Here's a short list:
- I received a phone call on the day I had an appointment with my TMJ doctor (before to the discovery of the tumor) informing me the doctor had a stroke. As a result, my appointment was canceled indefinitely.
- I thought to myself, what a nightmare...now I have to start all over with another doctor! Little did I know what a good thing this would be.
Read blog: It's Just in Your Head - When I saw a neurosurgeon in Dallas for the first time about the tumor, he didn't test for acromegaly because I didn't present with the symptoms clinically. However, my endocrinologist did blood work to rule it out as a matter of procedure. This became a point of agitation because I had the IGF-1 test done three times in a row due to delay or misplacement of the results. The readings eventually trickled in, and the various IGF-1 levels were high-normal, abnormal, and normal, respectively. I recall the endo telling me it was good that the normal results didn't come back immediately because he would not have tested me any further for acromegaly. This information became the key in determining whether or not the tumor still existed in my cavernous sinus three years later. The variations in the labwork helped define the tumor as partially functioning, which means it can grow without being detected in the blood work. The significance of this is these tumors can be aggressive and less predictable.
Read blog: Endo Update - Before my second surgery, a couple of unusual things happened before I found out I was pregnant on the operating table.
Two nights before the operation I told my husband I wanted to make a quick stop by the store and get some comfortable pants to wear home from the hospital. There was a chance my surgery might include an abdominal fat graft if a cerebral spinal fluid leak developed during the operation. David waited for me in the car while I went in to shop quickly. I looked around the fitness section of the store and picked up a few items, including a pair of sports pants. When I got to the register, the cashier who rang my items up appeared confused when she glanced at my choice of fitness pants. I was about to pay when the lady says, "Maternity pants?"
"I'm sorry - what?" I asked.
She explained, "Did you mean to pick up maternity pants?"
"Oh - no! No, no, no - I'm not pregnant." I said as I paused and reasoned quietly to myself, Well...? No one will know they're maternity...I should try them on - but they will be too big...and there's no way I'll ever need them again!
"Never mind, I don't want them." I responded. The cashier offered to wait for me while I went to grab the right pair of pants, but I decided not to because I was in a hurry with my husband waiting in the car. When I returned, Dave asked if I had found what I needed. I told him, "No, I picked up maternity pants by accident..."
The morning of the operation the vein on my hand blew when the anesthesiologist inserted the intravenous line. This situation allowed enough time for another doctor to take over. I believe if my vein had not blown, it would've been too late for a pregnancy test because I signed the consent forms allowing the surgeon to proceed without it. Had the other doctor not taken advantage of the delay and followed proper procedure, this blog might have included news about an unknown pregnancy thwarted as a result of surgery.
On the way home from the hospital, my husband offered to take me back to the store to pick up the maternity pants I had left behind a couple of nights before.
Read blog: Second Surgery Update - Unexpected Delay - Ongoing sinus infections have been a nagging problem ever since the displacement of the titanium mesh implant. What has recently come to light is that the mesh is so close to my artery that injury to it is a possibile if an attempt is made to take it out. Although this news is alarming, it is another good reason my surgery was canceled in 2007.
Read blog: Local Neurosurgeon Consult
From left: Me and my kids having fun at Dollywood
(Obviously, I am safe after surviving a roller coaster ride with such velocity post brain surgery)
