Officially it's called an adenoma

You can Google Non-Functioning Pituitary Adenoma if you want detailed information but in a nutshell it’s a benign tumor in my pituitary gland.

Three times, it's grown to the point where it affected my optic nerves and pituitary function. Surgery was performed Feb. 2007 again in Feb. 2009 and yet again Nov. 11, 2010 to remove as much of it as possible.

My vision was preserved in each case however I've lost Growth Hormone production and am on thyroid medication to help those levels.

I had radiation after my last surgery. The risk is I could over time loose all pituitary function. The hope is it will slow or stop the persistent tumor's aggressive growth.

12/31/10

Four treatments done, one to go and how am I?

Covered in soft set cement. {lethargic - tired} Nauseous. Head hurts.

Why? Me + radiation.

Me = GH deficient causes fatigue. Thyroid deficient causes same and weeks before medication will help.

A radiation side effect is- can you guess? Yes, fatigue. Triple whammy. Also radiation works over time so the fatigue is supposed to peak weeks after I'm done.

Nausea - A radiation side effect or my poor working pituitary reacting to the stress of undergoing radiation.

Head hurts from being tightly held in place during the treatments.  However some pain in exchange for the certainty I don't move so the radiation is delivered to the proper place is fine. I'm protective of certain things like my optic nerves and brain.

My last treatment is Monday Jan. 3rd, as anxious as I am to have this over, I'm glad to have a few days rest. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to do the five days a week for six weeks schedule, even though the radiation dose is lower, it has to be grueling.
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