Miss Diagnosis: But You Don't Look Sick

Thursday, April 26, 2012

But You Don't Look Sick

The "Spoon Theory" by Christine Miserandino is a Must Read
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

While Christine, who wrote the Spoon Theory, suffers with Lupus, the theory is applicable to all "invisible" diseases. The first time I read this I just sat and bawled; it fit so perfectly. I printed it out an took it to Alex who was laying in bed, low on "spoons" and we cried some more. I wanted to print it out and send it to everyone I ever met. I hope you will take the time to read it.

In the Cushie Community we reference "spoons" on a regular basis: "I'm low on spoons", "do you have any extra spoons?", "I don't think I have enough spoons to make it through today". If you've ever heard of anyone talking about spoons as if it's some code language, now you will understand.

Got Spoons?

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Transphenoidal Pituitary Surgery- From the UCSF web site

What happens during surgery?
The surgical removal of the pituitary adenoma is performed by a technique called a transsphenoidal operation. The word 'transsphenoidal' describes the path the surgeon follows to reach the pituitary gland. The word comes from 'trans', meaning 'to cross or pass through', and 'sphenoid', the name of the cavity (the sphenoid sinus) that is passed through to reach the pituitary gland. Newer techniques and improvements in technology now allow removal of these tumors without the need for an incision under the lip or within the nostril. The surgeon begins the approach by entering through the nostril on one side. The surgeon uses a brilliant fiber optic light to illuminate the internal anatomy, a microscope to magnify the area of surgery to 12 times the actual size, and very tiny microsurgical instruments especially designed for this particular operation. The surgeon guides the surgical instrument into the nasal cavity and an opening is made in the sphenoid bone. The sphenoid sinus is entered, and then an opening is made in the wall of the sella turcica to expose the pituitary gland. The adenoma can be readily distinguished from the normal pituitary gland tissue and is removed without removing the normal gland. After the surgeon removes all the tumor tissue, the small cavity that is left is treated with alcohol to destroy any tumor cells that may remain. This cavity is then sealed, sometimes with a piece of fat that the surgeon removes from the patient's abdomen. The surgeon then applies a biological 'glue' that helps seal the pituitary area from the nose and promotes natural healing. No nasal packs are used with this approach.