The Doctor at UofM concurred with the first Doctor in Grand Rapids on all counts. I wasn’t expecting any significant conflicting opinions.
The limitations of diagnosing tumors that samples/biopsies can’t be taken from due to their locations means there isn’t a definitive diagnostic option for now. The MRI’s and spectroscopy test offer the best opportunity which have led to several possibilities.
This Doctor seemed to feel the elevated choline level from the spectroscopy test also meant the spots in my brain are more likely to be gliomas.
For those keeping score the consensus by a neurologist, two radiologists, a neurosurgeon, and two neuro-oncologists is they are most likely slow growing, Grade 2, deep, bilateral, thalamic gliomas. From what I've researched online Grade 2 gliomas will eventually progress to become Grade 3 or 4 gliomas. Those are really bad causing the most highly aggressive forms of brain cancers: Astrocytomas and Glioblastoma. But that's something to worry about if and when it ever happens.
She also suggested that tissue in my brain simply isn’t like the rest of the tissue around it. That that might be normal, for me. Like a mole on your skin. "So I might have brain moles?" I asked. We all laughed. LOL
Her advice? Try not to worry about them. They may never become more than they are at this moment. If it weren't for the incidental finding in the April MRI you wouldn't even know they are there.
To date I continue to not have any symptoms.
She also agreed I should do the spinal tap the first Doctor recommended to rule out Multiple Sclerosis. Neither of them think the imaging strongly indicates MS but because the radiologist suggested the possibility of demyelination (damage to protective nerve sheaths that can cause all kinds of problems) it should be investigated and ruled out.
After much thought I've decided to wait until February to decide if I will have the Spinal Tap. My reasons being:
1. Both Doctors don't think I have MS
2. I am most concerned that I may have heightened nerve sensitivity. That would mean there is a chance that a needle could nick a nerve and cause more nerve damage like the dental procedure that triggered the treigeminal nerve damage which caused the chronic pain I suffered from for almost 8 years until the macrobiotics made it go away. So needles going deeply anywhere into my body are something I am wary of.
So after much consideration I've decided I want to wait until after the third MRI in February. If the macrobiotics have reversed the spots in even the slightest way I will hold off on the spinal tap. If they haven't reduced at all or have gotten even slightly larger I will proceed with the spinal tap.
Part of the process of a spinal tap (aka lumbar puncture) is a series of lidocaine injections administered in a ring around the spine to numb the area before the needle used to draw out the sample of cerebral spinal fluid is inserted deeper into one's back. Again, many opportunities for a needle to nick an overly sensitized nerve and trigger new and ongoing back pain.
I spoke with the doctor two days ago about foregoing the local anesthetic. I have had lidocaine injections, twice, when I needed stitches and can easily say the lidocaine hurt far worse than the injuries themselves. Having lived with the pain of the trieminal nerve damage for years and other miscellaneous painful incidences in my life, I think I could handle the procedure without it.
She winced a bit when I suggested it, said she would want anesthetic if it were her, but also said she knows medical professional who had opted out of anesthetic when they have had the procedure performed. So that's good enough for me.
And don't forget when I turned 50 I had that unsedated colonoscopy... And blogged about it. LOL. Yes, there were moments of pain. About 4 of them that lasted for a few seconds each. IMO they wouldn't have been worth having the sedation for since I often have negative reactions to chemicals both in and outside of my body. Not only did it make the procedure cost less, it also meant I was able to chat and ask questions in real time and watch the entire procedure on a video monitor.
SHOPPING IN ANN ARBOR
To make the day less stressful and more fun my friends Angela and Anette offered to go with and drive me to my appointment. Even though the appointment wasn't until mid-afternoon we got to Ann Arbor bright and early stopping by all of my favorite places to shop.
At Downtown Home & Garden I found tiny dishes and ceramic fermenting weights so I can make my own sauerkraut and kimchi from scratch.
At Hollanders paper store I found some paper to incorporate into my this year's mixed media, ArtPrize entry and some hilarious greeting cards. I got several to frame. This is my favorite one. Insert "Travel the Country in a 4'x6' RV," or "Move to Michigan" or "Be a Full Time Origami Artist" at the beginning and it's SO ME! LOL. We were laughing loudly and hysterically which is great medicine for anything that ails you.
I also revisited "Found Gallery" and found a cute friend for the tiny, floating, porcelain, fantail goldfish I bought on Etsy last year. It sits on my work table in the studio. I'd often felt it looked a little lonely.
But then this happened too...
Someone really should have stopped me. LOL. Now I need a bigger bowl!
After lunch we walked upstairs to SPUN. I found a beautiful yarn I'm going to try to incorporate into my ArtPrize entry this year. If I lived there I'd be taking every class they offer.
Because we spent the day there and my appointment didn't end until after 6:00 PM and it's a two hour drive back to Greenville I packed both my lunch and dinner to bring with me so I could stick with my macrobiotic food on the road.
I made onigirazu rice balls. They're like onigiri but you use an entire sheet of nori seaweed, fill it, fold the seaweed over the rice and fillings, let it sit until the nori clings to the rice, then slice it in half and eat it like a sandwich.
This one was filled with red azuki beans, a little yellow sweet potato cooked with the beans, and brown rice. I layered half of the rice down first, spread some salty, umeboshi plum paste across the rice, added more rice, the folded the onigirazu up. It was delicious, easy to eat in the car, and a great energy boost containing both healthy complex carbs in the rice and protein in the beans. I also made sure to bring side dishes that would be easy to eat while sitting in a moving car.
So it was a good day. No new bad news and endless laughter with Anette and Angela. That's how we roll whenever we're together. Had the doctor had contrary opinions to the first I would have sought a third opinion. For now I'll hold tight and wait for February to roll around and we'll see what happens then.
My macrobiotic counselor told me that it can take four months of practicing macrobiotics full time to begin reversing a condition. So I'm just getting there tomorrow. If they are gliomas and not scar tissue or brain moles (lol), six months from now it wouldn't be unheard of to notice improvement in the next MRI.
Thanks again for checking in and for the kind words of support so many of you have left on social media and sent me by private message and email. They always brighten my day and lift my spirits <3
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The information and suggestions in this post are given from a personal perspective and should not be interpreted as professional medical advice. Please consult a professional Counselor or Doctor to help you find your way to better health.
