Gray Matters Fighting My astrocytoma

Gray Matters Fighting My astrocytoma Hello, My Name is Tim Carter 33 year Old Male battling a grade 2-3 Astrocytoma.

I wanted to document my journey so Other people do not have to wonder what it's like going through this.

09/03/2026

I went to my oncologist on Monday. I have been officially put back on Chemo. I will be doing 5 more cycles of 5 days on and then 4 weeks off. I'm going to start in the next couple of weeks.

Also found out there is no real blueprint for my specific case because it is a more "rare" form of cancer according to my oncologist. Good news is that it seems to be responding to the treatments so far, but the bad news is they are using a treatment for a higher grade more aggressive type of cancer. They also cannot pin point as to wether it's the chemo or radiation that it has responded to. So that's kind of up in the air at the moment.

Since I had so much trouble with the first round of 5 days I now have to get weekly blood work done again to make sure my counts stay at a safe level.

08/19/2026

Neurosurgeon was very happy with the MRI today. Said that even the cavity from the surgery had shrunk more than anticipated. And the ENT said my sinuses are clear ... So we are back to the drawing board as to why I had the swelling and the constant headaches.

08/11/2026

On Thursday of last week I got the results from my latest scan. There no issues with the brain. The scan did not show anything that was of concern with the area from the surgeries, and will be used as a new baseline going forward.

Now they also noticed that my sinuses were full of fluid when they shouldn't be. So I have another appointment concerning this new issue with the ENT. And my next Oncologist appointment is coming up soon as well

08/05/2026

Update I had a appointment with an ENT specialist today due to my ear infections and other issues. I have had a double ear infection for over 3 weeks. The doctor did say fluid is trapped behind my left ear but she does not think it is infected. I have to take Flonase for the next 3 months. She also thinks I have TMJ because of my jaw popping and gave me information for a dentist that specializes in that. Thursday I have my follow up for my first MRI since I finished radiation.

Friday was eventful. I woke up Friday with some swelling and a headache that was worse than normal. As the day went on ...
07/26/2026

Friday was eventful. I woke up Friday with some swelling and a headache that was worse than normal. As the day went on it got worse, and Nina Carter called and spoke with my oncology team. They advised us to keep on the antibiotics and ear drops and to postpone my next round of chemo and if the swelling got worse to go to the ER. About 7:45pm I took the picture that shows my face. Eventually the left side of my face start to droop and I could feeling the swelling on the left side of my mouth.

We arrived at the ER about 9:30pm. We left the hospital at 4am Saturday morning. They ran blood work and did a CT scan of my head and face. The CT scans came back with nothing abnormal. But my sinuses were inflamed and I have been battling a double ear infection as well. The doctor said that the 2x ear infection, sinus swelling and. Normal swelling from radiation had caused a perfect storm . There were no signs of a stroke or any other serious matter. My face was not drooping but infact I had so much swelling in the face and top of my head it appeared to be dropping.

I have my next MRI this Friday to see how the radiation went and it will be the first imaging since I left the hospital. I want to give a shout out to my wife for staying up 11.5 hours straight between getting up for the normal daily routine on Friday and then taking me to the ER and enduring the waiting process there!

Today I am taking a step to show something vulnerable. Everyone knows of the main side effects of chemo. One of them is...
07/24/2026

Today I am taking a step to show something vulnerable. Everyone knows of the main side effects of chemo. One of them is hair loss.

Since I found out I had cancer I have decided to keep my hair short. After the second surgery with chemo and radiation looming I decided to just keep it shaved. Because I knew that if I saw clumps of hair coming out in the sink or the shower that it would make it way too real.

I have been struggling with the fact I now have a spot that hair is no longer growing due to the treatments. There are actually two separate areas. I have been hiding it with hats and trying my best to avoid pictures and videos. I have even went as far as asking my wife not to post a picture or video because of the bald spot.

The physical side effects are terrible enough but it's the small battles with the inner self that seem to be much worse. Today I am making a step to take back a portion of my peace and my life. These pictures may just seem like nothing to some people, but this is me showing something that most people fighting cancer deal with......

07/21/2026

Well I woke up today with severe pain in my left ear. My primary care doctor was able to work me in. Turns out I do not have an ear infection.......I have 2. The worst part is the ear that is causing all the grief didn't even the bad one.

07/20/2026

I have my monthly check up with the oncologist on Thursday as well as labs. Unfortunately I start my next 5 days on next week. I also fear I may have another ear infection. Apparently this is a possible side effect of the Temodor.

07/10/2026

One year ago today was the start of a journey that I didn't think I was strong enough to get through. I had my first brain surgery. Through family, friends and most importantly Faith here we are another surgery down and still fighting

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4401 W McAuley Blvd. Ste 1500
Oklahoma City, OK
73120

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