After yesterday's consultation with a neurosurgeon and an ENT specialist at UT Southwestern, I have decided to take the wait and watch approach with my acoustic neuroma. Right now the plan is to do another MRI next July and check for any growth. Factors in that decision:
- the tumor is small and normally they grow at a very slow rate. There is a reasonable chance that it will not grow at all.
- no matter what treatment/approach I choose, there is no scientific reason to believe that my hearing will improve.
- in fact, I will likely lose all the hearing in my left ear eventually, regardless of what anyone does. The wait & watch approach will give me the longest possible retention of any hearing in that ear.
- my left ear has only 40% word recognition, which is below the mark of what these specialists call "serviceable" hearing. To be a bit crass, that means it ain't worth trying to save. (One of the surgical procedures would have the goal of retaining the hearing at the current level,)
- I do enjoy having a bit of hearing capability in that ear, so I would like to keep it as long as I can. Both the gamma knife and the surgical procedures would speed along or possibly complete a total hearing loss in that ear.
- frankly, I went into the appointments thinking only surgery - let's get that thing outta there while it's small! My sweet Terrie was able to hear the dox more objectively and helped me see clearly what they were recommending for me - this is what they would tell their own family, both said.
- A major factor in any surgery for me is my blood condition, called antiphospholipid syndrome. Without going into details, I have to constantly be on Warfarin (Coumadin), a blood thinner, in order to avoid fatal blood clots. That significantly complicates surgery and creates an additional risk factor for me.
So, I will work on getting used to my condition and praying that God will do something wonderful that no one expects medically. I am happy to report that, even with the slight dizziness I have, I was able to hang with my grandson, Brishen, on the roller coasters at Sea World last Friday! No dizziness at all when the ride ended! Yay! There is hope for me yet!
Thanks for the multitude of prayers that have gone up for me and Terrie! Besides outright healing, I wanted a clear message from the consultations yesterday. I believe I at least got the latter!
Prayers up!
Just before I went on vacation last week, I talked to a local friend who had an AN several years ago. After he consulted with some local dox, he was led to a specialist who practices in L.A., as in Los Angeles. My friend raved about this doc, who removed his AN via a surgical procedure called Middle Fossa. My friend is doing great and has since sent more patients to L.A. to see the same doc.
Long story short, my friend contacts the L.A. doc as soon as we hang up and the doc calls me later that same day! He asked for a copy of my MRI and proceeded to set my mind at ease, saying that since the tumor is small, I have some time to consider what to do. He said if I select the surgical route, he believes I will do very well at USC, where his clinic is located. Oh, yeah, his clinic is called the Acoustic Neuroma Clinic. He also asked me to get a "word recognition" hearing test to send to him. I overnighted the MRI and scheduled the hearing test for this coming Friday.
The doc called me again on Tuesday after viewing my MRI. Once again, he was comforting, saying that we can definitely get this thing out via Middle Fossa. After my questions to him, I know there is a 50/50 chance of maintaining my hearing where it presently is (no chance of regaining what I have lost) vs losing it altogether on the left side, a slight chance of irritating the facial nerves, a one-third chance of the tinnitus (ringing) going away (and a third staying the same, a third worsening). I can't help but believe that the sooner we get this thing out, the better my chances of it not interfering with or complicating the things above.
Prayer points: healing, of course. Also, that I am led in choosing the best doc & procedure for what I need. That God will provide all the we need for any travel and other needs. One great thing: the L.A. doc is in our healthcare network!
Prayers up!
Just confirmed my appointments with the specialists at UT Southwest in Dallas to consult about my acoustic neuroma (see yesterday's post). They had to time the visit when the neurosurgeon could be present, which limited me to a Monday. The appointments are on August 18, at 1:15 and 2:00 PM. If they have any cancellations before then, they will call.
Prayers up!
Well, it's been over a year now since I last posted. Haven't had much to relay to everyone about my health. Until now.
So, I had this MRI on Friday. A few months ago, I began to experience a significant loss of hearing in my left ear. It felt like it was stopped up, sort of like swimmer's ear. To shorten the story, I've been to 2 ENTs and that led to Friday's test. Results: acoustic neuroma. The really impressive name is vestibular schwannoma. I know - weird. Some of the explanation of a AN from the website is:
* a rare benign tumor of the balance or hearing nerves
* usually slow growing and expands at its site of origin (1.5mm/yr)
* the most common first symptom is hearing loss in the tumor ear
* treatment options are observation, surgical removal or radiation
I got a call from the doc himself later in the day on Friday after having the test. That makes things feel rather urgent. He is referring me to a specialist at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. I can ask all my significant questions then. I haven't heard yet when the appointment is going to be, but I thought I'd go ahead and ask for prayers.
