The first thing I recall while waking up from surgery was Dr. Kelly's wide, black-rimmed glasses looking at my face very close up. "Can you see me...Alecia, can you see? How are you doing...can you see?"
There was concern that I could lose my sight during the operation. The tumor had grown against my optic nerve, and so there was a chance (slim, but a possibility) that I would not have my sight when I awoke. I gave Dr. Kelly a thumbs up and nodded because that's about all I could do. My mind was working normally, but I was still so drugged up I couldn't communicate very well. I had a lot of questions. I tried to make sense of the sensations I had physically post-surgery. My lungs were heavy, my wrist hurt (where they put an arterial gas line), and the roof of my mouth was numb. Thoughts continued to race through my mind - I'm alive...I can see. Did I lose my pituitary? Am I okay? I continued observing the discussions of the doctors and nurses around me, hoping to hear answers to my questions.
As you can see from the picture, they removed my tumor through my nose. Dr. Kelly removed the bone from my sphenoid sinus, cutting through the skull base and the dura (brain lining). He does NOT pack the sinuses after surgery but only tapes thick gauze across the bottom of the nose. The only complication I had (if it could be called that) was a mild CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leak during the operation. It was repaired with a titanium mesh and collagen sponges. You can click here: Endonasal Transsphenoidal Surgery to view the procedure.
The tumor was both gelatinous and fibrous in nature. As Dr. Kelly got closer to my pituitary, the tumor became more fibrous, making it challenging to spare the gland. He began slicing micro-layers of the tumor away until a normal pituitary gland was found via pathology exam. I didn't lose my gland; Dr. Kelly managed to save it! I barely took any pain medicine post-surgery. Some of the discomforts I experienced were a numb palate and a drippy/stuffy nose. I lost my sense of smell (completely) for a couple of weeks, but it eventually returned. I still have very mild numbness/tingling on the front part of my palate, but I am used to it now. To this day (15 months post-surgery) I have NO DAMAGE to my pituitary gland, and endocrine functions are normal.
It is too soon to know whether the entire tumor is gone and whether or not I will go into complete remission. As I mentioned in an earlier post, part of the tumor was deemed "inoperable" because it had grown into the cavernous sinus, which harbors the carotid artery. My neurosurgeon said any attempt to remove it would be catastrophic. It was possible, but not likely, that the tumor could fall out of that area while the rest was being removed. Thank God, the unlikely happened, and a majority, if not all, of the tumor, came out of the cavernous sinus. The MRI images I've had post-surgery show no apparent residual tumor. However, it is noted that a 2mm area is suspicious and may or may not be tumor. My blood work has remained normal, though (no excess growth hormone detected), so the doctors are assuming the suspicious area is scar tissue until proven otherwise.
