Heres her story, as told to senior health writer Erica Sloan.
Ever since then, Ive heard this constant whooshing sound.
I was told to use Flonase, and that the pulsing sound would go away soon.
Claire Burnight/Laneen Wells
I was relievedbut then it didnt go away.
I just wasnt convinced that what I had was eustachian tube dysfunction.
I couldnt shake the feeling that I needed to get more clarity from a doctor.
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They immediately said, you’re gonna wanna get an MRI of your brain and neck.
In that moment, I knew in my gut something was wrong.
I was pretty terrified in the week leading up to it and as I waited for the results.
By the tone of their voice, I could tell right away that they found something.
There feels like a lesion in your brain…a tumor, they told me.
I was truly in shock.
I just did not even know how to process it.
When Im wearing heels, Ill catch myself stumbling.
But it isnt anything that really impedes my day-to-day life.
It took me a couple months to fully process the diagnosis.
So I made an appointment with a specialist known for treating this kind of tumor.
That was a mystery to my doctors for a while.
That means the tumor was likely anincidentalfinding, my doctors said.
Initially, they were going to jump right into surgery to remove my tumor.
But in a small percentage of acoustic neuroma cases, the tumor stops growing.
I would also have to relearn how to balance and walk, and theres a risk of facial paralysis.
Because of my age, radiation andchemowould not be good options.
(My doctors also believe the tumor is benign, based on its location and shape.)
So were going to wait six months to see how fast its growing and then decide about the surgery.
Im also waiting to learn whether Ill need surgery on both sides of my head for the vein abnormality.
(This condition can also cause hearing loss, vertigo, and facial weakness in some cases.)
Because of the uncertainty of both conditions, I decided to defer medical school.
But Im so grateful that I was able to deferthat my dream is just on hold.
Its not that Iwontdo it, its just that Ill have to wait a year and thats okay.
Ive definitely had to do a lot of processing.
I also know now that this is just a part of my path.
Its going to inform my practice and how I treat patients.
And I really think that is invaluable.
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