Side Effects

Some interesting side effects:

- I can only really taste sweets right now.  Salty and savory are beyond me (temporarily).  I can get spicy, but only on the side of my tongue and it's just the heat, not the flavor.  Chipotle, which I love, was tasteless mush.  Good thing it's temporary.

- Man-o-pause: Hot flashes and night sweats (standing and just dripping).  Very treatable and in fact, I'm looking forward to it.

- It's amazing how much your mood and overall feeling of comfort is dependent on the pituitary.  Spatial awareness, balance, nausea, etc.  All the hormones that the balance these out for us are managed by this little pea sized gland.

Going EMO

The doctor wouldn't let me keep even a small piece of the parts of my tumor that he was able to remove.  He said even if he could give it to me, it had the consistency of oatmeal.  I always imagined it being more like a rubber bouncy ball. 

So the good news is

umm

well

oh, yes.  I wasn't part of the <.1% that die during surgery.  I know I should be more grateful.

The bad news is that I'll be back in three months for what appears to be some kind of awfulness.  Not even my pain meds can ease the dread of what's probably yet to come.

As you can tell, I'm feeling pretty emotional and sharing.  I probably was all along, but my tumor probably repressed my need to share my emotions.  So if I start crying on the phone or getting all emotional on you, it's not because something terrible is going to happen, it's because something amazing has been taken away.

Here's goodbye to my Vulcan self.

And always remember, Dirtbiking Saves Lives.

The Latest ...

My surgery is on 1/23.  This surgery will be endoscopic transsphenoidal (i.e., through the nose).  Due to the size and placement of my tumor, particularly the nobules, there is an 90% chance I'll need a follow up surgery in 3 - 4 months via craniotomy (i.e., cut open the skull and create a bone flap).  My vision is pretty jacked up.  The surgery could make it worse. 

Despite all of this, I ate some amazing cheese this evening.

Rush Creek Reserve: An American cheese in the fashion of Vacherin Mont d'Or.  I'd need to do a side by side comparison to tell the difference.  Rush Creek Reserve seemed a little more smooth and less tangy.  It was delicious.

An email ...

from a good friend.

"Studies have shown that some tumors are caused by compulsive masturbation on business trips. And the growth of said tumors is heightened when said masturbation happens when a fancy leather belt is placed around your neck.

I heard that's the kind of tumor you have. Is that true? Let me know because I want to write about you on my blog.



Hope you're gonna live dude."

Some of you know him.  First one to guess correctly gets to name my tumor.

Plankton

Sorry, that was my tumor talking.

Whoa!

I just watched a video of a 2.5cm pituitary tumor being removed.  Lots of cutting.  Then I made the mistake of reading more about my tumor's tentacles and where they are located.

Shit.

Cheese

Latte Da Caerphilly - An American aged goat cheese.  Semi-hard cheese full of buttery goat flavor, with just a hint of almonds.  Very nice.