Mar 2 - The Start of Mike's Health Care Blog

On Feb 7, one week after Hannah's Bat Mitzvah, Mike went to the eye doctor to look into his vision loss and get glasses. After the first appt, the doctor wanted to do more tests. Mike went back on Friday the 10th. Had more tests done and then the doctor told him to come back the following Tues,  Feb 14th for results.

The eye doctor's discovery was that there was nothing wrong with the eye itself. He was perplexed as to what it was because there were no markers showing what it might be. So, he recommended Mike see a neurologist right away.

We contacted a neurologist who we know from our community right away and she saw him the very next day, Feb 15th.

She was helping us to arrange getting an MRI right away, but when he was examined for his appt, his blood pressure was 191/122. Way too high, so she said that he should go into ER and have them get down his blood pressure and then they can do the MRI.

Well after arriving at 10pm and 5 hours of just waiting, they took Mike in for a CAT scan. After about an hour, they came back to tell us that they found something with the CAT scan and they want to do an MRI.

They did the MRI about 8 am. After waiting and waiting, they told us the neurosurgeons, who were supposed to come and deliver the reports, were in surgery and there was a brain tumor and they couldn't give us any more information, just that we were being released and call a neurosurgeon for follow up and surgery. They sent us home with all of the reports from the tests, and after reviewing them with the neurologist and reading them myself, we were under the impression that the tumor was small and that they might possibly remove it by going through the nose or roof of mouth. The bomb was dropped. This was shocking. It explains the vision loss and headaches.

As you might or might not know, Mike also has a bleeding disorder, vonWillebrands disease. So, first we contacted Mike's primary doctors from his hemophilia clinic. The scheduled us an appt with the head of neurosurgery at UCLA for FEB 29th.

Their office had Mike do a blood test Monday 27th, a CTA and CT scan (very detailed brain scans) and a consultation appt for Feb 29 to review the findings and options with Dr. Neil Martin, neurosurgeon.

My parents, Gerry and Linda, came with us to the appointment. This was where the bomb exploded. The doctor said Mike has a tumor the size of 1/2 of a baseball and located right in the front and towards the left side of the brain.  It is a meningioma tumor that the doctor thinks is benign (90% of the time these types are). It is huge so the only option (since leaving it is life threatening) is to remove it. The only way they can remove it is by going through the forehead. The bleeding disorder complicates things although they will be doing extra precautionary procedures to help stabilize that.

Mike will be having surgery to remove the tumor on Thursday, March 22 at UCLA. He will be in IUC for 3-5 days and then in the hospital for 2-3 weeks. Then he will have 2-4 months time of rehabilitation at a facility to help him recover.

I will be doing my best to keep this updated as to how things are progressing. Please use this to keep posted on how Mike is doing and post comments below and I will read them to Mike.

Mike definitely would like visitors just in case you were wondering.

We want to also thank you all for your support!

Love,
Leslie, Mike, Hannah, and Jordan