by Skye
A week ago I was diagnosed with two brain tumors. One is a Vestibular Schwannoma, which some folks call an Acoustic Neuroma. It's located on a nerve in my right ear....to help my family understand which tumor I'm talking about, I've named this one Ethel. (Ear/Ethel) The MRI also shows another type of tumor called a Meningioma on the left side of my brain. It's about 1/2 inch in size. I've named it Lucy. (Left side/Lucy) Happily, I was able to see one of the leading micro surgeons for Acoustic Neuroma's almost immediately. His name is George Wanna and he works at Vanderbilt in Nashville. His operating partner, Neurosurgeon, Kyle Weaver also visited with my husband and me to assure us they can take care of the Schwannoma. Since Lucy is not causing problems we've decided not to operate on it right now...rather, we're focusing on Ethel. How did I know I had tumors? I didn't! I was just dizzy and have a ringing sound in my right ear. My doctor called for an MRI which revealed the two tumors. Lucky me! Schwannoma's happen in only 1 in 100,000 people. I'll start balance therapy this week and have scheduled brain surgery for July, 2012. And while Ethel is only .75mm she's causing a lot of trouble! With tumors - size isn't everything! By beginning balance therapy early, I'm hoping I will be able to recover from the surgery much quickly. I'm keeping a positive attitude. At my request, my friends and family will shave me bald the Saturday before I leave for surgery. Being bald is not totally necessary since the doctor said he would try to limit how much of my hair he would remove...but I want to be the one in control. I am not a victim - I'm a survivor! And I'm grateful for people like Dr. Wanna and Dr. Weaver for dedicating their lives to saving people like me. I'll let you know how all this works out. As a former news anchor married to a news anchor - we hope to bring awareness to brain tumor research and treatment options. If you have a tumor - become informed. Don't hide from it. Knowledge is power and you are stronger than you realize! And while people don't know how you feel - they do want to help. So let them. And be sure to remind yourself every ten minutes ... everything will be OK ... I'm in control, not the tumor. Good luck! Skye
