It's official
posted by The Vidiot @ 11:56 AM Permalink
Just got back from seeing the neurosurgeon and he said "Yup. You need surgery."So, I've provided pictures to explain what's going to happen.
At the top, you'll see a picture I found of a little kid with the same malformation (Arnold Chiari I) The bit I have circled in blue are the tonsils that hang low. Mine are about 7mm. The next picture over is a CINE Flow MRI. (Again, not mine.) When I saw mine, that totally convinced me brain was askew. On mine, you could clearly see that the CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) only flowed towards the front portion and not the back. (Kinda' like this one shows. The white is the spinal fluid.) The back has that little tonsil thing and it gets in the way of the flow.
The bottom picture, I have circled the bit they're going to chip away and make bigger. This picture shows a normal brain though. That round cerebellum thing is supposed to look like that -- round. Mine looks like a bit of an eggplant or a pear or something. You could see how such a thing could get in the way of CSF flow.
Good news is that I don't have what's called a syrinx, which is like a little bubble or cyst in the spinal column. But he's pretty convinced I'd form one if I let this go too long. If I had that, I'd be in way worse shape and my prognosis wouldn't be so cheery.
So all in all, I consider myself fortunate to have a solid, convincing diagnosis and that there's a solution to the problem. (And thank heavens I took Mr. Vidiot with me. It was his idea to look at the CINE shots. I was too stunned to think too clearly. Had I not seen them with my own eyes, I may have had my doubts.)
Surgery scheduled for 4/20 or 4/21.
Mr. Vidiot will live blog the whole grisly episode, depending on whether or not there's WiFi at the hospital. And maybe, if I'm high enough, I'll let him take a picture of the incision and post it here.
Hey, why not? There are a lot more grosser things on the net. Like the Bush Administration social policies. (Or lack thereof.)
12 Comments:
You won't need luck because you've got skill on your side. Good for you for taking care of this early. Take acidophollis after the surgery to put the flora back into your tummy so that your food is digested not rotted. The pain and antibiotic drugs are totally necessary but they kill the digestive flora leaving you with a tummy full of rotten food and a longing for a good poop. Bio K is my favorite brand (health food stores)it has 50 billion units but be sure to shake well as it has a texture reminicent of slugs if not well shaken. It's in a base of yogurt. This area of medicine is called probotics and it amazes me that doctors almost never mention it to patients.
Besides the acidopholus, maybe you should call your friendly holistic nutritionist, if you have one, and ask what other supplements might be advised to help you with the swelling and helping the tissues to heal more quickly. I'll bet they know all kinds of good things! Good luck to you and hurry back to your blog.
our thoughts and prayers are with you biker chick! long may you blog!
good luck with the recovery!
thanks. I needed that!
I'm sending good thoughts and my prayers your way. You are very brave and from what you've posted, you are doing the right thing.
Take good care, and please have Mr. Vidiot keep us updated, wi-fi or not.
All my best,
Jeralyn
TalkLeft.com
Good luck and good thoughts for you. Please let us know how you're doing. (I also have a vested interest here. I've got the same malformation but haven't gotten to the surgery stage yet so I am very involved in the process myself.)
Sending very positive thought your way.
my dearest Vidiot,
i send you white healing light and good thoughts. now go in there and kick recovery ass!
does this work?
not to worry my b-i-l had brain surgery too (years ago). he's FINE. he even drives a truck for a living. my thoughts and prayers are with you!
p.s. IF they ask if you want your whole head shaved or half of your head, GO FOR THE WHOLE HEAD. belive me, you'll end up doing the whole thing anyway. half is worse
About the head-shaving: it's true, you'll look like a poodle with a half bald head. When my wife had a brain tumor removed, the surgeon came out and told me that the surgury went well, but she'll be mad about the haircut! That was in 1999; she's doing fine.
We'll hope and pray for the best outcome.
And thank you for sharing the information. It is always hard to consider something wrong with our brains, but it really helps others face their problems when someone clearly and calmly writes about it.
Good Luck, and may the anaesthetician be generous. (oh, and if you wake up with a colostomy bag, you might want to call your lawyer. Just sayin')
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