Hello everybody. 1st and foremost I would like to say thank you so much for your prayers, concerns, and to my customers, your understanding & patience. As far as the accident related injuries I am 90% healed up....I do however have a pain in my right knee still....not enough to keep me from walking, but enough to cause a limp and just be aggrevating. My neck has been very sore the last week or so, but it felt much better today. When I went to see the neurologist today I found out that probably the reason for my neck pain was my 5th vertabrae was/is fractured......this is the 1st I've heard of it, but that explains alot.....I guess that will just heal in time, he really didn't elaborate or talk about it, the main topic of discussion was the mass on brain, which has actually turned out to be a tumor called an astrocytoma. Like I said earlier I went and saw a neurologist today, he talked with me in great length and detail on what I have, where its located, how to treat it or get rid of it, and what I can expect after that. My only option is going to be brain surgery, and he recommends the sooner the better. The longer the wait of course the more it could grow, which of course isn't going to make matters any better. He is in a group of neurologists and will be speaking more with them after my visit today about my paticular situation. He is suppose to get back in touch with me as far as scheduling Friday or Monday. He said he would like to schedule the surgery sometime in the next week and a half to two weeks, like I said I won't know the exact day until he calls me and tells me what his schedule looks like and when he can get a room and also when the other neurosurgeon will ave an opening as well, there will be two surgeons performing the surgery. My prognosis is good, he feels confident that its not a big problem right now, but its just a matter of time before it will be. He is very familar with these tumors and said he has done many of these in the past and in the exact same spot as where mine is located as well.....which is on my left lobe, in the back on my head. He said it was fairly deep and around the brain stem but that the two halves of the brain spread apart rather easily making for fairly easy access to the area where its located (Sorry if that was too graphic) At any rate, it makes me feel good knowing that he has done many surgeries just like this, with the same tumor in the same place, and worse he said, (He used t be a Dr at St. Judes) it also makes me feel good there will be two surgeons there. He said I will probably be in the hospital for 3-4 days if all goes well. B/c of where this tumor is located it will effect things from my mouth down. For days, weeks, or even possibly months he said my speech will be impaired/slurred, control of my facial muscles, swallowing (for a few days generally) will be difficult gernerally, and sometimes a feeding tube may be required for a few days, my shoulders, coordination and balance will also be affected. So depending on how the surgery goes and how much the have to cut out will depend on how long it will take my brain to heal, recover, and be able to starting picking those functions back up....he said sometimes that part of the brain isn't able to pick it back up or isn't there anymore so another part of the brain will pick up that skill. He said tho that I should make a fine recovery and ultimatley be back to 100% normal.....if all goes well, so keep praying that it does. Of course theres always risks of permanent damage but he assured me that permanent damage is very uncommon. So I will not be working or taking in any more work for at least the next month to month and a half, but its very possible it could be 2 months or more, I just don't know. Theres a possibility I may have to have some radiation treatments as well if they can't get it all, or if they find that its cancerous, he did however say that these types of tumors 9 times out of 10 are non-cancerous. There is also the possibility that they may have to do a second surgery if for some reason the byopsy after the surgery comes back as a more aggressive tumor than what the thought, or if it came back cancerous. Unfortunatley b/c of its location they can't do a biopsy with a needle without a high risk of busting a vein b/c they would have to stick the needle through too much of the brain, and that could lead to bleeding, which they don't want to risk. Cancerous or not it has to come out, but like I said, 9 times out of 10 this paticular type is not.