This may not bode well

[james_davis_nicoll]

From Jerry Pournelle's blog:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

10 PM

Well, I spent the day in little tubes that make loud noises. I also have a cold that closed my nasal passages the instant I became horizontal.

The upshot is that I've got something growing in my head, and they don't really want to bore a hole in that spot to get a sample. They're going to try some other tests. Including a bone marrow sample. I am certainly learning more about modern medicine than I really wanted to know.

I don't know what my odds are now. They are certainly lower than the 95:5 we thought earlier. They will do more tests.

[I feel like I need to put a little disclaimer here that other people's possible brain tumors, even people who you might strongly disagree with, aren't funny]

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Brain tumours are very unfunny indeed. I lost a cousin to one almost exactly a year ago; it's not something I'd wish on my worst enemy.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

That's what got my uncle Dave.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Keeping fingers crossed that it's benign and treatable.

[carloshasanax.livejournal.com]

Crap. The poor sonofagun.

[wldrose.livejournal.com]

Oh that more than sucks

For a few years I helped run the worldcon blood drives I asked a few writers if they could help out and he jumped right in. He read a new about to be published short story since he could not give blood himself. He was also really kind to folks helping out. His politics are not mine but he put his money where his mouth was and did good.

ash

[julesjones]

Oh, hell. Even if it turns out to be treatable, the process of finding that out is going to be deeply unpleasant, physically and mentally.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Crap. I don't agree with his politics (or his fiction for that matter) either, but no one deserves to have something like that happen to him,

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Damn.

*does not envy, and fears for Mr. Pournelle*

[doc-lemming.livejournal.com]

At Pournelle's age, things are considerably worse. However, the complications caused by increased pressure of cerebrospinal fluid may well be abated. (Yeah, drop a tangerine into a skull and then try to keep everything else in there and at the same pressure. You can't. You just can't. The body produces about 500 ml of CSF every day and it has to go somewhere.)

When I saw the doctor for my brain tumour, I got a long list of possible bad side effects: poor vision, numbness, loss of control, vertigo, ringing in my ears, chronic fatigue, personality changes. Fortunately, few of them came true for me but they were all possibilities. I know someone else with a tumour, a different kind, and she's waiting until it ripens. What they mean is, until her life or quality of life is so complicated by the tumour that the complications due to surgery look good in comparison.

I feel for Mr. Pournelle and his family. His politics are not mine (as one of your posters said), but no one deserves to go through this.

[mr-mediocre.livejournal.com]

The body produces about 500 ml of CSF every day

Wow. Half a liter? I had no idea. The Wikipedia article says the brain only holds 135-150 ml and implies this is the total. So it's completely replaced three+ times per day. Wow again.

Re: Pournelle's condition - what everyone else said.

[doc-lemming.livejournal.com]

The neurosurgeon actually said "two cups" but 500 ml is close enough.

And oddly enough, no one knows where it drains to. (A permanent shunt in my head to get rid of excess CSF was a possible consequence.)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the link. I had no idea.

[anghara.livejournal.com]

First Pratchett's announcement about the devastating potential of that early Alzheimer's, now this. What is that the gods suddenly have against science fiction writers?

I mean, DAMN. Really.

[florbigoo.livejournal.com]

Depending on the neoplasm, Pournelle may have months to years to decades.
Dying of brain cancer is horrible.

[doc-lemming.livejournal.com]

There are non-cancerous tumours (said a survivor of one). For example, look up "acoustic neuroma".

Not that I think he has an AN; he hasn't complained about some obvious symptoms.

[(Anonymous)]

This is really sad news. Let's hope the growth turns out to be as harmless as possible.

James in Bermuda