About 5 weeks ago I noticed a lump in my throat and decided to see an ENT doctor in Poughkeepsie, NY named Dr. B. About 30 years ago, I had a similar lump on my throat which was removed by a surgeon and biopsied and found to be benign. The lump was a calcified lymph node. When I saw this one, I immediately assumed that I had another one, and I almost brushed off going to see a doctor. But to be sure, I made the appointment with Dr. B.
Dr. B sent me for a CAT Scan on my neck and saw me a week later. He told me that I had another calcified lymph node and that he would refer to me to a colleague of his to determine if surgery would have to be performed. But, he said that would have to be put on the back burner as he thought he saw a shadow which could indicate a tumor in my brain. I was stunned as you can imagine since I had not one symptom that anything was going on in my brain.
I had an MRI and Dr. S reviewed it and told me I had a mass growing in the front of my brain and said surgery was necessary as soon as possible. He made the surgery date and started the process.
A couple of days later, his office called me and said they moved the surgery date up a week because he wanted to remove it as quickly as possible.
I was operated on to remove the large tumor in the front portal of my brain. The surgery lasted over 8 1/ 2 hours and I was on the table for about 11 hours from start to finish.
I was in post-op for some period and apparently had a panic attack, which I have had before. I do not handle medicines well and I am also allergic to aspirin and anti-inflammatories, and I experienced hives from the medicines which caused them to have to give me Benadryl, which is what usually happens with me.
I was placed on the 8th floor west wing on the burn floor because there was no room on the 2nd floor. My nurse was a young man named Jack Walker. He was fantastic. He was training another nurse as well as doing all his duties. During his shift, I had another major panic attack, and they are just horrible. I could not get out of bed for all the tubes in me, and I felt claustrophobic and like an elephant was laying on me. It's so scary I can't even tell you. If you have never had one, I can't explain to you how horrible they are.
I called Jack and I told him what was happening and he pulled a chair over next to me and held my hand and told me to count 5 and breathe. I started to cry and he hugged me, and after a few minutes, I began to tell him about the events of the last 15 years, during which our son had a heart transplant and about 10 months after that was in a car accident which left him a C-6 incomplete quadriplegic. I had to be the stoic one through all of my son's health problems and stays in hospitals so that my wife only had to worry about him. My son's wife left him after he became paralyzed and he and his twins came to live with us. That was several years ago and we've had them ever since. That's where my problems stem from. I have lost the ability to show emotion because of the front I have put up for all these years, and these panic attacks are the result, in my opinion.
Jack let me vent and I started coming out of my panic attack. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that he did that for me. He could not have been more professional or caring, and I could not have gotten through it without his help. He told me he would stay right there with me and would help me get out of the attack, and that's just what he did.
The tumor was larger than Dr. S thought it was and he spent all the time he needed to get it all and thinks he did. It was completely wrapped around my olfactory nerve, which had to be totally removed. it also posed a serious threat to my optical nerves, so the amount of precision that Dr. S had to use to remove it is incredible. And it also necessitated him having to shave my bone because the tumor was in there as well. I still don't know if the tumor is benign, but Dr. S said about 90% of the time these tumors usually benign.
I close this with the utmost respect and gratitude and one last thank you.