It's been a while since I have posted and now it's time to change the focus of this blog. For a few years now I have suffered from chronic vertigo. During Black Belt Bootcamps I would have to grab onto a wall sometimes to keep my balance, I completed and passed my 9 hour Black Belt test in February of 2018 and am so proud to be a "ChoDan". All this time my vertigo was holding me back. In November of 2018 I decided enough was enough and I was determined to get to the root of the problem. I went to my doctor who referred me to an ENT. The ENT ordered an MRI and on Dec 31 I had my first ever MRI. January 4th I received my results. I have a brain tumor known by 2 different names Vestibular Schwannoma or Acoustic Neuroma. This is a benign tumor that grows on you balance nerve. The nerve structure in the brain places the balance nerve, acoustic nerve and facial nerve all in a bunch. Most people who are diagnosed have a loss of hearing on one side as their first symptom, I am blessed to still have my hearing now. My vertigo is still ever present and I walk like I'm drunk...I'm not. This will all be dealt with in a few weeks - July 22 I will be undergoing a 8hourish brain surgery to remove the tumor. There is a possibilty of losing hearing on the one side due to surgery and well as risk of injury to the facial nerve which can cause facial weakness on one side. I intend to blog my recovery every step of the way. There might be times when this blog is TMI but I feel like I want to put it out there for others who are considering their options. I plan to be back at work the first week of September and I hope to be back in karate class as soon as I can and plan on getting back on my bike (on the trainer) in the winter. My goal is to be ready to re-cert my black belt in February.
Right now I'm in countdown phase, trying to get everything lined up at home for me to be completely useless for a few weeks.
