Meet Tumorthy

Today I had my first consult with the neurosurgeon regarding the tumor they found on the MRI. It wasn't bad news, but it wasn't great news, either. Well, at least it wasn't the great news I wanted to hear {"you're healed! there's no tumor!"} It was a stretch, but a girl can hope {and pray!}  :)

Quick recap...Routine blood work came back with elevated prolactin levels. I was sent for an MRI, which showed a pituitary macro adenoma {large tumor on the pituitary gland}. So I was referred to a neurosurgeon.

When I found out about the tumor after the MRI, I asked Mike if it would be weird for me to name my tumor. Don't ask me why I wanted to do this, I just did. We were throwing around ideas, and I thought of Tim the Tumor, and Mike said Tumorthy {like Timothy}...and a name was born. Forgive our strange sense of humor, but when you have crazy health problems, you have to find ways to laugh about them. 

So meet Tumorthy :)

Plump little bugger

The Good News: 

• I am not showing any symptoms {problems with headaches or vision, hormonal issues, etc}. We found it as a result of blood work, and not through any specific complications.
• 99% of these types of tumors are benign. It is most likely NOT a prolactinoma, which means it is not secreting prolactin itself. It's just causing more prolactin to be secreted.
• It's not pressing on anything {like my optic nerve, which is the main concern for my vision}. I have a "beautifully clear" sinus cavity, which would make for an easier removal. 
• He's not sending me to surgery tomorrow. There's still a chance the tumor could shrink.
• Surgical removal would mean going through my nose, so they wouldn't have to shave my head :)

The Bad News: 

• The tumor is large {his word was "plump" LOL}. It's considered a macro adenoma because it is over 10mm {mine is 12mm}.
• I could start experiencing symptoms at any time, especially if the tumor continues to grow.
• It might be a result of pregnancy, and possibly made worse with the hormones I had to take for our embryo transfers. We knew there could be risks, but infertility SUCKS, y'all. Nothing can just be simple, and that's so frustrating.
• If the tumor doesn't shrink {just naturally, the further away I get from pregnancy/delivery}, it will have to come out. And we would have to wait 6 months to a year before we attempted another embryo transfer {not our original plan}.

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So what's next? I have to go see a neuro-opthamologist {seen one of those before!} to have my visual fields tested. I also have to go see an endocrinologist {that's kind of a new one...my RE doesn't count for this} to have my hormone levels checked. Basically, he wants to be sure I don't have any other underlying issues, or something else that could be causing the tumor. If those tests come back clear, then I will do a repeat MRI in August {to see if the tumor has grown}, and we will make decisions on surgery from there. 

The hope is that the further I get from pregnancy/delivery, the more my hormones will naturally regulate, which in turn might cause the tumor to shrink. If it doesn't, then I will be scheduling a surgery to remove it. And in turn, pushing off our plans for another embryo transfer. At the end of the day, we will do what needs to be done. It's just hard to be facing yet another health issue, and it is disappointing that our plans for our family are constantly being put on hold. Even now.

So our prayer is that the upcoming tests come back normal, that Tumorthy is part of the 99% that is non-cancerous and shrinks before August, and that we don't have to delay our embryo transfers. Our God is able and can absolutely heal this tumor. But even if He doesn't, we know He is good and will be with us in whatever comes.