The Results

Had a good and interesting (interesting in a seriously marvy kind of way) visit with Doctor Plotkin, my new-ish neurologist (who's LE gros fromage in all things Nf2 nowadays) yesterday. For starters, I’m stable -- YEA!!!! Some of the meningiomas on Donna’s Tumor Farm and Petting Zoo have grown but not enough to break out the scalpels. The acoustic neuromas are about the same size. The meningiomas (on the top of my head) are slightly larger and need to be watched but surgery isn’t in the pic yet.

Again with the YEA!!!

On top of this wondrous news, he really listened to my thoughts and concerns. The good Doc asked about my stress levels and spoke of how these inflated levels effect balance (I seem to be more tippy lately and was, naturally, concerned) and more. Calming my stratospheric stress levels would make a big difference in how I’m able to function/get by.

Toward that end, he began to suggest -- I could see it in his manner -- anti-depressants. I gave him the 411 on that. They just do NOT work for me -- I’ve tried. In fact, all breeds and brands cause me such utter fatigue that I inevitably become MORE stressed AND depressed.

What does work? Exercise, (and the good folk at the Mayo Clinic are with me on this too!). I get 30 minutes on the treadmill most days (5 out of 7) but it's not enough. This is about more than just mood maintenance. More manic movement time is fab but also imperative for clearing my sinuses as well that whole weight loss/management thing. I NEED more daily workout stint-age. The assignment -- get creative. How can I fit more aerobic action into each day?

He told me about another patient who recently bought an adult, recumbent trike. What a tremendous idea! With shorter daylight hours imminent, I could only ride on the weekend but still, that'd be a cool addition to the treadmillizing. I asked Dr. P about regular bikes (figuring I could borrow Jen’s versus buying something new) -- he didn't think they'd be safe enough given my balance nerve free brain.

Actually, Jen told me this later, he was pretty emphatic on the NO. Interesting what I tune out -- generally it’s authority figures telling me what I can and can’t do -- what I may or may not be capable of. In this case, I think I may trust and not get all heavily rebellious.

We talked about painting and how I’d not been able to without music. He helped me to think about it in a different way and might be able to hook me up with another local Nf2 painter type. AWESOME!

This isn’t like when I use to sit with god talking about family, learning how to read and interpret my scans and then plotting out the next challenge (surgery versus radiation) but it is most def fascinating, helpful and productive.

YEA!

One amusing bit -- it gave me a sort of perverse brand of satisfaction when, while viewing the scans of my spine from pre back op (while discussing whether I REALLY need new spine MRIs soon or no), Plotkin's mouth kinda dropped when he witnessed the leviathan on screen and then pronounced 'wow, that's a monster.'

I don't feel so bad about waxing all purply hyperbole-ish about it anymore.

Next year there’ll be an MRI marathon -- one a week for 5 weeks. It’ll feel a bit like old times. I’ll get through it with my usual visualization schemes, breathing exercises, the enhanced emotional state from the biking and painting plus a little chianti and atavan.

You know, I’m make it with style -- con brio and shit. OK con a very calm, tranqed out bio.