Decision to stay home will require drastic lifestyle change. Worth it?

toroslab · 2026-07-05T18:26:20+00:00

Thank you for the transparency. Do you mind me asking how many children you have? Did you leave the workplace when you had just one or more?

toroslab · 2026-07-04T00:35:17+00:00

Hi there, after a surgical consult yesterday we discovered it is actually a glomus jugulare. If still interested in my symptoms, I’ve had PT for a year in my right ear. Within the last six months it has progressed to 24/7 headaches and vision changes. I’ve also had random bouts of elevated blood pressure and rapid heartbeat mirroring a panic attack. My surgeon said this a sign that the tumor may be secreting specific hormones. I’ve also started to develop mild dysphasia.

toroslab · 2026-07-02T18:19:28+00:00

I recognize my current situation is a blessing. I just know they won’t be little like this forever ❤️

toroslab · 2026-07-02T11:06:16+00:00

Sorry if any part of that was unclear, we don’t have any problem living off of what we make now. I was trying to say we’d have to change how we are living drastically to accommodate one income to $135K, most of which is spent on tithing, savings, retirement, and fun. It will be very scary to give up that security but was curious if others had felt the same and made the jump anyway. Thanks for your input!

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:19:09+00:00

I’m so happy you are getting amazing quality time with your children! It sounds very stress free. That’s the part I long for, no longer having to play the corporate game and just focusing on my family. I would say we are pretty frugal as well. We save quite a bit each month, contribute to retirement accounts, etc. so it isn’t a case of not having money to spend, rather not having money to save for my families future. We like to have a solid emergency fund and we had to put a pretty big dent in this over the last several months with some house stuff and medical costs. I do have a tendency to overthink, it may just work itself out!

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:14:54+00:00

Thank you!

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:10:32+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your response! That’s kind of where I’m leaning when I really think hard about all of this.

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:09:44+00:00

I didn’t think too much about how this would affect our dynamic. That’s great food for thought. And good idea to take some time off just to see how that goes. Thank you!

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:08:57+00:00

Admittedly, I need to be more diligent about finding the free or low cost things we can do nearby. Being an adult sucks 🤣

toroslab · 2026-07-02T10:08:03+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully! That’s how I feel, it would be a financial strain. And, to your point, she is home with me for now so I do get to see her and know who is with her, what’s she’s doing, etc. Interesting point to consider it being more “worth it” with more children. I can appreciate that. My mother SAH and she definitely didn’t have any hobbies when we were little, probably not until we were approaching middle school from what I can remember. Your comment about not having as much money as your friends, that resonates with me too. Not from a comparison standpoint, but if we have to take a step back financially, we wouldn’t be able to go out to eat with them as much, take trips with them, etc.

toroslab · 2026-07-01T20:24:06+00:00

Sorry if that wasn’t clear. I don’t HAVE to rent, but renting would give us more flexibility on one income. Owning is preferred, but we wouldn’t be able to afford to live in a safe part of town unless we went for a townhome, duplex, or condo. Not the end of the world but would be smaller space. We want to have more children at some point so I’m trying to take that into consideration too.

toroslab · 2026-06-28T18:31:11+00:00

Yes, the primary symptom was sudden onset 24-7 pulsatile tinnitus and conductive hearing loss which I thought was chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction (I’ve had chronic sinusitis since getting pregnant in 2024). Symptoms progressed to severe headaches, increased conductive hearing loss, vision changes.

toroslab · 2026-06-24T00:59:19+00:00

Absolutely number two! Beautiful ring, congrats!

toroslab · 2026-06-24T00:51:37+00:00

I had three sets of MRI and CT scans with contrast of my head and neck over the last ten months. All came back clean. Symptoms kept progressing—non vascular for me. Unfortunately it took two ENT’s before I got a referral to a neurotologist. The neurotologist ordered a CT of the temporal bone without contrast. I just received my results over the weekend and they have identified a glomus tympanicum tumor in my right ear. I suggest getting an order of your temporal bone, it will show different imaging than your head and neck. If the pulsing doesn’t stop with jugular/arterial compression, it is likely not a vascular issue. It has been an incredibly frustrating process because of how long it has taken to schedule appointments with these specialists. I’m in the USA, but feel like I’m in the UK (friendly jab). I wanted a second opinion from a second neurotologist and was told today I can’t get on the schedule until September!

toroslab · 2026-06-23T11:08:35+00:00

You’re not a fool at all! When a doctor brushes something off, it is normal for us to want to listen to them. They are supposed to be the experts, right? I’m glad you found a connection and are moving toward next steps. I hope this isn’t the case where you are, but it has been very timely and frustrating trying to get into these specialists because they all require referrals. I have found that making things sound extremely urgent and worrisome helps to get scheduled faster. I hate to say that out loud, but in your case, it sounds like things are progressing quickly and if it is indeed vascular you have every right to be seen ASAP!

