Update 10 Days Post-Op - 8/18/2012

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 days already since my last surgery.  While I have been tired and not sleeping on the right schedule (I think due to the increase in meds after surgery), I truly feel like nothing is different after the brain surgery.  It's amazing that they performed brain surgery, removed my skull and the tumor and I don't feel like anything is really different.  Kurt told me they said that they removed the tumor in 3 minutes and that they got 100% of it; I will still have radiation on that area as well as another potential tumor. I have pictures of my CRAZY hair - I have a reverse mohawk - the tumor was removed from the back of my head so they shaved my head in the back (my free MGH haircut); I also have shaved areas off my head where the 'live savers' were put on.  And, the crazy part of all of this... there are NO staples or stitches!  JUST GLUE!


Yesterday (Friday, August 19), we met with my radiation oncologist.  Due to the area of where the incision is and that there are no staples/sutures, he would like to wait a couple of weeks to start the planning and do the radiation.  He said he would like the area to heal a bit so that it has less chance of problems due to being on the radiation table and where it is located, etc.  So, I will be going in on Tuesday, September 4th to have my next mask made (ugh - I don't look forward to it but know that it will be a brief time and I will be okay).  They will then schedule me for later that week or the following week to have one-time radiation on the areas that they map out between the time the mask is made and radiation.  Basically, I will go in, they will connect me again to the mask and table and radiation will be done to the area(s) once.  I've already warned them that I will be sedating myself as I am claustrophobic and am already anxious about having the mask on and being constricted.  But, I also am grateful that I do not have to have the halo put on so I know it will be all be okay.

Yesterday, I was also finally able to connect with the doctor's office at Mayo regarding the hip issue.  They were able to view my xrays from both the day of surgery as well as the ones that were taken a few days prior to that.  They indicated that while it is not common to happen, some times when you do these surgeries there is calcification that builds up and there is a medical term for it.  Some people have issues with it - me being one of them - but most don't.  Some complain of pain; others have no pain.  I've been doing okay now... my hip/femur area is a bit tender/sore but it doesn't hurt like it did that day.  Again, it is now just a matter of letting it heal and not stressing it out too much.  (So, basically, I went back to where I started from right after the femur surgery.)  I feel like I have been going one step forward and two steps back but I was very relieved to hear that I didn't break my hip and that the Mayo doctor seemed to think everything looked great in regards to the rod/femur surgery.

Tomorrow (Sunday, August 19th), I am going to see if Kurt and/or Ashley will shave/cut my hair to even it out some.... but not take my hair off totally.  It's just starting to grow back - funny how many people talk about how curly it is (and a little gray).  :)

Here are pictures that I thought I would share:

This is the back of my head ('the reverse mohawk');  the incision/glue is the part on the right and the left I believe is just  where they wrote with marker.

This picture shows a little more of the CRAZY hair all over...
and  the hole in my forehead where I believe they put the GPS system.

Thought I would share a few of the pictures that I took of my left arm and the bruising that I have; this was taken 9 days post-op and looks a lot worse in person but doesn't hurt.  (This is the outside view of my left arm/elbow!)

 (This is the inside view of my left arm/elbow!)

Kurt had this picture on his phone -
shows what I looked like when  I was either in ICU on  Wednesday or 8th Floor on Thursday?!?!