006 and can still laugh. Something to be said for that. I think I have always been my own hero. I can't think of anyone else I want to be or anyone I want to be like. I just keep trying to be a better me each and every day and I think that's enough. For now. Tomorrow I'll probably decide I want to jump out of an airplane. Start packing that 'chute!

My Blog

Neurology

On to my next phase of care. I am pleased with Dr Ullman. He had already reviewed my records by the time I saw him and remembered seeing me in 2005. He understands the concept of not wanting to drug ...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:09:00 PST

New

Well, that was new and different. Today I "suffered" my first snake bite. Fortunately I saw it coming and got mostly out of the way so she just knicked the first knuckle of my right pinky finger. Poo...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:03:00 PST

Predictions

Thar's gonna be rain somewhere this weekend, be sure of it. The hardware in me head tells me so, ow. Still no seizures,hopefully rain will not change that (believe it or not it has in the past)....
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:16:00 PST

New World

Good God. Stay in bed for 5 days and the whole world turns upside down. Got to the Marsh this morning and we've got 1 new large tortoise (Charlie, a female) living in the courtyard. 1 new king sn...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:20:00 PST

Better

Took my last Phenobarbital at 3:30am, still taking Topamax 3 times a day, but haven't had a seizure since 3:30am either, so all is well again. I expect that will continue. I have realy weird sensation...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:46:00 PST

Better Living Through Chemestry?

I was finally able to take a shower today, my first since Wednesday, ugh. The pattern goes like this. I take 2 topamax and 2 phenobarbitals at 9pm, I sleep until 2 or 3am, start seizing, take 2 more o...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:39:00 PST

UCLA

JUST got home from UCLA. Jesus. Much worse a visit than I had anticipated. I woke up this morning much worse. The seizures were pretty much non-stop. I couldn't even make a phone call to verify my MRI...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:58:00 PST

Cluster F.... Suck

Ok, you know it's bad when I voluntarily put Dilantin in my body (most of you know I refer to that drug as the anti-christ). But seizing every 45 minutes just needs to stop and that seemed my only opt...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:30:00 PST

Stuff and Nonsense

Had a grand time at Faire last weekend. Friday night hung with Bruno. It was Giggle Fest (the all girl party). We stood outside for a while and seemed to have more fun than the people inside the party...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:30:00 PST

Cluster F...

Ok, I guess I was wrong, this one is a cluster. Just as I was heading out of the store behind our house I started having a seizure. I cannot begin to describe the level of humiliation I experienced as...
Posted by PyeratGirlG on Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:00:00 PST