Please help.

[5frys]

Katie Here............Good news! We went back to the Dr. and had a heart felt talk with him and told him the truly serious nature of my husbands declining condition.  It was a tearful discussion.  After admitting that there isn't much they can do for my husband on this island, they are medically flying him to either Landstuhl medical center in Gemany or England for testing.  Thank you all for helping usmake the decision to go BACK to the Dr. and demand further help. I will continue to keep you posted.

[Battyp]

Thank goodness katie..I was getting my bat wings ready to fly and come get you guys!  Of course I had no idea where you were.  Please keep us posted on your husbands outcome.  Sounds like him and I took the same path only I was state side and still got bungled.  How come he got to lose weight?  I gained about 60 pounds when everything started...must be woman's hormones..the guys lose the woman gain.I'd be more than happy to share my extra with him 

[Jim Scott]

Katie:

I came upon this thread a bit late in the 'story' but after reading through the posts - yours, especially - I was pleased to learn that you were able to start the process of getting off the island and having your husband get that much-needed MRI-with-contrast to help determine whether he has an Acoustic Neuroma or, if not, to find out what is generating the symptoms you've described, which do sound very 'familar' to most of the gang that hangs around here. 

Remember, an Acoustic Neuroma is almost always benign - not cancerous - and is operable.   That's the good news, as it were.  The not-so-good news is that not all neurosurgeons are equally experienced in AN surgery and if the surgery (and/or radiation) is not done correctly, post-op problems can often result, as, unfortunately, some of the folks on this message board can verify. 

If the MRI scan does show your husband has an Acoustic Neuroma - and this is just my personal opinion - I would beg the military for permission for your husband to take some sort of medical leave then take out a loan (or do whatever else was necessary) to enable him to have it removed by a surgeon in the U.S. with lots of experience performing AN-removal surgery.   When my AN was discovered my wife told me that whatever surgeon I ultimately chose, even if he or she were 3,000 miles away, we (she, really) would find the money, deal with the insurance hassles and 'make it work'.  I loved her can-do attitude.  We were fortunate to find a caring,compassionate neurosurgeon just 30 miles away who had decades of experience with AN removals and was considered by his peers to be 'the best in the state' for this specific operation.  My surgery and recovery were both very successful and almost 5 months out, I'm doing great.  Of course, I wish the same for your husband.  Please keep us informed as to what is happening.  It may sound trite in these cynical times but, we really do care.   

Jim

[nancyann]

YEEAAAAAHH  Katie ;  get packing girlfriend.  Wishing you & your husband all the best!  &  GET THE MRI with contrast!!!   Nancy

[Sue]

WHEW!  I'm feeling much better about this!!  Good luck with your travel, the doctors and treatment.  Keep us posted.  Give your husband a big hug from all of us.  *Group Hug*

Sue in Vancouver USA

[tony]

Definately looking better and I am sure answers will be forthcoming soon
 a couple of thoughts......
1) Make sure a full list of symptoms is written down for the new docs
 - your husband maybe tired, or simply forget by the time he meets them.
2) Plan on the basis they do find something - he maybe away a week or so
Think out in advance what you might want to do
what else do you have to arrange ?
Might be easier to work it out now (face to face)
than over some international phone link ?
Keep in touch
Best regards
Tony

[Obita]

Great news Katie.  Thanks for keeping us posted.

Can you go with him?  I sure hope so, as you are the AN expert.

Best of luck, Kathy

[5frys]

This is Mike here.  Katie is normally the one doing the emails, instant messages and so on.  I just want to personally thank all of you for your advice, lessons learned and words of encouragement.  At this point, only the Lord knows what is really going on with me and I'm sure all will be revealed in His time.  We (probably Katie) will keep posting to this discussion board to keep everyone informed of the progress.  Thanks again to everyone; this is a great forum and you're doing a wonderful thing by helping folks like us out.  ~Mike

[Obita]

Good luck Mike - we will be thinking of you - thats why us posties stay on.....KO

[krbonner]

I haven't yet posted on this thread, but I've been reading and am so happy to see you'll be able to get a much-needed MRI.  Your spunk and diligence in getting the right treatment will continue to work in your favor.  And, as others have said, if it is an AN do whatever you can to get to a doctor with lots of AN experience (hundreds of patients).  It can make a big difference in the outcome.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

Another Katie

[Crazycat]

I just had my 4th one in little over a year today!

           Paul

[Windsong]

Really happy to hear you are now able to get better treatment/diagnosis!!

Lots of best wishes, and let us know how things proceed.

Windsong

[5frys]

Thought you'd all be interested in an update.  It's very slow going here.  We finally got clearance to get off the island for the MRI.  My husband is so sick that he is just trying to hand on.  He isn't able to drive much anymore.  We were hoping he would get off the island quicker, but now we are just happy to have an appt and upcoming MRI on Tuesday, Nov. 14.  We fly out to Germany on Monday.  We hope they find something and that he gets really good docs so that we don't come back to the Island empty handed (I think this is his biggest fear).  Pretty soon he will be unable to work, he is so bad.  They keep setting up appt. with ENT's.  Can they properly diagnosis Acoustic Neuroma?  We were thinking he should be seeing a Neurologist.  But since the Doc here said his CT scan was clear and that meant no tumor, he would only refer him only to the ENT, so we were just happy to get him to Germany AND to get the MRI. 
He is seeing a local Island ENT in the meantime and we are going to the bigger city on the Island for tests, but still no MRI machine here on the Island.............things are very different here and I just hope my husband can hang on a few more days.
Thanks again for everything.............
Katie

[Derek]

Mike & Katie...

Be assured that you have the hopes and best wishes from everyone of your new 'family' for a speedy and successful outcome.

Best Regards

Derek

[Obita]

Dear Mike and Katie:

I am so sorry this is taking so long for you.  At least now, you have a date with the MRI machine. 

If it is an AN, it will glow like the sun with gadolinium contrast injected half way through.  I hope you can get an answer that same day.  You should be able to if you insist.  Without contrast dye, they are invisible as are they with a CT scan.

Thank you for the update.  We are all very concerned about you two.

Kathy