Update

Well, here's the latest from this morning's visit with the neurosurgeon:

My surgery is scheduled for Friday, June 9th at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, provided all my preliminary tests are OK. DR said that it's not an emergency but it shouldn't wait, either. So I asked if I could wait until the kids are out of school, since Ariel's graduating from 8th grade. He asked when they'd be done & I said that Aaron finishes June 2nd. Then he said that he'd be out of town until the 8th so he said the 9th and hubby & I said OK.

He said that I will be in a surgical chair, sitting up but facing downward so that he & his partner (who just did my friend, Barbara's back surgery) will be able to access my spine easier.

He said I'd be in the hospital for 2-4 days, but my primary care physician said probably 4-5 since she knows me better. He said I'll need physical therapy and it'd be 4-6 weeks before I've fully recovered. He said that I'll have no energy until then. I said that I already don't have any energy!

So hubby's going to take a few weeks off from work, which is good since he never uses all of his vacation anyway. Both kids will be in band camp the week after so he'll get to take them.

He showed me the MRI of my head & neck, which I thought was REALLY cool--until he pointed ouit the tumor, that is. It's covering almost 2/3 of the C7 vertibrae and pushing my spinal cord over to the left. He said that he might have to remove part of the bone, and hopes that it's not encompassing the spinal cord itself. I wish I could say that it hasn't been bothering me.

So there's the latest. If anything should change, I'll let you know.