16. Friday, September 19, 2008.....edited 9/20/08

....i'm exhausted....this has been a long, eventful week.

on tuesday afternoon, philip and i traveled up to emory in atlanta. it was a pretty "simple" visit...didn't have to see any doctors...i just had to have an MRI. it wasn't fun, but was not a big deal either.

on wednesday morning, we traveled back up to emory to see the chairman of the ENT department about my ear.

here is what we know so far:

- i have an aneurysm in my jugular vein and it has worn down the bone in my right ear.
- i have an abonormally large sinus cavity outside my right ear.

the doctor mentioned surgery, but wants to wait until he has some CT scans from a different angle....all he had was a view through the top of my head...he wants to see the jugular vein and my ear from a side view of my neck. he says the surgery is extremely risky...they would go in through my head (just above my right ear) and clip the aneurysm, shave out the sinus cavity to make it smaller and try to build up the bone in my ear to make it thicker. there may be more involved depending on what the other CT scans show. either way, he kept stressing the severe risks involved in this surgery. philip and i will really need a lot of guidance and wisdom to make the right choice.

my hearing loss was great enough that he is recommending i get a mini hearing aid for my right ear. unfortunately, these cost anywhere from $1500 - $3000 and insurance won't cover a penny of it!!

i'm supposed to call my doctor at the end of next week after he's had time to review my other CT's and see where we're going from here.

** all of this is completely unrelated to the neurological problems i'm having (the pseudo tumor cerebri) ** on that note...we're STILL waiting on the insurance to approve the PET scan that my neurologist is wanting to do. :/

also...paxton's asthma has been a lot worse this fall. his asthma specialist just changed his inhalers, so hopefully he'll get better results. he is also struggling a lot with stomach pain (last year they told us he was possibly in the early stages of chron's). he has to go back to atlanta next monday (september 29th) to see his specialist there. he's very worried that by telling the doctor he's hurting a lot, they'll put him through the painful, invasive tests that they put him through a year ago. :( please keep him in your prayers!!

and...micah is going to the eye doctor this tuesday (september 23rd...which is also mine and philip's 13 year anniversary!!). his right eye seems to cross in at times and he complains often of his eye hurting. his asthma has also flared up a little more this fall as well. he's using the nebulizer (or as he calls it, "breathing machine") each day. right now i think he may actually be coming down with something....his eyes were really red tonight and he kept complaining about his throat hurting. :( please keep my little micah in your prayers as well!!

thanks so much for your continual prayers and encouragement!! i'm so blessed to have you all in my life! i love you all!