Appointment at Saint John's Brain Tumor Center

I am already an established patient with Dr. Daniel Kelly, but he moved to a new hospital since I last saw him in 2007. I had a follow-up appointment with him this week at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. It was a good visit, and Dr. Kelly thoroughly addressed all my concerns about the titanium mesh and tumor. I should have gone back to see him sooner, but life has been busy. I blinked, and three years passed by! I am glad I went.

I flew into Ontario International Airport early Sunday afternoon and stayed with my parents while in town. That evening I went to dinner with family at a local restaurant.

My step-sister, step-dad, and me at the Market Broiler

The next day my mom and step-sister drove with me to Santa Monica for my MRI, which was scheduled for Monday afternoon. The traffic wasn't as bad as anticipated.

Skyline in Los Angeles
The price of gas on Santa Monica Blvd - in some places, it was $4.39/gallon for regular
John Wayne Cancer Institute is located across the street from Saint John's

The hospital is beautiful, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. Here's a picture of the inside of Saint John's Brain Tumor center:

A cafeteria and dining area are located on the second level - very nice!




I followed up with my neurosurgeon on Tuesday. He spent a lot of time discussing my situation and what he recommended for treatment.

Here's what we discussed:

Regarding the sphenoid sinus: Dr. Kelly arranged for me to have a CT angiogram of the brain to ascertain the location of the dislodged titanium mesh in relation to my carotid artery and view the current condition of the sphenoid sinus. The mesh is very close to but not on the carotid artery. It is encapsulated in bone, and the doctor is confident he can remove most, if not all, of the mesh safely. He likened it to removing a chunk of cement from my head. There appears to be some inflammatory bone growth in the sphenoid due to chronic inflammation.

Regarding the tumor: My labs returned normal with no excess growth hormone or prolactin detected, but the MRI reveals tumor enlargement. The tumor in the left cavernous sinus measured 8mm x 3mm in August 2010. The MRI I had this week shows this area now measures 11mm (1.1 cm) x 6mm. Also, the report said that an area on the right side of the sella is worrisome for regrowth of tumor and it measures 11mm x 7mm. Dr. Kelly has recommended that instead of having radiation to stop the growth, I should "undergo sellar exploration for removal of pituitary tumor and exploration of the left cavernous sinus tumor for possible removal." This would be done at the same time he removes the titanium mesh. Radiosurgery is not recommended because I have a perfectly good functioning pituitary, and radiation would likely damage it.

Click on the picture to enlarge

I left California on an early flight Wednesday morning, so I didn't have a lot of time alone to process everything from my appointment until I got to the airport.

Looking out the window at Ontario International Airport - snow-capped mountains in the distance

When the plane took off I gazed out my window and thought about the prospect of another brain surgery. Finally, it sunk in that this situation is far more complicated than the first surgery I had years ago. I buried my face in the corner of the window as tears began to fall.

My spirits lifted when I got home - the tulips my daughters and I planted last fall are in full bloom.

Click here to see more photos of my tulips
My husband helped our kids hang up decorations throughout the house and they each gave me a handmade card. A big "welcome home" banner greeted me in the kitchen.

Doorway I walked through when I got home



I've decided to move forward with scheduling surgery at Saint John's Health Center in California. However, the operation will not be in the immediate future because I need to get approval from my insurance first. In the meantime, I have much planning to do in the upcoming weeks.