Last week, due to my constant headaches and related issues (see previous post), I went to my doctor to see if these were symptoms we should investigate. He agreed that we should, and I had an MRI of my brain today, as a result. The test went fine; it was actually a lot quicker than I was expecting.
Anyway, I wasn't expecting to hear anything back about the test until tomorrow, at the earliest. When my phone rang around 7:00 pm with a "doctor's office" number on the screen, I was a little on edge. My attention really focused after I answered and heard my doctor's voice on the other end...at 7:00 at night...personally calling me with the results...
Alright, have I scared everyone enough? Let me just interject here, for all of our sanities, that the problem IS NOT cancer related. The scan showed no signs of any brain tumors or the like. Breathe, friends...breathe.
What the scan DID show was an enlarged pituitary gland. No, I didn't just sneeze. The pituitary gland, as explained to me by my doctor, is the "quarterback" of the hormones. It receives the "plays" from the "coaches" in the brain, and then "passes" the "ball" (signals) to the appropriate "receivers" in the body. The gland also sits on top of the optic chasm (the intersection of the nerves from your eyes), as well as near a bunch of other nerve sources. This probably explains the weird eye issues and lightheadedness I've been experiencing, as well as the random sharp nerve pains. The good news is that this doesn't appear to be an insanely scary problem, although it is something that needs to be studied and fixed in a timely manner. My doctor described this as a fixable problem, although we don't yet have all of the necessary equations to solve the problem.
In order to get the appropriate equations, I am due for more blood tests tomorrow that will check the levels of some specific hormones (my thyroid levels are all normal, as are various other levels, and the test will check some we haven't yet tested). Then, later this week, my family and I will meet with my doctor to go over everything (my symptoms, the scan, and the most recent blood work). After that, I will most likely go see a hormone specialist who can work with me to figure out the "why" and the "how". Why is the gland enlarged and how do we go about shrinking it? As of now, that's all I know, folks! :)
Today, someone asked me how I was feeling, emotionally, about all of this. Oddly enough, I knew the scan was going to show something, although I didn't think it would be cancer (and praise God that it did not show the nasty C-word!!). I'm actually glad it did show something; otherwise, I would feel like a wimpy idiot, blabbering about symptoms that stem from nowhere! Now, I know what is wrong, and I'm working toward knowing what needs to be done to fix it. One thing is certain: While I may not be happy to have another medical issue to deal with, my joy comes from the Lord (see last post). He is so much bigger than any attempt at trying to hinder His plans for my life, and I know that He can use, even this, to bring His name glory. I'm sure someone else has other plans, manipulating this to try and keep me from serving my God. You'd think by now he would learn...my response?
...watch this.
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