new do

Just a quick update.... everything is going as planned in regards to the surgery. Only 22 days. I am so very ready for it too. I have been having some really bad dizzy days, they seem to correlate with heat as well. I would like to share some very strange observations of my dizziness. Who would have thought??? I have found that being a passenger is more difficult then driving, ripples in swimming pools, watching movies in theaters, emergency vehicle’s lights, spirals, checker boards, bright lights, stairs, and many many more.
I have made some changes in preparation for the surgery. I colored my hair back to my natural color. I figured I wouldn’t feel up to getting my hair colored or touched up during recovery. So thank you Ronnie Beth, you’re the best!! I also picked up my glasses as well. I look completely different, many people haven’t recognized me, including Addison. The day I picked her up with my dark hair and glasses, she had to double take. Then she came running with open arms once she heard my voice, oh she is so darn cute!! I will post a picture of the new do soon.
Also, I wanted to take a minute to give a special thank you to all of my friends, family and Criderians. I wish I could explain the tremendous support I have received. I truly believe that each and every one of you is praying and sending warm thoughts my way. I can feel it!!! It is so unbelievably amazing to have such incredible support and prayers. I have had emails from people I don’t even know just letting me know they were praying and thinking about us. I also think I am on every prayer chain from hear to Tennessee. Wow, I am so lucky to have all of you in my life! I cannot thank you enough!!!
Kelley

eye doc

I went to the eye doctor last week. Originally they thought my focusing and dizziness had something to do with my eyes. So I went and saw Dr. Kirks. He is wonderful. He ran tons of tests and discovered that my focusing is solely from the tumor. It has not effected my vision one bit. YAY!!! But he did seem to notice that I was slightly nearsided. So he prescribed glasses for driving, night and distant. I have been seeing halos and glares with lighting. So I have to wear glasses if I go to the movies, cards game or any other event that I would like to see clearer. No big deal, they actually look pretty darn cute. I will pick them up on Friday. And yes they are PINK!!
I also went to my primary physician on Monday for a follow up on the medication she prescribed. She took me off the meds since they didn’t seem to be helping with my memory. They ruled out that the memory loss had to do with the tumor. So we have another obstacle. Dr. Mabe thinks that I may be suffering with adult ADD. She thinks that I am unable to clearly pay attention therefore my brain is not collecting everything that should be stored in my brain. Hum who would have thought? So she has put me on a non stimulant ADD medication. I will be on this med for about 6 weeks, and then she will see me aging. If this medication does not improve my memory then she will be referring me for more neurological testing. So we are just taking in all the information and trying to get back to normal as soon as we can.
I had a scary dizzy spell on Tuesday. I took some of my clients to the Science center for a fun social outing. We went into an optical illusion room. WOW! I was instantly confused, dizzy, and very nauseous. A coworker had to take my kiddo for me b/c I had to immediately leave the room. I never thought spirals, checkers and squiggly lines would have such an effect on my balance. I even had difficulty with wearing a black and white striped dress yesterday. Crazy. So as you can imagine I am very ready to get this thing out of my head. August 22 can’t get here soon enough!!
I went to the eye doctor last week. Originally they thought my focusing and dizziness had something to do with my eyes. So I went and saw Dr. Kirks. He is wonderful. He ran tons of tests and discovered that my focusing is solely from the tumor. It has not effected my vision one bit. YAY!!! But he did seem to notice that I was slightly nearsided. So he prescribed glasses for driving, night and distant. I have been seeing halos and glares with lighting. So I have to wear glasses if I go to the movies, cards game or any other event that I would like to see clearer. No big deal, they actually look pretty darn cute. I will pick them up on Friday. And yes they are PINK!!
I also went to my primary physician on Monday for a follow up on the medication she prescribed. She took me off the meds since they didn’t seem to be helping with my memory. They ruled out that the memory loss had to do with the tumor. So we have another obstacle. Dr. Mabe thinks that I may be suffering with adult ADD. She thinks that I am unable to clearly pay attention therefore my brain is not collecting everything that should be stored in my brain. Hum who would have thought? So she has put me on a non stimulant ADD medication. I will be on this med for about 6 weeks, and then she will see me aging. If this medication does not improve my memory then she will be referring me for more neurological testing. So we are just taking in all the information and trying to get back to normal as soon as we can.
I had a scary dizzy spell on Tuesday. I took some of my clients to the Science center for a fun social outing. We went into an optical illusion room. WOW! I was instantly confused, dizzy, and very nauseous. A coworker had to take my kiddo for me b/c I had to immediately leave the room. I never thought spirals, checkers and squiggly lines would have such an effect on my balance. I even had difficulty with wearing a black and white striped dress yesterday. Crazy. So as you can imagine I am very ready to get this thing out of my head. August 22 can’t get here soon enough!!

