Good but exasperating update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern

I’ll start with the punchline first – even after the results of an MRI, I still don’t have a frelling clue as to why Leaky is leaking. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way (and technically, that could be my shortest Microblog Monday post ever), here are the specifics –

“You spin me right round, baby, right round.”

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when my needle biopsy was done, I had a moment of ridiculous bed spins, and attributed it to a newly raised dosage of my antidepressant. However, that nasty little dizziness didn’t go away even after I dropped my dosage back down. By last Monday, I was feeling a bit desperate. I considered the possibility that my seasonal allergies, combined with a bunch of house cleaning/dust raising (have I mentioned how much I love hubby & our kidlets?) may have triggered an ear infection. All I know is that the majority of the time, it seemed like I could feel the world spinning.

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“Doctor, ain’t there nothin’ I can take?”

After a scary moment of laying down on my right side (which is where my sinus issues usually hit – I mean, not my side, of course, but the right side of my head) and having the world flip upside down (to the point that I thought, “this must be what my Australian friend Sherrie feels like all the time” *grin*) I decided it was time to call my primary care provider. Seriously, for a solid 30 seconds (until I sat up), I felt like my eyes were possessed. Both of them were doing something like this –

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I called and told them I wanted to be checked for an ear infection, since I’d also been running a low grade (never higher than 99F/37.2C) since this whole thing started. I’d been thinking it was just one long hot flash, but I was beginning to have doubts.

“You down with B.P.P.V.? (Yeah, you know me)”

First thing the next morning we headed to the doctor’s office. After another appointment where I spent the entire time in tears while laughing about how I couldn’t stop crying a short exam, my PC determined it wasn’t an ear infection. My official diagnosis – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, which occurred when I sat up abruptly on the exam table before my biopsy.

Of course, my PC described it as (paraphrasing here) “there are tiny little stones in your inner ear that can get knocked out of place by sudden movement.”

I immediately looked at my husband, who’d already bestowed upon me the adorable nickname, “drunken sailor” any time I stumbled walked across the room, and said, “don’t you dare say anything!” He just smiled.

My PC said a trip to the chiropractor for something called, “The Epley Maneuver” would help, so we headed home and I made an appointment for the next day.

After a relatively uneventful chiro visit, during which I absolutely did not get dizzy as he lowered me to the table, or grab his leg in a panicked moment of my brain telling me I was falling, and most definitely didn’t cringe as I wondered where exactly I grabbed, I noticed a vast improvement in my equilibrium. Good timing too, since bright and early Thursday we headed to the hospital to have my MRI done. Oh, and I feel I should mention that because of the requirement that my pants be free of metal, I decided to wear my Boston Celtics pjs (similar to these) – figured a little luck of the Irish couldn’t hurt!

“Talkin’ about the car wash, yeah!”

A short time after arriving, hubby & I were escorted to a lovely “lounge” room, where my poor tired guy immediately kicked back in one of the hospital recliners so he could elevate his fractured left ankle (speaking of, he’s graduated from a compression boot to a walking cast – hurray!). My wicked awesome nurse then got me set up with a pair of gowns (one to open in front, and the other to open in back to make sure I didn’t flash people in the all on my way to the machine), started an IV line for the contrast dye, then she & I headed off.

I took off my modesty-saving gown (and honestly, after nursing three babies, it doesn’t phase me in the slightest if my girls run free) and somehow my awesome nurse managed to get me to lay face down on the table while keeping my needle-stuck arm flat out, and whilst maneuvering my breasts through the openings at the top. She set me up with some headphones, and asked what I’d like for music. I told her I typically listened to the Staind Spotify station, then assumed her overly-cheery, “that sounds great!” wasn’t exactly truthful (but I appreciated she at least tried). I said piano music, ala George Winston, would also be acceptable.

Not that it mattered. The table was pulled, with my feet going in first, into the big machine, which felt oddly like going through a car wash (and yes, I asked the nurse for extra wax, which cracked her up). Then the noise drowned out everything. Seriously, “resonance” is a bit of a misnomer – more like, Magnetic REALLYBONESHAKINGLYLOUD Imaging. A half hour later, we headed home to wait some more, since I wouldn’t get the results until my followup with the general surgeon later today.

“You got me losing my mind.”

However, Friday afternoon I got a voicemail on my cell from my PC saying (again, paraphrasing) “Just got the results back from your scan, and as they probably already told you during the exam, it’s normal and doesn’t show any areas of concern. Please call us back if you have any questions.”

Questions? Do I have any questions? Where the hezmana do I start? My head is spinning again, but this time, I can’t blame vertigo. My guess, based on my last appointment with the surgeon, is the next step is some kind of surgical diagnostic thingy. I’ll find out more later this afternoon – in the meantime, if anyone asks…

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update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern #MicroblogMondays
“Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is?
Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.” ~ Melissa S. Ford, Stirrup Queens

Good but exasperating update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern Blog graphic

update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern. This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! This is not a I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern.

53 thoughts on “Good but exasperating update on Leaky aka my breast cancer concern

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  1. Traci, I’m not sure what to say but I’m thinking this is positive? Very exasperating though, you’re going through the ringer. I love that you wore your celtic pj’s, Irish thoughts are always with you. I really really hope you get sorted soon!

    1. Thanks, Christine – do we have a secret handshake? Yeah, while I love going out on boats, I don’t appreciate walking on sea legs 24/7. Think I might’ve messed up my “I wish I was a mermaid” spell…

  2. Gosh its so frustrating !!!
    My mum suffered a funny imbalance thing too last week. Her Dr said it was debris in the eardrum or something … and gave her a 5 day course of steroids!

