The headache
Early morning December 12, MC woke up with an excruciating headache, one she likened to "having one's head crushed in a vice." After several hours and no relief, Tom took her to the ER at Paoli Hospital where she was admitted, given some heavy duty pain killers and sent for a CAT scan. The scan revealed a mass in her sinonasal cavity that is abutting her brain and creating pressure (hence, the headaches). By Thursday morning the steroids given to MC had reduced the swelling, and, mercifully, her pain. Mom being mom, she waltzed right out of that hospital in her usual sprightly fashion.
To provide some context to this very sudden turn of events, MC had been experiencing a lot of sinus problems - colds, infections, allergies - this past year. Of course, these are all too common illnesses so it is to no ones surprise that MC was treated for run of the mill sinus infections particulary since she had no other symptons (we've since learned that most sinonasal cancer patients present with blurred vision, bloody noses, and chronic headaches.) We think MC's flight home from Florida a few days prior to her initial CAT scan changed the pressure in her sinuses, causing the tumor to become symptomatic. I for one (Kristen, here) am thanking the Wright brothers right now. Who knows when MC would have begun to show serious symptons. I'm thinking we got the weasel just in time!
To provide some context to this very sudden turn of events, MC had been experiencing a lot of sinus problems - colds, infections, allergies - this past year. Of course, these are all too common illnesses so it is to no ones surprise that MC was treated for run of the mill sinus infections particulary since she had no other symptons (we've since learned that most sinonasal cancer patients present with blurred vision, bloody noses, and chronic headaches.) We think MC's flight home from Florida a few days prior to her initial CAT scan changed the pressure in her sinuses, causing the tumor to become symptomatic. I for one (Kristen, here) am thanking the Wright brothers right now. Who knows when MC would have begun to show serious symptons. I'm thinking we got the weasel just in time!
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