Talked to the doctors

Clint and I spoke with Dr. Herzog last night. He stated my tumor is one of the smallest tumors he has seen in his practice (YAY). He gave Clint and I the option of waiting 6 more months and reviewing the tumor or going ahead and operating. We discussed all our options and decided on surgery now. Our reasoning is... The tumor will continue to grow, and the older I get and the bigger the tumor.... the higher risk. So, that is why we decided to go ahead and take the silly thing out. And I am tired of feeling dizzy all the time from the vertigo. The only new information that Dr. Herzog gave us is... There is a possibility that the tumor may come back. So I will need to follow up with him every 6 months for 4 years. At each of my checkups I will have a brain scan to see any changes. The doctor was very optimistic that the surgery will go well. We have so much faith in Dr. Herzog; he is so unbelievably educated, optimistic and wonderful. He really spends time with us and answered all the silly questions we had.

We scheduled the surgery today. I will be going in on Friday August 22, 2008. My procedure will start at 7:00am. The nurse will be sending me a packet of info prior to the surgery about my prep, medication etc. So I will keep you all posted.
Once again thank you for all of your continued support, thoughts and prayers. Keep it coming!!!
Love you all!
Kelley

my surgery

OK this seems to be the simplest and quickest way to update everyone all the surgery details. I will continue to update on my condition and new details. We recently found out I have ACOUSTIC NEUROMA, Acoustic Neuroma is a benign tumor arising from the eighth (hearing and balance) cranial nerve. This nerve travels from the brainstem to the inner ear. Basically I have a tumor lodged in between my inner ear and my brain. There are several different options and we have chosen to have it surgically removed. I wanted to give you a timeline of how quickly this all happened. I had been having dizzy spells and memory loss for about a year now. i went to my primary doc and she thought it was post pardum depression. About 3 weeks ago I went back because the symptoms had not gone away, and had been more severe. So my doctor requested an MRI of my brain and referred me to an eye specialist as well. I had the MRI on Thursday, and Monday was called with the results. They referred me to an ENT. i was able to get in on that Wednesday to see the ENT. The ENT then explained everything to me and sent me to a specialist. We saw Dr. Jacquez Herzong, an otologist and neurologist. He gave us all the scoop. There is no known cause for this tumor and it is not genetic. It is not cancerous nor will it spread or return once removed. Every 1 in 100,000 people get it. I will be having it surgically removed some time in August. The procedure sounds scarier then it really is...... There will be an incision about 2 inches behind my left ear. The underlying bone is removed and the dura (lining of the brain) opened. This allows the surgeon to visualize the tumor from the inner ear to the brainstem. By operating behind the inner ear, hearing preservation is an option. The disadvantage is that the facial nerve is located in behind the tumor and is not directly seen until a portion of tumor is removed. Also the cerebellum (a portion of the brain) must be retracted which may result a bit longer recovery. This procedure is the best option because the chances of keeping my hearing look really good. The surgeon says I will be in surgery about 4-5 hours. 24 hours in ICU, and 3-5 days in recovery. I will get to go home as soon as I can get up a walk on my own without feeling dizzy or sick. I will then have 6 week recovery at home.I know it all sounds really scary but I am really ok with everything. God has a reason for everything and this has made me truly appreciate my good health and supportive friends and family. It could always be so much worse. So I don’t want anyone to freak out or avoid talking about it. I would be happy to answer any questions any one has b/c it is very confusing and sounds very scary.So sorry to be the bearer of bad news but just wanted to get some extra prayers during this time. Love you all!Kelley Here is the website to my surgeon with some additional information. http://www.stlouisear.com/index.htm

I had my 2nd MRI on Wednesday July 9th. The main reason for the 2nd MRI was to get a specifically clearer picture of the tumor itself. The last MRI was a general picture of the brain. The doctor requested the 2nd to see exactly where he needs to go in without puncturing any other nerves. I have not heard any results at this time. Clint and I are seeing Dr. Herzog on Tuesday to set up the surgery. I am very anxious for this appointment b/c you all know me I like to have structure and organization in my life and its driving me nuts not knowing what is going to happen the next few months with my recovery. I will also have the opportunity to ask all those silly little questions like.... How much do you really have to shave my head????? :( and When can I drive????:( You know all the important questions. Ha Ha.
So I will keep you all updated on the newest details.

I cannot thank you all enough. I truly feel the positive support and prayers surrounding me each and every day. You all are keeping me going every day and appreciating all of the amazingly wonderfull people in my life. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Kelley :)