Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your prayers and support and words of encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
After Eliana was born (2013), I experienced skin hypersensitivity. It was dismissed the one or two times I mentioned it. During Drew's pregnancy, I experienced tingling in my legs but I dismissed it as a change in my circulation. After his birth (5/31), I experienced peripheral neuropathy in my legs, specifically heaviness, numbness, and still that tingling and skin sensitivity. If you've seen me walk since then, you know that walking is a struggle! I also have a pinched nerve feeling on my right side rib area.
Thursday (9/29) I got in to see a neurologist, who ordered labs and an MRI. Monday (10/3) I had the MRI and when I came out, they told me they had Dr. Hayden (the neurologist) on the phone. "Is that... normal?" I asked, sensing it wasn't. The MRI showed a tumor pressing on my spinal cord. It is about the size of my thumb. They believe it to be benign (by looks only, but this is not certain until pathology), and they believe it is meningioma, which is the most common in these cases. Dr. Hayden wanted me to go straight to the hospital, concerned that a fall could do permanent damage.
In a crazy whirlwind of sending off our kids, we headed to the hospital emergency room Monday night. I was admitted. I'm writing this now Tuesday (10/4) and the neurosurgery team looked over my images and decided they wanted me on steroids for 48 hours pre-op so that would help with inflammation and give them more space to work with. As of now, we are expecting the procedure to be about five hours on Thursday (adding in some hours for pre- and post-op work), and the stay after that will depend on how quickly I meet their requirements. We are hopeful for complete healing.
We have been so humbled and overwhelmed by the messages and prayers and love so far. Thank you thank you for lifting us up and loving us so well. The body of Christ is an amazing thing!
God is so gracious in providing for our every need.
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