As always, the stuff you read on the internet about these conditions can be pretty scary. One thing I do know from the doc is the nerves for the facial muscles run through the same area where the tumor is. The internet confirms this. One of the reasons for getting something done right away is to avoid some facial paralysis. I haven't felt anything yet on my face except for some itching that began a few weeks ago. I wonder if that's related to the tumor.
The tumor is still small - about a half inch, so I hope we have caught it early. I'll post more as I learn more. For now, please pray for the best treatment to be done and for God's healing power. There are some pretty scary potential side effects from going into that part of the head, so I'm praying for the most effective treatment. Chances are I will not recover any of my lost hearing and it may even get worse after surgery. I could go through some facial trauma if they have to mess with those nerves when they go in.
So, once again, prayers up!
I know that this is my first post of 2013 since the end of the year summary, but God has granted us some good things to share apart from all my aches & pains. Some good stuff! Read on...
During the month of April, 2013, Terrie and I finally got to make our LST (Let's Start Talking) trip to Qingdao, China. We had been scheduled to go back in July of last year, but I was way too far from a sufficient recovery to go then. We postponed our flight plans until April 5 and God made that the perfect timing for us.
I want to begin by thanking our huge list of generous supporters who made this trip possible. The funds that were given far exceeded what we expected and even prayed for! We were incredibly humbled by the response of all of our dear family, friends & other loved ones. Thank you so much for making this life-changing experience possible for us!
Our trip lasted from April 5-23. We read with Chinese students and young professionals from the book of Luke in the Bible in specifically-designed lesson plans to teach English with the Jesus story.
While I am on The Story, I want to mention one of the strongest impressions that God made on me during this adventure. Our students told us that they are taught in school from an early age that there is no God. However, in our modern world and the easy availability of information from everywhere, most of our readers had heard something about Christianity. Even with that, they were an essentially clean slate on which to etch the story of Christ. We got to witness the significance of God's love becoming evident to these young Chinese people. One of my readers told me early in our second week of reading that she was thinking about becoming a Christian! As she said those words, she turned to the page in our booklet where the baptism of Jesus was presented. Laying her hand on that very page, she said, "What do I need to do if I become a Christian?" I talked to her about what belief in Christ means and then we discussed baptism for her. I hope to hear soon about her taking that step! But also, as she talked about becoming a Christian, she said that it was the story that called out to her. That was astounding! I think we who have been Christians for so many years and have sat through so many sermons & Bible studies often forget how the loving story of Jesus affects a life that has never heard that message. I needed to be reminded of that power that Paul wrote about in Romans 1:16. The reader's name is Jossie and I want to ask you to pray for her to take the steps that will move her into Christ.
Another of my students was packing up her things at the end of one of our reading sessions when I asked her what she was going to do after class. She said, "I think I need to buy a Bible and read it!" I had just been giving her some thumbnail versions of the Old Testament to complement what we were looking at in Luke and it motivated her to know more. Her name is Ellen, so we can pray for her to read and learn that Bible well!
One of Terrie's students, Chen, already a believer, was troubled by what she perceived to be a conflict between biblical history and Chinese history. Fortunately, David Stathopulo and his son both had a book that looked at the historical evidence of belief in God within the history of China. They are going to share more of the content of that book with her and it will surely fortify her faith in God.
Another of Terrie's students was struggling with dinosaurs and what she understood of the Creation and related things. I was able to go online and find some information from Ken Hamm that addressed those very issues. We printed the information and Terrie gave it to her student, Zoe.
We could tell so many things about our precious readers! We fell in love with all of them. Some of them came to class daily, so we naturally developed more relationship with them. Besides English & the Jesus story, we learned about each other's families and cultures. It was great fun and the peripheral discussions made it much easier for us to share our faith in God. We hosted a party for all of them at the end of the second week (a prescribed part of the LST experience) and it went very well. About 20 of our readers came. We ate pizza (they with chopsticks!), drank Coca-Cola and played games. Some of the church members were there to interface with the readers in case they are interested in checking out the church there.
And one of the other great joys on our trip was getting to know the Stathopulo family. We knew about David and Sandi and had been around them often at The Hills. However, we only discovered that their son, Michael, and his wife, Elisabeth (Liz), were there as well. In fact, Liz had given birth to their first child, Rhema, only 5 weeks before our arrival. Well, if you know me, you know I was excited to get to meet that baby! I did get to hold her a few times while we were there! In all, we feel like we got really close to all 5 of the Stathopulos in Qingdao. They were all so nice, kind & helpful to us. Their preparedness and availability made the trip extremely easy for us. I had my 62nd birthday during our trip and Sandi made me a very special birthday lunch on the very day. It was awesome!
As far as our travels, our flights were good. In spite of the internet scare I got when I researched China Eastern airlines, they were excellent and we felt well-served. In Qingdao, we essentially walked everywhere because almost everything we needed was within a 15-20 minute walk of our apartment. When we needed a taxi, they were plentiful and inexpensive.
