Six weeks after my gamma knife session I had a follow up MRI. The 5 mm spot measured exactly the same as it did before the radiation. Sometimes it can take time to see results after gamma knife, and it wasn't any bigger so I was very happy with the MRI results at this point. It's still possible that this spot is NOT cancer, and is a blood vessel deformity. I'm choosing to believe that's what it is, and the fact that it didn't shrink after radiation makes me more confident it is not cancer.
September 2016
The last few weeks I have been having eye issues. My right eye had a fuzzy blind spot and a dull ache around the eye. My ophthalmologist did many tests and took pictures and determined that I have a swollen optic nerve (papilledema). He was very concerned because the main cause of this is increased intracranial pressure from something like a tumor in the brain. I told him that I had an MRI last month which didn't show anything new. He recommended we rush and do another MRI. I was also due for all of my other scans at this time so we scheduled them all asap. During my scan appointment I explained my symptoms to my MRI tech (whom I love!). She told me that either my insurance denied the brain MRI because I just had one... or my doctor didn't order a brain MRI, either way she was only authorized to perform an orbital MRI as well as my body scans. I told her I really was hoping for a brain MRI because an orbital MRI would show that I have a swollen optic nerve... which we already know, but it most likely won't show the cause of it. From what I was told, only a brain MRI would do that. She spoke with the radiologist on the phone immediately and he agreed an MRI of the brain was absolutely necessary to rule out any new brain tumors. He okay'd her to perform the brain MRI at no charge to me, which I am so grateful for! The good thing about being in a small town and going to small centers like this is that they begin to know you and your case personally, you aren't just a name or a patient ID number.
On September 7th I got the news that my body CT was clear, my orbital MRI was clear, and the only thing showing on my brain MRI was the same 5 mm spot that we have radiated. There was nothing new anywhere! That spot was once again the same size which makes me so hopeful that it's nothing to worry about. And even if it is something... it's not growing! Which means that my medication at this point is still working.
Unfortunately I've been back to my ophthalmologist again recently and I still have a swollen optic nerve with no explanation. There are no reports of my medications causing this, although they are so new it is possible. He's going to monitor me closely and see if we can figure it out. Once again, this disease is testing my patience like I never knew possible. We decided to push all of this out of our immediate thoughts, we packed up, and went to Hawaii.
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| My husband and I, hiking |
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| We visited the beach we got married on four years ago! |
