Hi everyone!! My name is Erika. I’m 28 years old and here is my story:
I have lived in CT all of my life and grew up with the most amazing family a girl can ask for. Now when I say family, I mean parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and even family best friends. Everyone in my family is so loving and caring! We will find absolutely any reason to get together because we love and support each other so much.
In December of 2014, I met the man of my dreams! Darrell is so caring, loving, and kind. He truly is my soulmate. Now Darrell came along with an extra person, my stepson Jordan. Jordan is just as kind, loving, and caring as his father. I really lucked out with these two.
Around 3 years ago, I started having symptoms of vertigo. It actually started when I got out of the ocean one day when we had a family trip to the beach. The ocean is my happy place. (I’m actually typing this while sitting on the beach). I laid down on the blanket and a wave (ha get it) of dizziness over came me. I sat up and thought maybe it was because I was in the water for too long. I didn’t think much of it until I kept having these symptoms over and over. I would get a dizzy (not ditzy haha) spells about once a month. They wouldn’t last more than a minute when they would come.
I finally decided to go see an ENT to figure out what was going on. After going through some tests, it was determined that I have vertigo. I went to vestibular therapy for a few months but it was the worst feeling in the world. I figured that my symptoms weren’t affecting me THAT bad so I will just live with them and stopped going to therapy.
About 6 months ago, my symptoms slowly started affecting me every day. I would run into things, drop things, and couldn’t walk down the hall while looking down or I would stagger down the hallways. Not a very good look for a social worker. So about 3 weeks ago I figured I would go back to my ENT and get things checked just to make sure I was still ok.
When I went to the ENT, he didn’t like those symptoms I listed above so he wanted me to go for an MRI and see a neurologist. He didn’t think anything was wrong but he didn’t want to just blame everything on my vertigo when it could be something else. So off to the MRI scanner I went.
The day after I had my MRI, I was at work. About to head to lunch, my ENT called me and said how sorry he was to tell me that I have a mass in my brain. I didn’t hear a single word after that. He repeated how sorry he was to tell me this over the phone but he knew I lived far away from his office and he didn’t want me to drive all that way. Little did he know, I was actually at work, which is a hospital right behind his office. He asked if I wanted to come meet with him and I said I would be right over.
I hung up the phone and immediately called my mom and my husband. I am so thankful for my coworkers who stayed with me until they knew I would safely be in my family’s arms. My mom and husband flew down to the hospital and we went to meet with the ENT as a group. That is one thing I am grateful for, having people in my life that I can call and they will be there at a drop of a hat.
Side note: as I was in my office after I got the call, I said to my coworker “I need my Gram”. My grandmother, Eva, is one of the strongest women I have ever met in my life! She has been a nurse for over 60 years and has been through a lot! She always knows what to say and how to make a situation better. Now God works in mysterious ways. Wouldn’t you know it, but my grandmother was at that ENT office, waiting for an appointment for another family member. She was put in the place when I needed her the most.
Upon meeting with the ENT, he said that I have a 2 cm mass in my cerebellum, which will explain why my balance and coordination has been so off lately. He told us that there is not a lot of blood flow to it, which is a good sign. As of right now, that is about all we know.
I am trying to stay in my normal routine as much as possible. Going to work, going to the gym, and even coming to the beach!
My family and husband have not left my side since finding out my results. I’m am so grateful and I don’t think I will ever be able to thank them enough in this lifetime for all their love and support. My family is what is keeping me the strongest. I will get through this and everything is going to be just fine! My grandmother, Rachell, had the same exact thing almost 50 years ago. If she can get through it, so can I. I know she’s watching down on me and protecting me.
Thank you to all of my family and friends for their love and support through this time in my life. I am so grateful for all of you. We will be updating the page frequently to keep everyone updated!
Hi everyone!! This week has been an exciting week in my recovery! Many positive things have happened! I graduated from occupational therapy and only have one more physical therapy session left. I also got cleared to return to work on Monday! Woohoo! I’m so excited to get back to some normalcy. I’ve been working with Chapter 126 every week to work on my stamina. They have been great! I was also in a podcast with Sculpt Fitness to explain how exercise has effected my recovery. I will attach the link below so everyone can watch it! Thank you all so following alone with my journey. It means the world to me the support I have received over the last few months. I cannot thank you all enough ❤️
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Erika Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Erika's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
