The Eyes Have It

Hello! I know it has been a while since I posted any updates. Life gets busy as I'm sure you know. I have been busy in a very good way! In fact, as I am writing, I am seeing only one computer screen, no double vision! Let me

Ho Ho Hopeful for a Happy New Year!

Seasons Greetings! Life, as it does, has taken off and kept me busy as can be. Now, as the holidays approach I figured it would be a good time to sit down for an update and reflection on the past year. What a wild ride it has been! First an

The Case of the Mutant Meningioma

Hello! Since it's been a while and I had an appointment with my neurosurgeon this week, I figured it's time for an update. Recovery Recap Overall, recovery from surgery continues and I am feeling more and more like myself. Better in some ways. I am so

Looking Up (but not together)

Just over one month ago I had my craniotomy to de-bulk my skull base meningioma! It feels both like it was just yesterday and a lifetime ago. The healing steadily continues. Here's how things are going. Return Home We all made it back to Chico a few days

Two Week Update

Brain Surgery Two weeks ago today on August 5, Steve and I arrived at Chandler Regional Medical Center in the Phoenix area a little before 5 am to get checked in for surgery. I met the surgical team including the surgery nurse, neurophysiologist, and anesthesiologist. I also got to meet

Post-Op Update #2: The High Seas

Steve here with another update Rachel was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. She is a little wobbly, a little slow to move and sore, but is recovering smoothly. A lot of opinions and a strong drive to provide directions on what to do. We will need to wait on

Another Step Forward

Hi everyone For an update Rachel has made it through surgery this evening. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Almefty, Dr. Le and their team today. Per the surgeon they got the majority of the tumor, some nerve side effects (double vision, etc.) which we’ll have to see

Game On.

Surgery is tomorrow! Here's what's been happening. On Wednesday I flew down to Arizona. On Thursday, I had a new MRI and CT completed in the morning and a phone visit with the pre-op nurse that afternoon. Steve and Finnley made it down safe and sound

Countdown to Brain Surgery

A decision was made and I am officially having brain surgery. The big day is: AUGUST 5, 2025 The Decision After weighing my options, I ultimately decided to go with Dr. Almefty at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. I liked that he plans to be aggressive in attempting to

A Fork in the Road

Following my trip to Boston and St. Louis, I've been busy- a quick four day work week followed by three day weekend and coastal adventure. Now, finally back to reality. Yesterday, I had my consultation with Dr. Fernandez-Miranda and his team at Stanford and this evening I spoke

What's in a name?

To prepare for PT school, students are often required to take the prerequisite of medical terminology. I loved medical terminology. Often medical words look like alphabet soup but once you know and understand the individual parts of the word you know EXACTLY what it means. Let's break down

“Bi” is for Boston

Vacation Time Some time off and a change of scenery is what my soul needed. Aside from my neurosurgery consult, Boston kept us busy! We had a wonderful time visiting family and exploring the city. In three full days, we packed in the fun: -Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum -Time Out

The Journey Continues

Second consultation complete! Yesterday, I had a telehealth consultation with Dr. Aaron Cohen-Godal from USC. Consistent with Dr. Theodosopoulos, he recommends debulking the tumor due to its size, location, and my age followed by stereotactic radiation to prevent further growth. However, he prefers to access the tumor via the retrosigmoid

Just checking in

Collecting Info Well, there's not a lot new happening but here's a quick update on the progress of my second opinions. On Friday, Stanford sent me the written second opinion I requested. They completed a thorough review of my medical records and, as I expected, they

Finding My Way

First Opinion On Friday May 23, 2025 I spoke to the ENT who performs surgery with the neurosurgeon from UCSF and I honestly did not love his proposed surgical approach. Just to re-iterate, my meningioma is basically in the worst possible location, i.e. the skull base. As a medical

A Plan In Motion

Consultation Yesterday I finally had my consultation with neurosurgery and it went about as I expected: 1. On imaging, the mass is highly consistent with a benign petroclival meningioma and further identification will occur post-op 2. Surgery is recommended as the tumor is compressing my brainstem, wrapping itself around some

Trying to be (a) patient

First of all, great news! I have a UCSF neurosurgery consultation on Tuesday, May 20. However, since April 9, 2025 when I received the results of my initial CT, every step on this journey has been hurry up and wait. From getting my MRI scheduled, completing the MRI, waiting to

Timeline

August 5, 2025: SURGERY- extended retrosigmoid August 4, 2025: Pre-surgery appointment with Dr. Almefty July 31, 2025: MRI/CT scans repeated for surgical navigation July 14, 2025: Surgery scheduled for August 5, 2025 with Dr. Almefty and Barrow Neurological Institute July 9, 2025: Fifth opinion with Barrow Neurological Institute in

Welcome to My Mind... and My Meningioma*

Welcome to Healing Headspace! I'm Rachel, a 36 year old Doctor of Physical Therapy recently diagnosed with a 4 cm skull-base meningioma. Follow along with me as I navigate this journey of diagnosis and treatment... and healing along the way. About Me Originally from Missouri, I now live