The night mom Lily was unable to get out of the bath, her legs like jelly, I knew something very serious was happening inside that strong little body.
She had been falling all over the place of late, but fortunately she is tiny so does not have too far to fall, so was only bruised or grazed at times :)
Thanks to our fabulous family doctor (a tiny little lady I must add), Mom was swiftly whisked to hospital and placed under the care of a neurologist, another tiny little lady!
Mom Lily in hospital
They say dynamite comes in small packages, and I can attest to that from personal experience!
All kinds of tests were done immediately, plus an MRI.
Mom's MRI
The telephone call came.
Mom Lily (Anna Elizabeth) had a brain tumour approximately the size of a golf ball!
Those words sounded like a death sentence!
We were introduced to a wonderful empathetic young neurosurgeon who explained that this tumour, an Acoustic Neuroma, must have started at the very least about 20 years ago, and probably is benign, very slow growing and sits in the lower brain.
The good news, he said, was that an older person’s brain starts to shrink ever so slightly, therefore it's making more space for the tumour thus causing less damage.
Mom always took good care of her health, therefore her body adjusted to having this ‘golf ball’ in her head and coped very well until now.
Mom’s balance got worse and a week later she was swiftly taken back to hospital. Her balance was affected because of cranial fluid build-up, as the tumour was acting similar to a dam wall.
The decision was made to operate and a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt procedure was done to relieve pressure on the brain by draining the cranial fluid.
(Link from healthline.com)
Mom came through this brain surgery with flying colours, plus as she says, she now has her very own ‘plumbing system’.
We have to check a little valve at the back of her head from time to time. The tumour is on the left side and the shunt on the right hand side.
She now knows why her left ear is deaf, her balance is much improved and she has quality of life again.
So why am I writing about this in @karenmckersie’s P.O.P Contest you ask?
To tell everyone who reads this that a brain tumour is not always a death sentence.
My little Mom Lily is now back to baking cookies and rusks again at the age of 86.
She still refuses to use a walking stick, says it’s a hindrance, so when we go shopping, she holds onto my arm ever so slightly and as soon as she gets near her trolley, she pushes me away as if to say ‘I can walk on my own’, stop babying me!'
Dynamite indeed comes in small packages!
Mom's ‘baby sister’ who is twice her height nursed her back to health after the operation, photo taken about 6 months after Mom’s brain surgery.
PS There still is a risk of seizures as the tumour is starting to push into the brain stem, but we take it day by day and Mom is thankful that she has been given another chance, as she says she is far too curious to see what the world is still going to get up to.
I really hope that my entry into #popcontest gives hope to someone.
Thank you to @karenmckersie, the world needs more hope and this is what we’re seeing with #popcontest!
Original content by @lizelle
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