Miss Diagnosis: The Final Day ~ Cushing's Awareness Challenge

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Final Day ~ Cushing's Awareness Challenge

Thirty posts in thirty days; I did it!

When I initially started blogging, years ago, it was really for my own mental health. It was a way to get things off my chest, and a journal, so that I could look back. I never intended to share it beyond some limited boundaries. Over time, I've been contacted by several strangers (who have somehow found me) searching for answers to their own health problems and I've come to realize it is doing some good; I am doing some good. It's been frightening to share with friends and family this month but if a single person benefits, well, that's enough.

Since this has all been about awareness I wanted to note: in the past 30 days I have had 1353 page views (my own aren't counted). Thanks for dropping by!

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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.