The most surreal day of my life...
Flash back to Friday. I'm going to see the endochrinologist. They aren't covered under my health plan, but I'm told I can plan to pay about $45. I get there and suddenly they say it's $300.
I tell them no-can-do. The hospital will draw my blood on Monday, I'm told, and the results will be in for the surgery.
Not all of them were, but the one that mattered most was...
Okay, now it's today...
Tere I was, in the OR prep room, IV in, wearing the gown, ready for surgery. I chatted with the neurosurgeon and was told I have a prolactin secreting tumor. I'm told that's good because anything remaining after the surgery will be reduced with medication. I'm told that there's a chance I'll need hormone supplements the rest of my life after surgery. The neuro surgeon leaves and I start thinking...
I see my wife, my mother, and a dear friend of the family. I tell them, "Ya know, they can possibly take care of this with medicine...I need to talk with the neurosurgeon again..."
Eventually I do (after talking to the Ear/Nose/Throat doc and being told that they wouldn't be going in through my nose, but through an incision at the top of my gums! The neurosurgeon says, "With your vision not being as impaired as most people's with this problem, it's definitely an option to try medication first. We've treated a pilot with a larger tumor and he now has full use of vision, and no problems. This medicine shrinks prolactin secreting tumors, and you'd have to take this medicine even after surgery."
"Would I have to take hormones?" I say.
"After surgery, it's a possibility, yes. Let's cancel this, get you on this medication, and get you into an endocrinologist on your plan..."
So just like that, the IV was removed and surgery cancelled. I'm not in the clear, but this treatment offers a lot of promise, and I'd much rather have the tumor reduced slowly, with medication, and not have to take hormones and go through surgery, than go through everything I was scheduled to do today.
It's just strange...not even a week ago, I found out I had a pituitary tumor pressing against my optic nerve. Today I'm scheduled for brain surgery, and half an hour before going in, it's cancelled and medicine is the new treatment.
It's been a roller coaster ride. It's been surreal.
To add to the weirdness, woolgazer had wrist surgery today. At the same hospital. Around the same time. She was set up in the OR prep room right across from me, so I got to wander by and say hello before she had her surgery (which went well :) ).
The writer in me, for a moment, was like, "Take the surgery...experience something new...have weeks off...you can't run around, but you can write, and you'll be on disability and bills will be paid..."
But I didn't dare push it. While I don't hate my job, I love the weekends and Sunday nights I lie there thinking, "Man, one more day..." This past sunday, however, I found myself wishing I were going to work the following day, and not going to have a CT scan...have blood drawn. Not talking to doctors, and not spending time with darthcynthia, watching her worry.
So right now it's medicine and an MRI in 6 weeks. I'm really thinking this is the way to go. While I'd like the tumor removed, prolactin tumors come back unless you hit them with medicine, apparently, so I'd be doing this anyway.
Better to do it all without them doing surgery leaving a tiny hole in my skull :)
I tell them no-can-do. The hospital will draw my blood on Monday, I'm told, and the results will be in for the surgery.
Not all of them were, but the one that mattered most was...
Okay, now it's today...
Tere I was, in the OR prep room, IV in, wearing the gown, ready for surgery. I chatted with the neurosurgeon and was told I have a prolactin secreting tumor. I'm told that's good because anything remaining after the surgery will be reduced with medication. I'm told that there's a chance I'll need hormone supplements the rest of my life after surgery. The neuro surgeon leaves and I start thinking...
I see my wife, my mother, and a dear friend of the family. I tell them, "Ya know, they can possibly take care of this with medicine...I need to talk with the neurosurgeon again..."
Eventually I do (after talking to the Ear/Nose/Throat doc and being told that they wouldn't be going in through my nose, but through an incision at the top of my gums! The neurosurgeon says, "With your vision not being as impaired as most people's with this problem, it's definitely an option to try medication first. We've treated a pilot with a larger tumor and he now has full use of vision, and no problems. This medicine shrinks prolactin secreting tumors, and you'd have to take this medicine even after surgery."
"Would I have to take hormones?" I say.
"After surgery, it's a possibility, yes. Let's cancel this, get you on this medication, and get you into an endocrinologist on your plan..."
So just like that, the IV was removed and surgery cancelled. I'm not in the clear, but this treatment offers a lot of promise, and I'd much rather have the tumor reduced slowly, with medication, and not have to take hormones and go through surgery, than go through everything I was scheduled to do today.
It's just strange...not even a week ago, I found out I had a pituitary tumor pressing against my optic nerve. Today I'm scheduled for brain surgery, and half an hour before going in, it's cancelled and medicine is the new treatment.
It's been a roller coaster ride. It's been surreal.
To add to the weirdness, woolgazer had wrist surgery today. At the same hospital. Around the same time. She was set up in the OR prep room right across from me, so I got to wander by and say hello before she had her surgery (which went well :) ).
The writer in me, for a moment, was like, "Take the surgery...experience something new...have weeks off...you can't run around, but you can write, and you'll be on disability and bills will be paid..."
But I didn't dare push it. While I don't hate my job, I love the weekends and Sunday nights I lie there thinking, "Man, one more day..." This past sunday, however, I found myself wishing I were going to work the following day, and not going to have a CT scan...have blood drawn. Not talking to doctors, and not spending time with darthcynthia, watching her worry.
So right now it's medicine and an MRI in 6 weeks. I'm really thinking this is the way to go. While I'd like the tumor removed, prolactin tumors come back unless you hit them with medicine, apparently, so I'd be doing this anyway.
Better to do it all without them doing surgery leaving a tiny hole in my skull :)