We were expecting a long day at Rockyview Emergency. We left about noon and I was on my way home by 7 pm. I had my diagnosis of a Pituitary brain tumor from the CT scan. They gave me a prescription for steroids because the blood test did not show a good level of hormones in my system.

The ER doctor was great. He had suspected it was not an eye problem at all and that led to the CT scan. He was correct. He contacted the neurologist on call to discuss my condition. I was sent home over night and asked to go to Foothills emergency the next morning.

We arrived at 7am and much to our belief there was no one in the waiting area. When I contacted the ER at Foothills they had already been contacted about me. I was sent to admitting and was admitted to hospital.

They started reviewing my condition and my symptoms and it was at that point that I realized just how serious this was. They asked about my balance, headaches, irregular heartbeat, and numbness to name a few. It appears there can be other symptoms when you have this tumor. Others more serious than the loss of letters.

By the end of the day I was transferred to the neurology wing. I was to have a visual acuity test done on Thursday to determine the extent of the “blindness and I was in the Q for an MRI, which would be more definitive than the CT scan.

They transferred me to a rehab unit while I awaited the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).

I was called for the MRI on Wed. afternoon. If you have any feeling of claustrophobia this is one test you might want a sedative for. I did not think I would have a problem but they just started the test and I asked to be extracted. Luckily you have a squeeze bulb to contact them and they can talk to you by intercom.

One thing they do not recommend is opening your eyes during the test. There is really nothing to see except a white plastic wall but it is about 2-3 inches from your face. When I was extracted they placed a cool damp cloth over my eyes and forehead to help me relax. I also adjusted my position on the movable gurney so that no part of my body was touching the sidewalls. Initially my elbows were touching and I think this increased the tension I was feeling. I was able to endure the 40 minute test.

During the test you are fitted with ear muff head phones and allowed to pick a music station. I guess I should have asked them to turn the music up because the only time I could hear it was between tests. So there are really a series of tests ranging from 2 to 4 minutes – total time was 40 minutes in the unit. I was removed so they could inject an MRI dye to help with the clarity of a few more tests. I don’t remember how long those test were.

The noise during the testing was like a jackhammer trying to get into the machine from above. Kind of like listening to the rap music my daughter has been know to listen to. Actually I think the beat of the jackhammer was better than the rap music. It was not unbearable but it did drown out the radio station. Luckily there is a different sound and pitch for each series of test. Don’t know why but at least it prevents boredom.

I returned to the rehab unit.

G

In late Janurary I went to an Optometrist to have him examine my eyes. He was intent on selecting a stronger lens to correct my vision weakness. I finally made him understand it was not that I was having trouble seeing but that I was loosing letters on posters and signs.

When I would look at the screen with the left eye I would only see the letter E. None of the letters in blue were visible. If I moved my head or strained the letter Z might have become visible.

When I would look at the screen with the right eye I would see the letter Q & R.



When I looked at an eye chart at the visual clinic on MArch 15th I saw the letters on the opposite side of the chart with the opposite eye. So with the left eye I might see E, P, Z, D etc. With the right eye I might see E, F, T, L. The center of the chart was missing.

If I was to look in the mirror and cover up one eye then I could see the outline of my face but if I looked directly at the eye being used I would see only a dark gray piece where the eye should be.

From that point I waited a couple of weeks to see if things improved. When there was none I asked to have blood samples drawn to check for Diabetes among other things. These tests proved fruitless.

I was uncertain what to do now. It was early March and my eyesight was getting worse. I was nervous to drive a car. I was feeling stress - unable to make a decision about what to do. Luckily I took on an extra assignment at work. Because of the stress I was feeling I could not complete this assignment. This is out caracter for me. It demonstrated a need that I was repressing to find out what my problem was. I needed help to repair this problem or help in adjusting to a new way of life.


On March 12th I called the healthlink servce for advice. They were fantastic. After a 40 minute discussion of my symptoms and my past health history they advised me to head to emergency service. It was a relief to hear this. As funny as it sounds to have confirmation that there was something wrong with me.

