Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Visit to the neurologist today

Today I finally went to the  neurologist. The appointment overall went well and I really liked him and his assistant.
The diagnosis was no surprise to me of Migraine Disorder. The part that surprised me was his concern of the cancer cells spreading through the spinal fluid to the meninges in the brain. I asked if that would have shown up on the MRI or PET scan, both of which were clean.He said no, not if it is in the beginning. I am trying not to be too worried about this, but I would be lying if I said we are not concerned.
 My sister ( who is a nurse) knows this doctor well and said if he was really concerned he would have done tests or contacted my Onc. today. There is a possibility I may have to have the spinal fluid biopsied.
"DIAGNOSIS OF SPINAL FLUID METASTASES A lumbar puncture [Lumbar puncture, also called spinal tap, is the insertion of a hollow needle into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar spine to withdraw a sample of spinal fluid for examination in the laboratory. A local anesthetic is administered prior to the procedure.]" 
 After lots of paperwork and questions he decided he wants to "observe" me for a few weeks. I am to keep a headache journal daily. He is also having me take 12 Advil a day for inflammation, as I am waking up every morning with a headache. Three at every meal and before bedtime. I will do this and log how I am doing everyday for 2 weeks. He will then assess everything again. He also gave me a nasal spray to use when the migraines get really bad.
I know it sounds kind of scary, but I will say he has to be cautious and consider this given my history. I think that is a good sign of a good doctor. I told Chris on a scale of 1-10, I would say his level of concern (to me) seemed about a 3. There are also MANY reasons I may be having these headaches/migraines from my age, meds I take, stress, teeth grinding and more. So....it will be a few weeks of trying the Advil and journaling.
In the meantime prayers are always appreciated for both relief from the headaches and future results. Thanks all~

3 comments:

Noelle said...

Praying for you Elayne. I know these things can be pressing. Even when you walk in faith, bad thoughts creep in. You are in good hands...all the way around.

o2bhiking said...

More prayers coming. Well, if it makes you feel better, I get migraines often enough and I don't have metastasized breast cancer. Look for a big announcement coming soon from my cancer fundraising causes. Stay well, and keep those records. Art

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear.

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