Finally Some Answers - Surgery Scheduled

The week of July 26th was going to be extremely busy with trying to get a hold of doctors and all kinds of appointments. I didn't go back to work like I had planned on, I had to prepare for the unknown. My mom came over in the mornings because I wasn't supposed to drive and they didn't want me to try to take care of Michial by myself. He was 6 1/2 weeks old.

I started calling the doctors right away on Monday morning. The doctor that we talked to in the ER on Friday night was supposed to talk to the other doctor that night to let him know that I would be calling. Well it turns out he never got a hold of him, so I had to explain everything on the phone. The doctors office wasn't expressing any urgency and we were getting a little frustrated. We contacted Gail, my old teacher that is the head of the organization BeHeadStrong. She was able to get the doctor to take my situation a little more urgently.

The doctors office finally called me back and said that I would need to go see Dr. Cullen, an otologist. He was going to be in on my surgery and I had to have a consultation with him. That appointment was on Wednesday, and I would see Dr. Camarata, the surgeon, on Thursday since that was the only day he was in the office.

My mom took me to Dr. Cullen's office on Wednesday since I wasn't allowed to drive. His office was near the Plaza. John met us there. First I had a hearing test, which I passed. The nurse took us back to a room, which was pretty small. I had to sit in a weird looking chair that might remind you of a chair that you would sit in at the eye doctor, but it didn't have all the attachments for your eyes. John and my mom had to squeeze in on a bench in front of the window, and then we had Michial in his carseat carrier.

Dr. Cullen came in and introduced himself. Then he started to explain the type of tumor I had. The tumor is called an acoustic neoroma. He thought it measured around 5.5cm, which is considered an extra large tumor. The only option at this point was to operate. He told us that this type of tumor is normally found earlier before it actually gets this big, because it normally grows out into the ear and causes hearing loss in that ear, and then it is found because a person tries to figure out why they lost their hearing. In my case the tumor grew into the brain cavity instead of out into the ear and I didn't loose my hearing. Instead it started pushing my brain-stem out of the way causing me other symptoms like balance issues and double vision. He told us that I probably have had this tumor for 10-12 years since they are more common in kids.

He then took us to show us the tumor on my MRI scan. The tumor was big and was definitely pushing my brain-stem out of the way. He told us that he thought I should have surgery within the next week and a half because they didn't want the tumor to get any bigger and start blocking the flow of my brain fluid. I was going to have my appointment with Dr. Camarata the next day and we would schedule my surgery then. My grandma had met us that afternoon and her, I and Michial and went shopping at Oak Park.

The following day we went to Dr. Camarata's office for my appointment. John met us there again and my grandma came with us that day. Dr. Camarata's office was also located on the Plaza right across the street from St. Lukes hospital. We ended up waiting for the doctor for around two and a half hours! Finally the nurse took us back to the room, this one was a little bigger, but we had one more person so it was still crowded! The doctor finally came in and he pretty much told us what Dr. Cullen had said the day before. He explained that I was going to loose hearing in my right ear after the surgery. He told us that they would have to shave part of my head so that they could make the incision from my right ear to the top of my neck.

We scheduled my surgery for the following Tuesday, August 3rd. I had to go in for pre-op on Friday afternoon. I was having my surgery at St Lukes on the plaza, but they let me get my pre-op done at St Lukes South since it was closer to home. This weekend was going to be the last "normal" weekend with my family. This was all happening so quickly, I didn't know what God was doing in my life, but I knew this was going to be the biggest trial I had been through.