So. As I previously stated it is most likely the tumor was attached to my sympathetic trunk (which is a part of the sympathetic chain) I bet a whole lot of you are wondering what that is exactly and why I keep calling it a brain tumor even though it was on my neck. I will try to debunk a few things for you.
First of all what is the sympathetic trunk. They are a paired bundle of nerve fibers that run from the base of the skull to the coccyx.
Ok say the word with me coccyx...it sounds so dirty! Ha! Anyway for those who don't know what the coccyx is it is also known as the tailbone and because we all know those Greeks are crazy it is originally from the Greek κόκκυξ and means "cuckoo" (referring to the curved shape of a cuckoo's beak when viewed from the side) So the next time you fall on your ass you can say you fell on your cuckoo! Ha!
.Moving on. Each trunk is part of the sympathetic nervous system and consists of a series of ganglia connected by various types of fibers. Each sympathetic trunk distributes branches with postganglionic fibers to the autonomic plexuses, the cranial nerves, the individual organs, the nerves accompanying arteries, and the spinal nerves. So to say its a very important nerve is an understatement.
On to schwannoma of the sympathetic trunk. Go ahead and google it. I dare you. In fact I bet you will go away and come back 2 weeks later empty handed. Thats ok because less than two weeks is how long it took me to find any information. Is it because I was busy being pampered and treated like a queen? Ha, hardly! It took me that long to find 3 articles about it. You could say it became an obsession! From what little I found for a tumor to show up on the sheath of the sympathetic nerve is extremely rare. So rare in literature less 50 cases have been reported. Again further proof I am a freak of nature. I could go further and make a ton of jokes about the junk in my trunk but alas that is so high school. Again with the bad humor!
I know a lot of you were a little stunned when I told you that this thing came out of no where..it literally did. This type of tumor is considered asymptomatic meaning that there was no other sign there was a problem such as pain, numbness, soreness or anything normally attributed to tumors. I had nothing but a lump on my neck..that was it. Crazy huh?
Who would have thought I would survive a brain tumor without having to shave my head! And yes it was a brain tumor...but only classified as one because of the fact that the sympathetic trunk is attached to the brain.
Now for this thing with my eye. Typically it is one of the signs that shows up if you have a problem with your sympathetic chain. But ha! mine showed up after because its the side affect of damage to the nerve. The good thing is it doesn't affect my vision in any way. My sight is as bad as it was before this all began. Will it ever go away? Don't know. All I know is cosmetic surgery can fix my eyelid. As for the wonky pupil, at this point I don't really know except it will be useful for freaking people out when they want to look into my eyes. Honestly officer I haven't had any drugs..ignore that eye, look into this one!
I guess the million dollar question now is will this happen again. Don't know. Of what little I found the odds are good that it won't but there just isn't enough information out there to definitively say I will be tumor free forever.
Well I think I have beaten this horse to death. Now you know as much, or as little as I do now. Don't you feel smarter?
if you want to see the info you can google Management of Nerve Sheath Tumors Arising in the Sympathetic Chain its a fascinating read.
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