I won't go on and on with all the details of our marvelous experience, but I do want say this. Terrie and I have gone on for days about all the blessings - large and small - that God rained down on us throughout this whole adventure. We went so many places, traveled so far, met so many people, totally out of our cultural element, etc. There were so many ways that things could have gone wrong that it's mind-boggling to think about - and God was there overseeing & blessing the whole way. If the worst thing that happened was the Beijing airport security confiscating Terrie's nail polish remover, then it was a pretty enchanted trip!
I don't think there is anything we regret about the trip and the total experience. We made some wonderful - and I hope lifetime - friends in China, both Chinese and American. Our hearts have been forever affected by our Qingdao adventure. God, You are so good! Thank you for this incomparable blessing!
Well, it almost rhymes.
We all look back over 2012 with a mixture of regrets and satisfaction. Same here. Everything we have been through has been intended by our loving God to be a learning experience. I usually wish that some of the things I have had to learn in a given year could have been gained by less painful methods, but the main thing is that I learn from life.
I began these 12 months researching and dreading the possibility of needing back surgery. My L5 vertebra had broken loose and slipped forward (spondylolisthesis), putting pressure on the nerve root to my lower right leg & foot. I opted for that surgery and on April 23 had 360 spinal fusion at the L4-L5-S1 level. The jury is still out on the wisdom of that decision and I'm not really sure when (or if) it will come out of the jury room! The back doc tells me I'm doing well, but the nerves in my lower legs (yes, that's with an "s") and feet don't agree with him. They, along with the rest of my rapidly deteriorating body, will have to wait and see if my nerves are indeed regenerating at the bullet-train rate of 1mm per day. By the tape measure I'm looking at about 1500 days, give or take a few. So far I'm a whopping 250 days in! Practially there! Calculated well date: June 1, 2016.
Just when I was beginning to turn a corner with the whole nerve issue in my left foot (the more painful one now), a blood clot set into my left leg. Through that process I learned that I have developed a blood condition called antiphospholipid syndrome. In short, I now tend to clot in a very unhealthy way. So, I will be on blood thinners and in compression hose the rest of my days. My left leg will always be at least a little bigger than my right one and not because of a highly developed muscle! On December 18, I had a procedure on the left leg to essentially insure that I will not have as many problems in that leg 10 years from now as I would have had otherwise.
Okay, so enough of the doom & gloom! God has gotten my attention very well in 2012. I had quite a few discussions with Him as I walked the streets around our home in my back brace. I learned to lean into Him in the long hours of the night when sleep was not where I normally found it. I wept my way through my first back-to-church service on Mother's Day, realizing not just how much I missed it, but how far my heart actually felt from God. I have prayed harder during this year than I have in a long time. I have been humbled by the ocean of prayers that have been uttered for me, most especially for how much my precious wife has asked God to heal and protect me. I don't know what I would have done without her presence and her encouragement.
As I close out 2012, in spite of the speed bumps in my health, I realize how fully blessed my life is. I can do almost anything that I need to do. I can carry on all my work duties at The Hills. I can do most of my household projects & chores. I sleep all night. I get to spend lots of time with my family. I can still do Wal Mart trips, if I pace myself. :)
All in all, I finish the year with great hope and energy. And, as if to add one more blessing to my list, God gave us a white Christmas! It was so great! All our grandkids were here at our house and once the snow had done it's thing, most of them hit the back yard for some frolicking in the beautiful whiteness! It was the perfect Christmas!
So, still some healing to do and plenty of blessings to enjoy! Happy 2013 to all! And...
Prayers up!
Actually I got a little better news from my vascular surgeon today that I expected. Based on what he told me in the hospital on Tuesday, I didn't think he would have much encouragement for me today, but it was somewhat better.
He did achieve a small flow through my deep vein that was 100% blocked before the procedure. He said that would make a big difference to me in about 10 years when, untreated, my leg would have given me major problems. So, this procedure has been mostly an investment in the future.
As far as the blood clots go, he said that now they are not considered as blood clots, but as scar tissue. So, they will remain. But, at least the blood flow is getting by them.
He told me to wear knee-high compression hose, actually on both legs, from now on anytime that I am up. I don't have to wear them while sleeping, but when I'm up, the blood will want to descend into my legs through my veins. That is because the clots have destroyed the valves that keep that from happening. The bit of good news with the compression hosiery is that over time, they should help my swelling to decrease. The squeeze on the leg will help keep the blood from descending as much. My left leg will never return to the size of the right one, but the swelling should not stay where it is now. I told Terrie that I just need to exercise the right leg a whole lot and beef it up to match the larger left one!
I go back to see him in a year, so I hope he has something much improved to look at next December!
Oh, yeah. One more thing: I found out that I have an ear infection and the beginning of a sinus infection. No, the vascular surgeon didn't diagnose that one - it was a doc-in-the-box. So now, I'm doing 10 days of two horse-tablet-sized antibiotics per.
But, who's complainin'?
Prayers up!