  3. After a while (about 18 months) you give up expecting anyone in a hospital to give you a straight answer unless it’s “We’ll have to take that out”. Otherwise it’s either so vague they might as well not have bothered, or it’s so technical they might as well not have bothered. They order various scans and have cameras stuck inside you as if they’re going to know more and then say it was inconclusive.

    I’m sorry you’re going through all this. The worry must be very draining.

  4. Everyone should always start with a punchline this waiting really sucks x I am thinking however this is a good thing- if bad surely you would know by now? All the positive thoughts from here to you x #TYW

    1. Appreciate the positive thoughts, FPG! I’m holding on to the hope that the long wait means it’s something simple and silly, not something staggering and scary.

  5. Oh bless you sweetheart. You have all my love, empathy, sympathy, well wishes, best wishes, alcohol & chocolate. If any of this helps in any way, then that will be something. Keep keeping on lovely. You are doing so marvellously xxx

    1. Every time I see your awesomeness on my blog or social media, it most definitely helps. Thanks so much for being your wicked awesomesauce self.

  6. It’s so frustrating when you think you’re finally going to get it all figured out and then nope……still not there! I hope you find out more soon. I suggest large quantities of chocolate!

  7. Thanks so much for updating, Traci! I’m sorry you haven’t had any clear answers yet, but it sounds like it’s not cancer, which is a relief, I’m sure. As far as that vertigo goes, YUCK! Does it make you feel nauseous at all? I hope not. My daughter had extreme dizziness from 9mos.-2yrs. and it was very scary for the both of us. I remember picking her up as she was crawling on the floor and crying, looking into her eyes, and seeing her eyes darting back and forth in rapid movement. She couldn’t focus on me. Oh my goodness, it still gives me the chills. I can’t imagine how scared she was, especially when she couldn’t voice her concerns yet. Her little head would get wet with sweat after the 30-60 second episodes. Her spells were also due to the loose crystals or “otoconia” in the inner ear. Thankfully she was over her spells by age two, and I hope that your dizziness passes very soon too! Hang in there. xoxo

    1. Wow, Erin! Nothing scarier than something wrong with a little one! I’m glad to hear it cleared up for her – our boy had a scary thing happen when he was 18 months (long story, but he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at that unheard of young age) so I got chills myself, thinking about how you felt. Yes, unfortunately the dizziness is making my stomach feel extremely yuck, but luckily hubby & the eldest are excellent cooks, so I haven’t dropped any weight (hang on – did I just say that was a good thing? LOL!). Thanks for your kind thoughts.

    1. Cher, you are a darling woman! While the rocks in my head are causing me issues, thanks for giving me a reason to appreciate them anyway (albeit, in a different form).

  8. Vertigo is the worst! I’d never heard of that chiropractic maneuver. Going to tuck that in my back pocket for the next time I get a bout of vertigo.

    1. It made a big difference, Emily. While I’m still only about 80% better, it’s still a vast improvement. Hubby asked the chiro yesterday (he was there with our youngest) and doc said to give it another week or two before we do anything else, because the healing takes time. Hope it helps you (but I hope even harder you don’t get another bout yourself).

  9. Waiting sucks. I’ve had vertigo–not what you’ve had but I’ve found peppermint oil to help with it. Put a little under your nose (like they did in Silence of the Lambs) and you can focus a little better.

  10. Oh no, I hope you are feeling better — that vertigo sounds horrific. I can’t imagine how unsettling it must have been to see everything flip upside down… I hope they get to the bottom of Leaky. This seems like one of those things where no news is good news, but frustrating news because there’s no clear answer. I love that you got to double up on gowns! I hope they figure out what’s going on and you don’t have any more unpleasantness. Sheesh.

    1. Thanks, Jess! If nothing else, as I told the surgeon at my latest visit, I’m getting some great blogging material out of it! Silver linings, right? 😛

  11. Ugh, thinking of you, Traci. My friend had a horrible bout of vertigo last year; I’ve never experienced it (knock on wood), but from what she told me, it sounds awful. My heart (and equilibrium) goes out to you!

  12. I had two leakys (before babies were even a thought) and it took 5 years for them to realize they were looking in all the wrong places. Hormones are a strange thing, I’m just coming into this saga this month, but is it possible a gland is at cause? I went to all these specialists and it was a non cancerous brain tumor. Not saying yours is, but the gland idea might be a thought?

    1. Holy cannoli, Katt! I don’t care if there’s a non-cancerous in front of it – hearing, “brain tumor” must’ve been terrifying! I’m glad you got it sorted! The gland idea is definitely a thought – in fact, wonky hormones came up early in the speculation, since I’m in the midst of periomenopause. However, since mine is only on one side, and from one duct, apparently that all but rules out crazy chemistry. I am having blood test and such though, just in case. Appreciate your suggestion! *hugs*

  13. I’ve been thinking about you and hoping all was going well. The whole thing can be exasperating and take ages. Waiting truly sucks. Sending positive vibes your way. xxx

  14. Urgh! Traci you poor thing.

    I agree with everyone above. Hopefully them not knowing what is wrong with leaky is a good thing. If it was scary and terrifying, they’d know what it was!

    I hope the dizziness goes away soon too!

    I’m sending virtual hugs anyway.

  15. Thrilled that the MRI didn’t show anything, Traci, but sorry you still have to go through more ‘stuff’ to get to the bottom of Leaky’s antics. I had vertigo too, and my chiropractor fixed me right up with ‘the maneuver.’ That is a bad feeling, especially if you have some nausea with it. And I’m glad Limpy is coming along with his progress. I hope this scare is completely over soon!

    1. Thanks so much, Molly! Yep, Limpy is definitely on the mend now, so two out of three so far! And sorry to hear you had a bout with the tipsy-turvy vertigo loveliness, and glad your chiro got you straightened out (pun intended). 😀

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