My big day with the Neurosurgeon is tomorrow!!! Of course, Colorado is going to dish out a snow storm for me to endure as well. I am considering spending the night at work because it is lower elevation and makes the drive to the Dr. S a little easier. Forecasting 4" to 8" of snow at my house with winds 60+ mph. Ok, so it is going to be a fun white-out situation. If I don't go home, then Hans is stuck with the boys and their potential school cancellation, etc. At least Day Camp will be open so if Hans can slide down there and back home, he can work from home in peace. :)
Onto the anatomy lesson. This is a picture from Netter's Anatomy book of the pituitary gland.
It is that onion looking thing in the middle of the picture, with a long stalk thing headed up. It is the size of a pea, but being the master gland, a pretty important little thing. According to the Dr. H who read my MRI, the tumor is in a posterior position on the pituitary gland, encasing the stem/stalk thing, and then filling the area up, which is where the optic chiasm is. The optic chiasm is pretty darn cool. Your optic nerves from your eyeballs come together near the pituitary gland and Siddy is pressing against it, mainly on the right side. This is why I am having trouble with my vision in my right eye the most.
In this picture, you can see the optic chiasm sitting on top of the pituitary gland. The optic chiasm is going into the frontal lobes (top of the picture. So, tomorrow, I find out how Dr. S is going to get into the middle of my head and remove Siddy. I am guessing through the nasal cavities.
If you can read the labels in this picture, you will be able to see where the pituitary gland is in comparison to the eye sockets and the GIANT nasal cavities. My best guess right now is they will go up through those cavities and them go at the thing. Yes, it is tucked neatly in a nice bone bowl to keep it nice and safe. Good design. That little yellow circle near the pituitary is the optic nerve, so a lot is happening in a really small space.
I picked up my MRI disc today to deliver to Dr. S tomorrow. Oh yes, I tore into that sealed envelope and looked at the pictures. Freaking cool. Yep, there was a brain in there. But I also saw this HUGE mass that I think is Siddy. Reality is starting to sink in. Seeing it makes it more real.
I am happy to have my appointment 28 days after my diagnosis. Seems like forever. In those 28 days, it has been confirmed and now we move forward to removing it. I find out all of that tomorrow. Right now, Zane is scheduled for a tonsillectomy on 21 Nov. I don't know how that will be affected. I want to improve his sleep apnea problem so he can do better but I need to get better too.
I don't know if I will sleep much tonight. A lot to think about and of course worry about. I'm still trying to put the best face/foot forward until I have a reason not to. Our little family is doing the best we can with our variety of life issues. I know God does not give me more than I can handle. Some days I wonder, but I also know that to be true.
More tomorrow once I've got the next steps figured out. Siddy, your days are numbered.
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