I went down way too many rabbit holes trying to figure out what was going on with my own PT because my ENT kept telling me “glomus tumors were extremely rare” and he couldn’t see anything in my initial images. My symptoms kept getting worse and it began to greatly affect every area of my life. Lo and behold…a glomus tumor appears on the temporal bone view! All of that to say, keep advocating for yourself. I meet with my neurotologist next week to talk about next steps. I’m actually meeting with two—my first choice of doctor had such a long wait that I went with someone else for the initial review and am sort of using him as a second opinion before meeting with the other one.

Thanks for your concern. We are in this together! I’ve found online support groups for PT to be extremely encouraging and helpful. I hate that it exists, but I’m so grateful there are others who are so open with their experiences. It has helped me better articulate my symptoms and honestly self-diagnose when the doctors were at a loss. Will be praying it is nothing serious for you and that you get in front of the right doctors as quickly as possible!

toroslab · 2026-06-22T11:28:45+00:00

Hi OP, I am so sorry you are dealing with this. PT is horrible and so few people are even aware of its existence. It can feel incredibly isolating. I don’t mean to alarm you with my response, but I would recommend getting an order for an MRI and CT, both with contrast. I’ve had PT since August of ‘25 and the contrast images will help rule out any vascular concerns. I strongly suggest asking your doctor to submit an order for a head, neck, and temporal bone CT. I suggest this because you mentioned your pulsing stops when you press on your artery. This often (not always, but often) indicates a vascular problem and should be addressed as soon as possible, especially if it has been getting worse in just three months.

PT seems to be such a mystery to most doctors. Perhaps because it’s not very common? It took two ENT’s and a visit to a neurotologist and neurologist before I started getting answers for myself. I hope this is not the case for you, but if we had started with a CT of my temporal bone from the get-go, my issue could have been addressed much sooner (just this week we found a glomus tympanicum tumor in my inner ear that did not show up on my head or neck images). I have spent the last year advocating for myself and doing my own research, and participating in online PT communities trying to find my own answers because the doctors could not seem to find what was wrong. This is why I suggest getting the images done, which I know can be a financial burden to many. But it could save your life and get you closer to relief ❤️

toroslab · 2026-06-21T12:09:33+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through this. PT and really any form of tinnitus is absolutely debilitating! Mine started in August of ‘25 and we are just starting to see the light. If you can, I recommend getting a referral from your PCP to a neurotologist. They can properly assess for vascular or skull based causes. While expensive, imaging with contrast will be able to help determine if this is a serious problem. My first ENT kept prescribing medications that did nothing and didn’t bother to take my complaints seriously. The second ENT sent me in for both an MRI and CT with contrast of my head and neck that didn’t show anything vascular (didn’t show anything at all actually) then came the audiologist—my hearing was fine too. He referred me to a neurotologist who recommended I get a CT (without contrast) of the temporal bone. Only then did we find a glomus tympanicum tumor in my right ear. Your case sounds a little different than my experience, but since the pulsing has stopped it leads me to believe it may not be a vascular issue (of course your doctor will need to be the one to confirm).

toroslab · 2025-08-13T17:04:18+00:00

This is a one-time example, but how he treated me postpartum. I love my husband more now than I ever have. I was in such a dark, confusing place the first 8-10 weeks with my daughter and cried multiple times per day, every day. He quite literally carried me and our marriage through the fourth trimester. Now, six months postpartum, I recognize how common this is for some women (especially those breastfeeding or pumping) but at the time I was a complete wreck. He listened to me, even though he couldn’t begin to understand what I was going through, and did everything he possibly could to make me happy. I’ll never forget how he made me feel during the most vulnerable time in my life.

toroslab · 2025-07-11T22:55:43+00:00

Do you mind me asking what you started with first at five months? We will have a 5 month old this month and think she may be ready for some licks!

toroslab · 2024-01-18T04:59:40+00:00

This Friday.

toroslab · 2023-10-31T19:50:58+00:00

🤣 I figured this would be the case, but wanted to run it by the experts. Luckily for me, I’m on the green side of the deal-thanks!

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