#microadenoma

[summerisdonewithus]

Benignity.

Was it the tumour that had now made her sensitive”? 

[ashlayton]

there and back again: a layton's tale.

i've done a lot of thinking lately. that usually goes without saying. aren't we all constantly doing 'a lot of thinking lately?' doesn't matter. i've done a lot of thinking about how i wanted to go about saying this publicly. as publicly as it can be considered, here. 

i have a brain tumor. well, i had a brain tumor because on tuesday, i had brain surgery. trust me when i say it sounds much more dramatic than it is. i've chosen to tell a few people about the journey it's taken me to get here. those few people have told who they deem necessary. and i wouldn't categorize it as a secret. in the least. i'm positive there were multiple group emails sent out by those people, and i can't blame them. they've done what they feel necessary for my recovery and care. 

i don't love speaking out. not my own thoughts or my own life. but i know that if i drop something online about recovering or a difficulty i'm having it will be easier to understand with this. 

i went to the doctor in june for symptoms of a disease i thought i had. looking for a diagnosis, the doctor took my blood and sent me orders for an MRI with the results. the results of the MRI showed a growth on my pituitary gland. but it would grow slowly. feeling some of the symptoms of the growth, i decided that i did not want to be on medication therapy for my entire life. so surgery was the next choice. 

on tuesday, i had brain surgery. on wednesday, i left the ICU, and on thursday, i was discharged. no one can tell by looking at me that i had brain surgery because they went through my cavernous nostrils. they did have to break my nose to go through them. so right now, i am congested. i have some pressure in my head right above my right eyebrow, but i am not in pain. and i am not in the hospital. i have no bruising and i am encouraged to walk around and be normal. 

the hardest part of recovery is that i can't sneeze (or drive... yet!). so i can't complain. for those of you who knew and acted as my support system through this: i cannot thank you enough. i am home and can celebrate christmas with my family (however edited it may be due to small restrictions on me). 

merry christmas!

xo,

ash

[parahershey]

Wah.

I have come to the realization that Friday at 9 am I will go to this endocrinologist waste $226 that I don't have just lying around and nothing will be answered.

[emitung-blog]

The image above is my very own MRI taken in the year 2009. It is the very first MRI I had taken regarding my pituitary microadenoma and before I started on any medication. The following paragraphs are just simply information regarding pituitary tumors that I found interesting and useful. 

Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland and can either be benign, invasive, or carcinogenic. About 10% - 15% of all brain tumors are pituitary tumors, making it the third most common type of brain tumor. They occur more frequently in women than in men and usually develop between the ages of 30 to 40. It is said that about 10% - 25% of people have these pituitary adenomas, but because some people never experience the symptoms, they can go undetected. Adenomas larger than 10mm in size are labeled as macroadenomas, while those smaller than 10mm are called microadenomas. Some tumors secrete hormones that are normally made by the pituitary gland and some are inactive. Those that secrete hormones are uncontrolled, which causes them to release large amounts of hormones, resulting in a hormone imbalance. The two most common types of hormone producing pituitary adenomas secrete prolactin, or otherwise known as prolactinoma, and growth hormones. Symptoms that may occur due to prolactinoma are lactation in the absence of pregnancy or breast feeding, or increased intracranial pressure. Growth hormone secreting adenomas cause rapid growth spurt, resulting in disorders such as acromegaly.

The most current and common treatments include radiation therapy, surgery, or in the case of prolactinomas, cabergoline or quinagolide. Surgery can remove the tumor possibly without damaging other parts of the brain. The medication, cabergoline, may be capable of reducing the size of the tumor, although a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be performed periodically to ensure the medication’s effectiveness.