Yesterday was a good day.
It was a day off from my work shifts after working 5 shifts straight since Saturday.
It was a day to get the girls flu injections which has been on my list to get done since last month.
I also got to have lunch with Jacob without the kids.
It was also the day I got to see my neurosurgeon. The appointment was to compare MRI scans to track growth of my meningioma, which was found earlier this year. I also got to see the results of the CT scan, which would show a clear image of the size and location of my meningioma. The scan also showed its proximity to my optic nerve. The optic nerve is what controls our eye sight.
So the good news is there was no change with the size of the meningioma. So as expected, it’s slow growing.
Secondly, the CT scan showed it’s not currently near my optic nerve, so in terms of location and symptoms, there is no need to have surgery this year. I have time to plan for surgery in the future.
I will need to have regular MRIs – one every 6 months to monitor growth. My next one is booked before Christmas. Happy Christmas to me. Ha!
I will have to have surgery at some stage, but I won’t be needing it this year and it could be pushed out for a few years, providing I don’t have symptoms of loss of vision in my eye. I will have regular appointments with my ophthalmologist to check on this too.
For me, this news was a relief. I had put on hold a few things – like our trip to New Zealand, in case I needed to cancel due to surgery.
I’ve also had meetings where I’ve agreed to take on more writing work… and I’ve crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t have to decline due to my health.
Yesterday also confirmed the need yet again to get second opinions and to be decisive about my own health. I know the risks and I’m confident in my decision to wait.
As my neurosurgeon said yesterday, I’m ‘stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea’, but I trust him and my gut feeling to wait which has been simply from wisdom in considering the risks.
On the way out of the appointment, I was told to keep living my best life and so I certainly will.
Thank you for the messages yesterday and over the last few weeks asking for an update. I know you’ve been eager to know my results as well.
I’m also going to take on board the tips you’ve shared with me in relation to being comfortable when having an MRI. This is now going to be routine for me for a while.
