Hello World!

Check.  Check.  Is this thing on????  Hello World!  Welcome to my life as I know it!  My life has become, well, interesting lately to say the least.  I have decided to start blogging for my own sanity...and my family's!  And also to keep all those interested up to date.  The past month has been a whirlwind and a life changing experience.  There is so much information that I really don't know where to begin.  I think I will just start from today and move forward.  In the next few blogs, I will update and also add to the back story.  Otherwise, I would be here typing for a week straight!  Soooo here goes!!!

Let's see....where to start....here's a short synopsis....well everything began back in mid December when I thought I had bronchitis or maybe even (gasp) pneumonia!  I went to see my PCP who did an exam and said, "Hhmmm, nope, you look good to me.  With the chest pain, let's get you to the Cardiologist."  Ewwww....well after a clean bill of health from him, back to my PCP.  Told her that something is wrong...I just don't feel right.  My main symptoms were chest pain, dizziness, fatigue and now some confusion.  She sent me for an MRI that day and set up an appointment with a neurologist for the very next day.  I liked that fact she was so aggressive, although I would have much preferred a prescription for an antibiotic for bronchitis!  Anyways, that afternoon after the MRI, the imaging center gave us a copy to take to the neurologist the next day.  Chris and I thought it would be cool to look at 280 images of my brain....plus there was indeed proof I had one!  So there...you sceptics!!  As we were flipping through all those images, one click changed things forever.  We both knew in an instant what we were looking at.  That lump doesn't belong there!  Thank God we had an appointment the next morning with the neurologist!  That night was one of the worst of our lives.  Chris googled like crazy.  He decided I had a meningioma.  What a smart man I married!  He was correct!  I was still devastated when I heard the doctor speak those words out loud.  A brain tumor.  A brain tumor?!  How did I get from bronchitis to a brain tumor???  Lord, I can't do this!

Fast forward many headaches and seizures later....tomorrow, Monday, I have an appointment with a Neurosurgeon at Northside.  This will be a third opinion technically.  But we have decided to use a neurosurgeon at Northside Hospital since Chris works there.  In the meantime, I am on a new medication for headaches and seizures - Topamax.  Hopefully this will help and kick in soon.  I have also found a great source of support online...meningiomamommas.com.  Not that my family isn't supportive, it's just helpful to talk to people who are going through the same thing and just 'get it'.  My family does the best they can.  They all do a wonderful job of taking care of me.  I just hate that they have to!  I want to take care of THEM!  This sucks!  But as my mother says...this too shall pass....what a wise woman!