The latest

Alright…Here is the latest and greatest.

The Doctor reviewed the newest MRI film. There IS some good news from it. The 5th and 8th nerves (responsible for controlling facial expression and hearing/balance) look to be pushed out of the way by the tumor, and not enveloped by it. Nerves 11 and 12 (responsible for shoulder shrugging and some tongue movements affecting speech), may be a bit of a problem since they look like they go through the tumor and will need to be worked around.

We have absolute confidence in our doctor. Unfortunatley here is the bad news. The original Neurosurgeon (Dr. Pingree) that was going to do the surgery had to push it back to the 30th of December because he was going to be out of the country for the holidays. He didn't feel comfortable performing the operation and only being around for a week of Tracy’s recovery (Up to 4 days in ICU and up to 2 weeks in the Hospital after moving from ICU). He said that were too many things that could go wrong, and he didn't want to be out of reach. I think he was just being overly cautious, but at least he had Tracy's best interests in mind.

Dr. Pingree had said that if we are anxious for the surgery and would like to get in sooner he has a Neurosurgeon at the “U” that he would completely trust to do the surgery and could possibly get him in sooner.

We struggled with what to do because we had come to know Dr. Pingree and really liked and trusted him. Not to mention, he had impressive credentials and accreditations. After going over the pros and cons, we decided to move forward with the surgeon at the “U” and see what his schedule was. Dr. Pingree said he would get in contact with him and let us know if he could get us in. Eureka!! He was able to get us in for a meet and greet and review of the films and all that on Tuesday, December 8. Dr. Pingree said that Dr. Schmidt may even be able to operate the end of that week or the following week. The reason he will be able to get us in the operating room so soon is because all of the legwork has already been done by Dr. Pringree.

The new doc is Dr. Richard Schmidt. After a bit of research, we are VERY comfortable with this recommendation. He also had VERY impressive credentials and accreditations. What's even better is that he works at the University of Utah Hospital's Neuro Services Center. This is good news because it is a "state of the art" facility that would be ready to handle any kind of complication Tracy might have during (or after) surgery. Dr. Schmidt also seems to be an expert on Epidermoid Cysts located on the cerebellum! Looks like this may have worked out for the best.

Our main concern now is when the surgery will be and the length of time the surgery will take. As mentioned before it will be a 8-12 hour surgery. Of course, there are the risks and the recovery process. Even if the surgery is a complete success, there will be a high percentage of short-term functionality loss because the cerebellum will need to expand to its normal size filling the HUGE void that the removed tumor once occupied. The brain-stem will also need to realign. This could be the worst part as the brain stem controls life sustaining functions such as heartbeat and breathing.

I feel that everything happens for a reason and we are both trying to stay very positive through this. Of course, there is no avoiding the fears involved with such a risky procedure. I am very glad he will be able to get in soon for surgery as his symptoms are getting worse .The other day he fell in the garage and cut his head on the garage door. So the sooner the better I say!
Oh..on a side note…I would like to let you all know that the HR department at my husbands work has approved the donated vacation time from all of his coworkers and we will be able to use this to help us get through this month! Thanks again to everyone for their kindness and compassion.

I am going to sign out now but I will post another update after our appointment with the new Neurosurgeon.