Marisa has a Brain Tumor

Chapter 1

Hello friends, it's been a while. I think the last post I made was when Collin was diagnosed with colon cancer. I want to document my health journey so my kids can easily find it as they grow older. I appreciate my husband and all the friends and family who have been so supportive of us since finding out I had a brain tumor. From helping with kids, rides, meals, covered my classes, etc., I appreciate each and everyone of you and the prayers as we are navigating the news we received on October 18th, when I went to the ER. It is evident that God is actively working in my life and I need to give Him the glory! I'll give a shrot version first and more details for those who care to read this chapter of my life, which is really an amazing God story. Also read about the salt and plants at the end. 

I have a brain tumor in the pituitary gland. Last week they thought I also might have an aneurysm. We have been covered with prayers. I found out Friday, it’s a large vein that can give the appearance of an aneurysm. That was such an answer to prayer that we only have a tumor to deal with. I saw the surgeon today. Things are moving quickly. I have to get bloodwork and if my prolactin levels are high, there’s medicine that can help, if they are level, then I’ll have surgery. I have strong reservations about taking anything for life. The surgery, honestly, doesn’t seem as bad, it would be done by two surgeons, the brain surgeon, Dr. Lee, whom I saw today, and an ear, throat, and nose doctor. Nevertheless, let’s continue to pray for whatever is best. It also does not look like its cancerous. I also lost my voice last weekend, but was brought soups and prayers.

Onto the novel. Some of you have heard some or all of my story. I have been having constant headaches for weeks. I tried drinking more water thinking that was part of the cause, I blamed the all season weather we have in Texas because that can cause them. Nevertheless, headaches are nothing new, I’ve dealt with them most of my life. In middle school and high school I would often visit Mrs. Pippin to get some headache medicine. If you went to SCS back in the day, she was a dream to have working in the front office. She always knew how to take care of us.

I also get Migraines, which I had one a few weeks ago. When a headache turns into a migraine I cannot function. I usually get sick and have to go to bed in a dark quiet room. The weekend before last we had our annual American Heritage Girls Father/Daughter event. The Thursday before I was extra tired, my head continued to throb, but I made it through the day, barely. I sat on the couch all day and even watched a movie to try to take my mind off my head. I NEVER do that. Friday, I took Grace to our homeschool co-op, joined the rest of the board for pictures, and came home to get Jackson before getting back to teach. He wasn’t ready yet that morning and normally we’d wait for him but I had to be there early for the pictures. When I got home, I was exhausted, my head was pounding and I told Collin I thought I needed to go to the ER. If someone would have taken a hammer to my head, I would have felt better. He asked if I wanted to go to our doctor first but his office doesn’t open until 10. I told him no, I needed some medicine to knock this headache out. Nothing had been working and I had a very busy weekend ahead of me. I told him it’s probably worse than I thought because I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I’ve given birth to three kids all unmedicated. We dropped Jackson off at co-op and went to the ER.

Here is where the blessings really start. We had the BEST ER doctor. The ER doctor asked when my last CT scan was. I told him I don’t think I’ve ever had one. He suggested I have one. Collin was worried about radiation, which is concerning, but I told him I really would love to find out if there’s a cause of these headaches. They gave me a shot for my headache and some medicine and I was pain free. I hadn’t been pain free in weeks! The radiologist was running behind because of some technical issues so he wasn’t able to read it. I had requested leaving as soon as possible because I was needing to get my kids and help setup for this father daughter event. The ER doctor came in and said we could be released but it looks like there could be a cyst on my brain but they hadn’t gotten the results and I’d probably need to follow up with that. About 5 minutes later, he and another doctor and nurse came in and said they still hadn’t gotten the results but it looked like a tumor on the pituitary gland. He said he had only seen this one other time in the 10 years he’s worked at the ER and has seen over 50,000 patients. He said it was important to get an MRI and see a neurosurgeon next week.

Honestly, there wasn’t much I could do at that point. It was suggested that we cancel the father daughter event but we had 77 people signed up to come, the food was ordered, that honestly would have stressed me out even more. I was still alive and pain free. That’s exactly what I was hoping to be after going to the ER, I just wasn’t supposed to drive on the medication and never expected to have a brain tumor. I also needed to follow up with my doctor and get an MRI asap. When I got home, I called my doctor and he wanted me to come in then. My doctor is also a true godsend and amazing doctor. I was hoping to take an hour nap before working that evening but instead went to his office. He put in orders for the MRI and referral to some neurosurgeons. He told me I needed to see an endocrinologist as well. I should be seeing one every 6 months but haven’t been to mine since 2013 after the miracle of the 3 nodules in my thyroid disappeared. Then I gave birth to my daughter and then youngest son and never took the time to go back. I have nodules on my thyroid again so we will investigate that as well with another new friendly doctor. I’m feeling really old typing all this, doctor this, doctor that…

The ER doctor, Dr. Blakenship, called me Saturday to follow up. He left a voicemail and gave me his cell phone number as he wanted to follow up and see how I was. He suggested two highly rated neurosurgeons. He’s been so kind following up with me and my case. He said as long as my PCP put in a referral I could get in with the highly rated neurosurgeon he recommended.

