How God has worked during these storms.

The Beginning

I have been feeling dizzy and nauseous – like constant motion sickness – since the end of February. During those three weeks, I feel off-balance when walking, but the sensation disappears when I sit down or lie down. I went to see my doctor who ran extensive blood tests, but everything came back normal. She referred me to an ENT specialist who ruled out any inner ear issue. At the end, my symptoms persisted without any clear explanation. The doctor scheduled a MRI of my brain but it would not happen until more than a month later on April 3.

I received a recommendation to see a Chinese doctor. Since I did not get any answer from my doctors, I might as well try an alternative treatment. I went there on March 3 and got acupuncture treatment. I felt much better initially. However, when I returned in the second and third week, my symptoms did not improve; instead, they got worse. During out last visit on Monday March 17, the Chinese doctor was puzzled and worried that something serious was going on in my body. She solemnly urged us to see seek medical help immediately. Thomas took a day off that day and we went to urgent care. The urgent care doctor could not find anything. Since the symptoms persisted for 3 weeks and were getting worse, he referred us to the emergency room at El Camino Hospital for brain imaging. We got into the car again and headed to the ER.

Without any delay, the ER doctor immediately ordered a CT scan of my brain. After the scan, Thomas and I dozed off at the waiting bay. The doctor came in after an hour and delivered news that would turn our world up-side-down. The scan showed a tumor in my cerebellum. The neurosurgeon at El Camino Hospital recommended a transfer to UCSF for further treatment. We asked about Stanford which is much closer but the doctor suggested that UCSF has a stonger neurosurgerey department. The ambulance took me away to the neuro ICU at UCSF waiting for an open brain surgery to remove my tumor.