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It started about a year ago where Karen had pain in her back, it was difficult to walk and her balance was off. Karen started going to the chiropractor and therapy at the hospital. It helped a little, but a few months later the pain was becoming more frequent with more symptoms. She saw a spine specialist and was told her one leg was longer than the other, so more therapy, which really didn't help. A month after that Karen was beginning to get more symptoms. The extreme headaches, ringing in her ear, facial pain and numbness, balance issues, and eating and swallowing was impossible. So, Karen saw her doctor and insisted on scheduling an appointment with an ENT specialist in Saint Cloud. On that appointment Karen had a scope down her throat and they found a muscle by her ear that is closed. The ENT doctor scheduled an MRI. When the ENT doctor received Karen's results she phoned her the same night with the bad news that the MRI showed a rare type of a brain tumor called Trigeminal Schwannoma. During that time the ENT was already conversing with the neurologist. When Karen met with them they already had talked with colleagues from other countries to discuss options due to the rareness of this tumor and the best procedure to remove it.
So, on Friday March 29, 2019 Karen will have her surgery that will be an 8-16 hour procedure. They will be making the incision behind Karen's ear to remove the tumor. Karen was told depending on how her surgery goes there will be possible radiation. The tumor will be biopsed afterwards and we are praying that the tumor is benign. Usually this tumor is not cancerous. This tumor is on her nervous system, so Karen was told she will have intense therapy after the surgery.
With God's love and your prayers we will get through this together one day at a time.
Karen had a check-up this week with the eye specialist. The nerves are coming back a little by little Karen can feel it. Which the Dr. said that is a good because you usally dont start feeling anything in the eye until 7 to 9 months after surgery and it's been 5 months . On May 16th going to the University of Minnesota to see Dr. Zabrowski that she specials with damaged eye nerves. She will measure Karen's eye and make a contact lens to wear and see if that helps. Like always keep Karen and Jeff in your prayers
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