It's a tumor! (Actually several tumors)

I'm back! And of course, when I am back to blogging, there is pretty big news to share. Since I have last blogged, I have started two new jobs, made some awesome new friends through that process, and some other rather amusing stories passed along the way. Apparently none of these stories were big enough to share with a blog post, which now in retrospect seems fair.

The news that is big enough to share via blog post has to do with my heath. Over the past few months I, along with those that are close to me, have noticed changes in the way that I walk. It has only intensified over the past few weeks. I finally relented and went to my doctor. She recommended I see an occupational and physical therapist because she needed other opinions before we moved forward with any prognosis.

While visiting the therapists, they noticed immediate movement issues that were neurological in nature, so they recommended that I go see a neurologist. After a quick check up the neurologist ordered MRIs. After the initial images were taken, the doctor called me the very next day to ask that I check myself into the ER, as they found tumors growing around my spine causing compressing and the symptoms affecting my walking and right side weakness. The compressing was severe enough that they did not want me to be by myself.

At the ER, they admitted me for impatient care and more imaging (apparently my cheap off brand MRI was not clear enough). The second MRI and CT scan showed that not only did I have tumors compressing my spine near my neck (base of skull and just a little lower than that), but I also have tumors growing down my entire spine. Neurofibromatosis (sp?) would be the official name. It's a genetic disorder. Many people live with it for years and never show symptoms. Because the tumors on my neck are growing inward, I have shown symtoms.

The tumors that are growing down my lower spine are, for the time being, fine. The tumors on the neck need to be taken care of immediately. My neurosurgeon had warned me that because it seems the tumors have been there for a while, it was a possibility that I would need a stabilizer implanted in my neck to keep my neck bone strong. The stabilizer would limit my mobility in neck movement. So far, that doesn't look like it will be a 100% possibility. However the tumors on my neck are connected to integral nerves, so they cannot be moved completely just reduced.

So in the time being, my neurosurgeon is consulting with her colleagues and team members before officially selecting a operation time/date but it looks like Thursday will be the big day. The doctor still wants me in the hospital for observation, steroid injections, and OT/PT time. The sheer thought of several more days cooped up in bed is driving me stir crazy already. I wish I could flash forward to post surgery/post recovery/normalcy. But the fact is, I will probably never be normal again. And this is something that I will have to learn to deal with.

I keep myself positive by smiling, cracking jokes, enjoying my visitors and now being retrospective through blogging. Be prepared for a lot of hospital stories and rambling about nothing (out of sheer boredom).