Watch and Wait

I saw the NU doctor this morning. We were there for what seemed like FOREVER! He said it definitely looks like a meningioma, and wants me to send the CTA to him as well. I am to get another MRI and return for a follow up in 6 months. He said that it is likely calcified (the CTA will show that more thoroughly) and that means it may not grow anymore. He also confirmed that it is not causing my dizziness.
He gave me the name of another doctor, whom he called a "dizziness guru." So I will try to get an appointment with him. I told him that the neurologist I was seeing suggested an epilepsy doctor. He seemed to think this was not necessary. So now we have a new direction to go in. No real answers, but the prospects are a little less scary.

Appt Wed

I got a call confirming my appointment today. I was caught a little off guard, since I wasn't aware that I had an appointment. But nonetheless, I have an appointment at 9AM on Wed. I'm a little nervous as to what I'm going to be told. But it is nice to get a second opinion so quickly. So now I just have to wait a little less than 24 hours to know what direction we're going in. Hopefully Carolyn will choose to wake up a little earlier on Wed (she slept till 7:45 today).

Picked up MRIs

I picked up my MRIs from recently and 2002 today. The ones from 2002 don't seem to show anything. Put there is clearly a spot on the current ones. It's somewhat scary that something is visibly wrong to my untrained eye. I had the report faxed to the NW doctor as well, so hopefully I will hear soon about setting up an appointment. Although the MRI report suggests an AVM, not a meningioma. The CT is what declared the mark a meningioma. Ah well, hopefully it will get sorted out soon. But now we sit and wait to hear back about making an appointment. If I don't hear back in 5 days (Wed), I'll call to see what's up. Although I'm truly hoping that I could get in to see him on Wed.

calls made today

Today I called one of the neurologists specializing in epilepsy. The earliest appointment is Jan 20th. So I have to wait until then. Kind of what one would expect the wait to be for such a specialized doctor. But also extremely frustrating at the same time.
I also called the nurse of the NWU doctor. She said to call tomorrow and make an appointment for next Wednesday. I am to bring my MRIs with me. So I will make that appointment tomorrow and begin gathering any MRIs that I can. I should have no problem getting the current one. The ones at Glenbrook might be a little trickier and I may end up having to go there to get them. But hopefully it will be possible. I can't believe I could get in that quickly! I don't have an actual appointment yet, but the nurse sounded like it won't be an issue. The ride down to Memorial could be interesting. Hopefully Carolyn will be okay with it. I have to be selfish here though and just worry about me. After all, she needs me around for a while longer. I'm a little nervous as to what this doctor will say. But maybe he'll have some sort of a lead as far as the dizziness as well.
Here's for hoping!

More doctors

The neurologist called with the EKG results today. As I anticipated, nothing was found with it. So I am being referred to another neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. That is kind of confusing to me, since nothing was found on the EEG. But it is likely that I will need to do a 24hr EEG after seeing this new doctor. I will be calling 2 places tomorrow to see who can get me in sooner.
It's been 6 weeks now since the original symptoms materialized. I am now experiencing dizziness every 30-60 minutes while seated. I don't seem to experience the dizziness as much if I'm standing. But it may just be that I don't notice it while I'm up and about.
I have also contacted a neurosurgeon at Northwestern. He responded rapidly to my email and asked me to contact his nurse to arrange for my MRI to be sent to him. I will also try to get my MRIs from 2001 and 2006 sent as well, for comparision. He does Gamma Knife, which is the typical treatment for small meningiomas.
So tomorrow I have quite a few phone calls to make. I am scared about the future and a little frustrated with the lack of results so far. It's not anyone's fault, just frustrating. Hopefully we can wrap all of this up soon and I can go on with my life. What happens next is yet to be determined.

Background

Starting 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, with no notice, I started getting dizzy. It began only a few times a day, always when sitting. I also noticed a spike in headaches. I dismissed it, thinking I was getting a cold or maybe the flu. But once 2 weeks had gone by and nothing else surfaced, I got concerned. I was worried, not so much for me, but for what could happen while I was home with Carolyn all day. If I were to pass out, she would be all my herself until Jon arrived home around 4pm. So the day after Thanksgiving, we went to Immediate Care. The doctor did some basic neurologic tests as well as checked my ears and found nothing. He referred me to a neurologist. So I made an appointment for the following week. At that appointment, the neurologist checked my blood pressure laying and sitting, and did several neurologic tests. We discussed family history and what's going on with my life. He found nothing disturbing, other than the dizziness. So he wrote scripts for blood work, an EKG, EEG, and MRI. I made those appointments the following day.
I had my follow appointment at the end of the following week. I was then informed that everything was normal, except the MRI. A 7mm spot was found on the MRI in my left frontal lobe. The neurologist suggested that it could be a vascular malformation and sent me for a CT. Not sure what that would show, he also sent me for a 24hr halter EKG. I was told I could not breastfeed for 48hrs following the CT due the iodine injection. Concerned about that, I contacted the lactation consultant from the hospital and heard the best news so far. I had been given false information, I would be fine to continue breastfeeding. I had the tests done Wednesday, and had my follow up Friday.
On Thursday night, a bad storm hit the area, bad enough to close Jon's school. So only the neurologist was in the office. He got the report faxed over and we discussed the results. I was informed that what had been found was not a vascular malformation, but rather a meningioma. The goods news, it is on the lining of my skull and not on my brain. The bad news, it is almost definitely not the result of the dizziness. Having not received the EKG results, he said he would call today.