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!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Back to Blogging
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!
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!
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