Cuda
12-13-2008, 11:29 AM
I've had trouble walking since July. I was finally able to get an MRI Wednesday. Yesterday, I went to my gp and was able to make a diagnosis. This is from the email I sent my sister this morning:
I have two different issues that are not related.
The one that's affecting my ability to walk is called acoustic neurmoa. It's a benign non-cancerous lesion on a nerve at my ear canal. I asked the doctor how long it had been there. He said there is no way of telling. I told him that my balance has been progressively worse for 15 years. I thought it was from a bad tooth infection I had back then. He said it may have been growing very slowly, until it built up enough pressure from the lesion to cause me to walk badly. It's been getting progressively worse at a faster pace since July.
The other issue is that I have lesions on my brain. He asked if I had been out of the country lately, and I told him not since I was two. He said it's often from eating raw pork. It's a fungal infection. There is no way to tell if the infection is still active or not.
Treatment:
He is sending me to an infection specialist, and a ENT specialist.
He said even if the infection is dead, which they can treat with medicines, the lesions on my brain need to be removed, because they are restricting the blood flow to the brain, but have nothing to do with my ataxia.
For the surgery, he's sending me to a neurosurgeon. They will used a "gamma knife" to remove the acoustic neurona, and the multiple brain lesions. It's a non-invasive surgery. He says the neurosurgeon will probably remove them all at the same time. When I asked if I would see immediate improvement after the surgery, he shrugged his shoulders, and said it varies from patient to patient.
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I'm just glad to find out what it is, and how they will treat it.
At least my mom doesn't have to worry about me having a stroke. All she has to worry about now is me falling in the canal behind the house. :)
I think I will get my cousin down from Oregon. He lived in Florida since 1977, and worked for me the last five years he was here. He's the guy that taught me my trade. I'm also closer to Dano than either of my brothers. I talked to him last week, and there is no work for him in Oregon, so him moving back here would be a win-win situation. Not to mention his grandchildren live less than a hour from me (Bushnell). Dano loves his grandkids. :)
I have two different issues that are not related.
The one that's affecting my ability to walk is called acoustic neurmoa. It's a benign non-cancerous lesion on a nerve at my ear canal. I asked the doctor how long it had been there. He said there is no way of telling. I told him that my balance has been progressively worse for 15 years. I thought it was from a bad tooth infection I had back then. He said it may have been growing very slowly, until it built up enough pressure from the lesion to cause me to walk badly. It's been getting progressively worse at a faster pace since July.
The other issue is that I have lesions on my brain. He asked if I had been out of the country lately, and I told him not since I was two. He said it's often from eating raw pork. It's a fungal infection. There is no way to tell if the infection is still active or not.
Treatment:
He is sending me to an infection specialist, and a ENT specialist.
He said even if the infection is dead, which they can treat with medicines, the lesions on my brain need to be removed, because they are restricting the blood flow to the brain, but have nothing to do with my ataxia.
For the surgery, he's sending me to a neurosurgeon. They will used a "gamma knife" to remove the acoustic neurona, and the multiple brain lesions. It's a non-invasive surgery. He says the neurosurgeon will probably remove them all at the same time. When I asked if I would see immediate improvement after the surgery, he shrugged his shoulders, and said it varies from patient to patient.
******************************************
I'm just glad to find out what it is, and how they will treat it.
At least my mom doesn't have to worry about me having a stroke. All she has to worry about now is me falling in the canal behind the house. :)
I think I will get my cousin down from Oregon. He lived in Florida since 1977, and worked for me the last five years he was here. He's the guy that taught me my trade. I'm also closer to Dano than either of my brothers. I talked to him last week, and there is no work for him in Oregon, so him moving back here would be a win-win situation. Not to mention his grandchildren live less than a hour from me (Bushnell). Dano loves his grandkids. :)