The Tumor is the Size of a Plum

The day of my second dr. appt. finally arrived. I was very nervous, knowing that my future lay in his hands but also confident I had chosen the right man. He walked in the room and told us the MRI showed the tumor to be much bigger than the CT scan had showed. The tumor we thought was an inch in diameter was actually the size of a plum. He told us it needed to be removed as soon as possible. There would be two procedures, one to kill the blood supply and the other to actually remove the tumor. He estimated my hospital stay to be about 5 days. He cautioned me there was a possibility of slurred speech and weakness on my right side after the surgery but it would be temporary. The surgery would be performed at Henry Ford’s newest hospital in West Bloomfield. We set the surgery for the 27th of August, just 2 and a half weeks away. I also started steroids that day to help shrink the tumor.

I made several phone calls to my daughter’s on the way home. We had never dealt with any health issues of this magnitude and we were all trying to be brave in dealing with it. Whenever I would start to dwell on the fact that I had a plum sized tumor in my brain, I forced my thoughts elsewhere. Whenever someone expressed a fearful thought, I quickly expressed my faith in God. He had brought me through so many things and I didn’t believe He would forsake me now. I thought of a quote my husband often quoted when he was preaching, “that faith is anchored but hope is still in the boat”.  My faith was being tested and I was determined to pass the test with flying colors.

I made a list that day when I got home of all that I wanted to get done before the surgery. We were planning our annual golf outing for John’s business, canning needed done from the garden and many other things as well. The steroids I was taking were masking my other health issues and I actually felt really good those last week’s before surgery. I hoped the removal of the tumor would also remove all my ongoing health issues, but it didn’t happen that way.

I had to be at the hospital very early the morning of the 26. The doctor explained to us they were going to stop the blood supply to the tumor. This was called an embolism. They would insert a catheter through my groin area that was equipped with a camera and thread it through an artery to my brain. They would then determine what kind of blood supply was feeding the tumor. Once they established this, they would shoot these small beads into these supply veins to stop the blood flow. The only part that really bothered me was the fact that I had to remain awake so they could talk to me and give instructions as to when to hold my breath and to hold perfectly still.

Although I was awake, I felt no pain or discomfort. I was able to communicate with them and fully understood all that was taking place. The doctor carefully explained each step as he went. I was so amazed at the technology that allowed such precise movement within an artery and the brain. It went well and I was relieved when it was over, it had lasted 3 hours. The surgeon told me they had found only one major artery leading to the tumor and it was coming from the brain lining rather than the brain itself. That was extremely good news, they had successfully stopped the blood flow.

Stay tuned for part 5 and hopefully the finale!