Brain Tumor Blamed for Failed Marriage: Man, 32, Claims ‘Erratic Behavior’ Led to Divorce

“I was devastated, but I couldn’t blame her. We had been together for about six years, and for a while, we had an incredible relationship,” the man who goes by the Reddit handle ThrowRABasic wrote.

The man discussed his relationship with his ex-wife within a relationship advice subreddit group. He noted how their relationship started well, noting their engagement in Belize was “the happiest” he’d ever been. Then, he said, his mental health began to “decline” when his behavior changed.

He noted that he thought he and his wife were being “followed” in public. He said there was a time he was “convinced listening devices had been implanted” in their home.

He said he was diagnosed with a “psychotic break, with bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.”

His erratic behavior continued, causing his family to cut him off and lead to his wife leaving him.

Then, one day, he collapsed, causing him to go to the hospital, where he received an MRI. The results started to make sense of his unfolding world.

“Lo and behold, I have a brain tumor. The funny thing is, when I found out, I was…relieved. Finally, it all made sense,” he said.

He did not indicate the type of brain tumor he was diagnosed with.

He says he’s looking forward to treatment, but he didn’t mention the treatment he will receive.

With his diagnosis confirmed, he is trying to piece back his life, beginning with reconnecting with his ex-wife and brother, whom he pushes away with his strange behavior.

Understanding Brain Tumors

Brain tumors impact a person’s brain function and overall health, depending on their size, type, and location within the brain. Tumors that grow big enough and disrupt normal central nervous system functioning can press on nearby nerves, blood vessels, or other tissues. The disrupted central nervous system can present in various ways, making walking or maintaining balance difficult.

WATCH: Hope for Glioblastoma Research

However, it’s important to know that brain tumors do not always cause symptoms.

Other signs of brain tumors can also cause include:

• Headaches
• Difficulty speaking or thinking
• Weakness
• Behavioral changes
• Vision changes
• Seizures
• Loss of hearing
• Confusion
• Memory loss

Treating Brain Tumors

Treatment options for brain cancer depend on a variety of factors, including the size and type of the tumor as well as the grade of the tumor.

Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are options doctors use to treat brain tumors. Cancer warriors are encouraged to talk to their doctor about their situation and the best treatment options.

The prognosis for brain cancer, or how likely it is to be cured, depends on a few things:

• The type of brain tumor
• How fast the brain tumor is growing
• The tumor’s location
• If there are DNA changes in the cells of the brain tumor
• If the entire tumor can be removed with surgery
• Your overall health

Your doctor will be able to help you understand your specific and unique circumstances and how they relate to your prognosis.

Types of Cancerous and Non-cancerous Brain Tumors

A brain tumor can affect you differently depending on its location and if it is cancerous. According to the National Cancer Institute, some examples of these types of brain tumors include:

• Chordomas are mostly benign, tend to be slow-growing, and are more often found near the tailbone or where the spine meets the skull.
• Craniopharyngiomas are rare, slow-growing tumors that don’t spread to other parts of the brain or body. They form near the pituitary gland near the base of the brain.
• Gangliocytomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system that tend to form on the temporal lobe (the left or right side of the brain).
• Glomus jugulare are rare and slow-growing tumors.
• Meningiomas are rare brain tumors that usually form on the outer layer of tissue that covers the brain (dura mater).
• Pineocytomas are rare and slow-growing tumors in the pineal gland near the middle of the brain.
• Pituitary adenomas are slow-growing brain tumors of the anterior pituitary located in the lower part of the brain.
• Schwannomas are rare tumors that grow on the cells that protect nerve cells. They are called Schwann cells.
• Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannoma) are slow-growing tumors that develop from the nears that help balance and hearing.

Malignant or Cancerous tumors. These kinds of tumors include:

• Gliomas are the most common form of cancerous and aggressive primary brain tumors.
• Astrocytoma (glioma) forms in astrocytes (star-shaped cells). These tumors are classified into four grades depending on how aggressive or fast they grow and impact brain tissue.
• Ependymomas are tumors classified into three grades depending on how aggressive or fast they grow.
• Oligodendroglioma tumors are classified into grades depending on their growth speed. Grade 2 oligodendroglioma tumors are slow-growing and can invade nearby tissue, but they may not present symptoms for many years before detection. Meanwhile, grade 3 oligodendroglioma tumors proliferate.
• Medulloblastoma tumors are classified into four different grades depending on their aggressive nature or how quickly they grow.
• Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults. We explain this form of brain tumor in more detail below.

Better Understanding Glioblastoma Tumors

Glioblastoma is considered a central nervous system (CNS) tumor, which means her brain tumor “grows and spreads very quickly,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

WATCH: Using electric sources to improve glioblastoma treatment.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the average survival rate is 15 months with treatment and less than six if left untreated. While there is a five-year survival rate of averaging 6 percent, those individuals will never be cancer-free. They must continue receiving radiation and chemotherapy for the rest of their lives. Again, Dr. Friedman aims to boost the survival rate beyond 20% with his poliovirus and immunotherapy still undergoing research.

Glioblastomas are tricky to treat and manage because their cells are heterogeneous, meaning each must be individually targeted to slow tumor growth. Surgery cannot remove all the cancer because the tumor burrows into the brain, so the tumor starts to grow again immediately after surgery.

Glioblastoma risk factors can include:

• Prior radiation exposure
• Gender: men are more likely to get glioblastoma than women
• Age: people 50 years or older
• Certain genetic syndromes, including neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease

Symptoms for glioblastoma can vary depending on the area of the brain where the tumor begins and spreads and its growth rate, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center. Some common symptoms of glioblastoma can include:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Changes in mental function, mood, or personality
• Changes in speech
• Sensory changes in hearing, smell, and sight
• Loss of balance
• Changes in your pulse and breathing rate

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