The healthlink service is very professional. The nurse that talks to you has access to every call you have made to the service. This can be helpful to help you arrange dates and times of your past health history to take to emergency at the hospital. You never know what information may assist the doctor and you want to get the dates right. They will advise you to take a health history with you.

I headed off to Rockyview Emergency.

G

The pituitary gland is located in the center section of the brain behind the sinus cavity. I have highlighted the locations in the following pictures and there is a brief description of its function.
My tumor was measured by CT scan to be 3.5 cm by 2cm by 1 cm. That appears big enough to crowd the area around the Pituitary gland and exert pressure upwards towards the optic nerve. This seems to be what was causing my symptom – pressure on the optic nerve.


So it seems we have located the problem. Surgery needed to be scheduled. It certainly was a great relief to now have a diagnosis with an avenue of treatment. The CT scan was conducted at RockyView Hospital on Sunday afternoon March 12th. Thanks to the ER doctor who listened well and said quickly, "I don't think you have a problem with your eyes". He ordered the CT scan and found the tumor. The Emergency department there was great. Since I did not show any sickness or serious symptoms of a tumor they could have left me waiting for hours. They were efficient in locating the problem.
I went to the ER department because I called Healthlink and after a 40 minute discussion it was suggested that I had a serious problem that should be checked out immediately. The health nurse on the phone was very instrumental in having me go to the ER for the disgnosis. Another health servive that worked well.
Prior to that I had spent months trying to find out what my problem was. My initial contact was with an Optometrist. Well I sure had him puzzled. He check my eyes every way he could think of and this is what was said," I don't know what it is but it is not critical". Seems like a contradiction to me. He scheduled me for an apointment with an Optomologist May 12th. Looks like I won't need that appointment after all.

I then had my blood checked for problems. Chemically it was fine and the blood pressure was 125 over 78, pulse 51. All great.

No symptoms except the missing letters. I will explain what that would look like in an eye chart in the next post.

G

Here is a picture of me Christmas of 2005. It was a happy event. You have a look. Any signs of a tumor? Lets discuss the signs for a Pituitary tumor.

The first noticeable indication I had was mid. January 2006. We were in MacDonald’s for breakfast and I mentioned that a poster on the wall was not spelled correctly. It was missing a letter. If I moved my head the letter would sometimes reappear but I might loose a different one. This is certainly the first time I admitted out loud to my wife that I was experiencing a problem that I could verbalize. I had not been reading as much from books and I had taken the Christmas period off from class prep time to rest my eyes – that is what I had told myself. I had even given up playing video games. Loosing letters is what I would call it.

So it seems initially that was all I had to go on. Call in Sherlock to solve the case of the missing letters.

G

On Saturday March 18 I was operated on at Foothills Health Center for a Pituitary tumor. I wanted to write this as a record of what I have experienced during this period and perhaps provide some support to others who might have similar circumstance in their life.

I have to say that the medical treatment here in Calgary was the best. Everyone was extremely supportive. I was thankful to find that the people in the system actually cared about my health. This does not seem to be the picture that is painted by the media. The system is broken and we need to mend it. Dare we mention Ralph here? I do not believe this is correct. Many of the staff that helped me through the last few weeks took the time to listen to me talk. They knew I had concerns but they all wanted to hear me talk about my grand son Luke. I made them look at his picture. They wanted to hear my students and the fun we have in class at SAIT. I was not a number to them and they did not leave me to worry. They insisted on calling to get updates on MRI’s or other treatments. They carried me messages from my wife. They appologized for not getting things done sooner when I had not even complained. I thought their efforts were great. I did not record everyone’s name to enter here but the best ones know of my gratitude.

In this first posting I just want to thank everyone for their efforts, for the hours of dedication I witnessed, for effort above and beyond. Thanks for caring you deserve to pat yourselves on the back. It is obvious that you love your job and it shows.

G