Monday I got an MRI, walked in my doctor’s office afterwards and he showed me the pictures. He’s just like that, his other patients were running late so I slipped in to say hi since I was a few doors down at Touchstone. He was amazing when Collin had colon cancer and would call him to check on him from time to time. Tuesday I met with my doctor again and he went over the results. I have the tumor, a cyst, a possible brain aneurysm, and basically an ear infection. Y’all my heart sunk. My biggest fear was a brain aneurysm. I held it together. Collin was with me and we asked our church family to pray for us and close friends. I had to get a CTA with contrast for another look.

Friday morning the neurosurgeon’s office called to schedule an appointment for Monday with the doctor we wanted! My doctor called me on his lunch hour apologizing for not being able to get ahold of anyone in their office but had a referral to an excellent surgeon at UT Southwestern in Dallas (I didn’t want to go to Dallas), and another surgeon I already had an appointment with later in November because he’s currently out of the country. I said, “Dr. Whaley, I already have an appointment with Dr. Lee on Monday! They called me this morning to schedule it.” I also said I had an appointment with him in 15 minutes and would see him soon.

At my appointment on Friday, I got the results of the CTA. What they thought was an aneurysm is an enlarged vein that gives the appearance of an aneurysm. Praise God!! You give someone bad news with even more potential bad news, that is something else, it makes the bad news not so bad.

That brings me to my visit today. I cried at the surgeon’s office like a big old baby. I’m not a crier and have not cried at a doctor’s office since giving birth to my babies. However, Dr. Lee is exactly who I would want for a surgeon and doctor. He is a man of faith, told me he is just doing the work God called him to do. He scheduled me with an endocrinologist I'll be seeing this week, whose name I can pronounce (yay!), Dr. Tan. And get this, he referred me to an ophthalmologist who was the first eye doctor I ever had! Dr. Chu, is the eye doctor who helped me see after I failed the vision test at the DPS when I was 15 when trying to get my permit to drive. He saw me that day and gave me contacts so I could see! If you’ve ever needed glasses, you know how amazing it is to be able to see! I was amazed at the details of the leaves on trees! It explained so much in middle school and early high school not being able to see the white board in class. Then we went back to the DPS and I got my permit and have been driving ever since! I can't believe he's still around, and at the same office! All that to say, God is so good! We are counting our blessings, naming them one by one. Now I’m really feeling old being excited to see a doctor, but really, I’m looking forward to thanking my first eye doctor for helping me see. I have lost my peripheral vision and my balance is a little off which is why I’m getting referred to him. I have awesome friends who have been helping drive me and the kids around.

Next steps. After I get the blood test done, and I meet with the endocrinologist, we will know if surgery or medication is the better way to treat this. Honestly I would kind of rather do the surgery than take medication for life. I’m praying for wisdom and good guidance. I’m thankful for one more day. No matter what happens, that’s really all we can do. Be thankful for today and not worry about tomorrow.

I read through the Bible every year. But had missed this part until Saturday when I read Luke 14:34-35: “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.” I love homesteading and gardening or the idea of it and have had gardens for a number of years. I’ve never thought to add salt to soil or a manure pile, which we have used both to grow crops. Did you know, upon further research, that salt can help soil retain moisture, kill weeds, and make soil easier to till. It can also release nutrients in the soil that plants can use. In some cases, salt can help prevent rust and blight in crops and yield your plant growth 2x to 4x. I shared this with my life group Saturday as some of us are into gardening and stuff like that.

My friend shared this with me today from her study Bible. Salt can lose its flavor. When it gets wet and then dries, nothing is left but a tasteless residue. Many Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of boldly living out their faith. But Jesus says that if Christians lose their distinctive saltiness, they become worthless. Just as salt flavors and preserves food, we are to preserve the good in the world and bring new flavor to life. This requires careful planning, willing sacrifice, and an unswerving commitment to Jesus’ kingdom. But if we fail to be “salty,” we fail to represent Jesus in the world. How “salty” are you?

Each day is a gift. Everyday we have the opportunity to serve, be kind, and bless someone. If you are reading this, God has a purpose for you. Find it! Live it out if you aren’t already. Love you guys! Thanks for reading this chapter in my life.