Kyle Rauch noticed that his eyesight was worsening in his right eye, so he went in to get a new prescription for his glasses. He also noticed that he got a “sharp, shooting headache” for about 20 to 30 seconds whenever he stood up.
One morning, he woke up with the pain in his head, and it didn’t go away.
Rauch, the development director for Grove City, went into the emergency room and had surgery within days to remove a tumor from his brain.
What are the signs of a brain tumor?
Signs of a brain tumor can vary from person to person and can also depend on the type of tumor.
The headaches and vision changes that Rauch experienced can be common. Seizers are another warning sign, according to Dr. James "Brad" Elder, a professor in the neurosurgery department at Ohio State University.
The tumor's location in the brain can correlate with the symptoms people experience. For example, difficulty with speech can indicate a tumor in the area of the brain that processes language, and personality changes could indicate a tumor in the frontal lobe.
Some tumors, such as Rauch’s, are cancerous. That means that the cells can metastasize, meaning they can spread to other parts of the brain and the body, Elder said.
It’s difficult to calculate how many people have brain tumors since some can exist for decades without affecting brain health, Elder said. Other brain tumors can grow to be problematic but are self-contained and are not cancerous.
Rauch was treated at the OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he credits his team of doctors with saving his life. Over 700 patients with brain tumors have been treated there in the past year, hospital spokesperson Marcus Thorpe said.
About 1,000 patients undergo surgery for brain tumors at OSU Wexner Medical Center each year, Elder estimated, and more receive outpatient treatment for the tumors.
How can brain tumors be treated?
Treatment can depend on the type of tumor. Cancerous tumors that start in the brain, such as lethal glioblastomas, can be treated often with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation but cannot be entirely eradicated, Elder said.
“You can absolutely live longer. (Doctors) can preserve neurologic function for a little bit by being aggressive, but they are incurable,” Elder said.
Some forms of brain cancer that started in other parts of the body and spread up to the brain can be fully addressed with radiation and surgery, he said.
After Rauch had a few weeks to recover from the initial surgery to remove the tumor, he started an intense treatment regimen that included six weeks of daily radiation treatment and a year of monthly chemotherapy. His tumor wasn’t a glioblastoma, but his doctors treated it as one to be as aggressive as possible.
Rauch credited his wife for taking care of him and their three children, in addition to her job, while he was going through the worst parts of treatment. His sister-in-law, who was working a remote job, kept him company during the day.
“You can't get through this alone. I hope no one has to go through this alone,” Rauch said, noting that all the support allowed him to focus on his recovery.
His coworkers at City Hall, as well as colleagues in other local governments, shared cards and get-well wishes with him. The Grove City mayor, as well as other officials, visited him at his house.
“People here (at work) have all gone through the process with me. Now we're back to just standard business. I don't often think myself as a brain tumor patient or survivor; I just think of myself as Kyle,” Rauch said.
Rauch’s future
Rauch went into the emergency room around Memorial Day 2017. Although doctors told him his type of tumor often reoccurs within five years, it’s been seven years and he has been OK.
The treatment takes a physical toll on the body, but contending with a potentially terminal illness is also difficult to process.
“You're always aware. As I've gotten further and further away from the seven years, you start learning how to cope and to adjust, but it never goes away,” Rauch said.
As time goes on, Rauch has learned to deal with the reality of having a tumor that could come back. But as time went by with clean scans, he started to think about achieving more life milestones. He’s already partially accomplished watching his three kids graduate high school — his oldest of three was the first this spring — but he is also thinking about seeing his children get married, then his retirement in about a decade.
Rauch has learned to focus on what he can control in his day-to-day life. The lingering effects of chemotherapy have weakened his athletic endurance — before the tumor, he and his wife competed in a half Ironman triathlon — but he tries to remain physically active.
He’s also adopted more of a balanced approach to life and being present in the moment.
“Once I leave (work), I have no problem not being here. When I go home, it's a whole different set of things I'm focused on. I don't forget about work, but I don't bring work home. It's really destressed my life,” Rauch said.
Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering western suburbs. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0