The wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said Wednesday on Instagram that she's planning to undergo surgery for a recently diagnosed brain tumor.

Kelly Stafford, 29, wrote in a post that she experienced several bouts of vertigo beginning in January and that, at the recommendation of a Lions team doctor, had an MRI on her brain.

The test showed that she had an acoustic neuroma, or a benign tumor, resting on her cranial nerves.

"All I heard was brain tumor & that they had to do surgery to take it out," Kelly Stafford wrote. "So that is what we are going to do & we believe we found the best doctor to do it."

According to the Mayo Clinic's website, treatment for an acoustic neuroma may include monitoring, therapy or surgery, which is "performed under general anesthesia and involves removing the tumor through the inner ear or through a window in" the patient's skull.

In some cases, according to the website, the entire tumor may not be removed if it is too close to important parts of the brain or facial nerve. Complications may include facial numbness, balance problems, hearing loss and stroke.

Stafford, who often shares a glimpse into the couple's life through social media, something Matthew Stafford avoids, asked for prayers for her and her family in her post.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely terrified of them opening my head," Stafford wrote. "I'm terrified of losing my hearing, I'm terrified of losing facial function, I'm terrified of far worse things that could happen and I'm terrified that I won't take the time I need to recover because the guilt I might feel of being absent from my kids for too long. ... I am telling y'all this to ask for prayers and support."

The Lions, in a statement released by the team, said they "fully support Kelly, Matthew and the entire Stafford family during this difficult time" and asked that "everyone respect the privacy of the situation at this time."

"Over the years, their selfless commitment to helping others and improving the communities in which we live and work has made a lasting impact on the lives of so many," the statement read. "We thank everyone for the outpouring of support."

The Staffords began dating as undergraduate students at Georgia and wed in 2015.

They have three children, twin girls Sawyer and Chandler, who were born in 2017, and a daughter, Hunter, who was born last August, and are intimately involved in the Detroit community.

The Staffords adopt several local families in need every holiday season and spent $1 million to refurbish a local rec center.

In 10 seasons as Lions quarterback, Matthew Stafford holds nearly every franchise passing record. He should top 40,000 yards passing and 250 touchdowns for his career this fall.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.