Received a call from my consultant
I am booked for a biopsy on the 3rd of April

The MRI scan has shown no other issues

MRI Scan

Today I had an MRI Scan
This is apparently going to give the surgeon a more detailed view of the tumor
It will enable accurate location for the biopsy, and then I guess subsequent surgery
The staff were very efficient even though they were running a bit behind
The MRI connection cable needed a wiggle to get it to work properly
The Machine was very noisy
I had around 4 lots of scans.  With an injection in-between to enhance the scan view
There was about 20mins of actual scanning and I was on the machine for over half an hour
I was at the hospital a couple of hours


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan used to diagnose health conditions that affect organs, tissue and bone

MRI scans use strong magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the inside of the body



These are the sort of photos it produces (these are not my head !)

What, Where is the Clivus

The Clivus bone is in the base of the skull

 The clivus is a structure that makes up part of the skull base, the area of the skull designed to protect the brain and separate it from other structures around the face and neck. This particular piece of skull base anatomy is located in the middle of the skull and is sometimes used as a landmark in medical imaging and surgery, as it is easy to identify and can help medical practitioners orient themselves inside a patient's head. In addition, certain medical issues can arise in and around the clivus and may be identified on medical imaging studies

I had an appointment today with a new consultant
He introduced himself as Mr Donnelly
One of his specialties was skull base surgery

He proceeded to give me the news that I had a Tumor in the base of my skull
In something called the Clivus bone
It was somewhat hard to take in what he was telling me.  It was a very grave conversation
Clearly the condition I have is very serious

It would seem the Tumor will have to be removed and his ENT team and a Neurologist team would be working together to treat me

I asked as many questions as I could but can't recall all the answers

I now need a MRI scan followed by a biopsy to determine if the tumor is malignant or benign

When I return for the next consultation I will get a better understanding of what is going to happen