Just say "NO" to brain surgery

So this last week has been a wee bit stressful. I received a phone call saying that my growth hormone (GH) levels were way high and it was probably due to my pituitary tumor. My endocrinologist said that sometimes GH can be messed up in the lab so they wanted to do a more intensive work up to confirm the result. Well, on Friday I had 2.5 hours hooked up to an IV and 15 tubes of blood taken.... I'd definitely say that's a "more intensive work up".

While I was being tested I had a great conversation with my endocrinologist. High GH is an issue in adults because it causes growth deformities that basically make you look like an ape... large jaw, jutting forehead, big hands and feet, etc. It's not pretty. And... unfortunately pituitary tumors that produce growth hormone can not be treated with medication and the only alternative is to surgically remove it. Not the news I wanted. I asked him about the size of my tumor and was surprised that an adenoma that's only 6mm can wreak so much havoc. But when explained that your pituitary is only 10mm in size... then it makes sense. He tried to make me feel better by explaining that it is the "easiest" kind of brain surgery because they go up through your nose, open up your sinus and have access to the bottom of your brain that way. For some reason that didn't make me feel at ease.


Anyway, I haven't talked to my doctor yet, but Kaiser emails your lab results to you. I opened up my email this afternoon and the results came back NORMAL (so far that I can interpret). That is such a huge relief. I was really not thrilled about them digging around in my skull. So hopefully that means that if I stay on my medication over the next two years, the tumor should shrink on its own. Phew! I dodged the surgery bullet once again! By far the best Christmas gift ever...