Life carries on...gracefully

DISCLAIMER: Do NOT scroll all the way down if you do not want to see pictures of my brain. I have posted two pictures, one of my brain and one of the tumor. Enjoy!

Hey everyone!

        So, I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Chandler, my surgeon, Friday May 11th, just two weeks after surgery. He saw me and was almost dumbfounded at how well I was doing. He even told me and my parents that he fully expected me to still be in a wheelchair when I came in for the appointment. He was pumped that I recovered so quickly, but still needed to send me to Brooks Rehab to get checked out with the possibility of having to do some neuropsych testing so they can clear me to go back to work and a driving test so they could clear me to drive again. My doctor and his assistant, Rose, were awesome and they were able to set the appointment up for Monday; I just knew I would be returning to work soon.
        That Monday came (and went) and I met with a neuropsychologist at Brooks Rehabilitation--he gave me great news and not so good, but not terrible news. He cleared me to drive but I couldn't return to work just yet. Before surgery the doctors were preparing me that I could be unable to drive for 3-6 months...it has been 4 weeks as of 3 days ago that I had my brain surgery. Pretty remarkable if you ask me. To go back to work I would have to return to Brooks for another appointment and complete extensive neuropsych tests. The doc said he did not feel comfortable sending me back to a "high stress environment." I may have been unable to go back to work, but I was free to drive! So, naturally I went out that evening and bought a car. :)
        The following week I was scheduled for the 6 HOURS of testing. That was wretched! I completed a pschological evaluation and then a battery of tests lasting 5 hours that included memory, word association, problem solving, executive functioning, and language. My brain was literally hurting by the time I left. The results of the testing came back that Thursday. I learned some things new about myself and was informed of things I already knew about myself. As expected, my speed in almost all the activities was slowed, specifcally if I was using my right hand (as the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and that is where the tumor was present). Other areas that were slower than the average person were problem solving and any activitiy that had to do with math. I found out that "Damage to the left parietal lobe can result in what is called "Gerstmann's Syndrome." It includes right-left confusion, difficulty with writing (agraphia) and difficulty with mathematics (acalculia). It can also produce disorders of language (aphasia) and the inability to perceive objects normally (agnosia)." This all makes sense!! It is everything I have been dealing with for the most part and VERY fortunately for me, I have had minor issues regarding these side effects which leads my doctor to believe that I could have had this tumor for a very long time. So now they recommend additional therapy to improve any deficit which will begin next week and last approximately 4-6 weeks.

        Fast forward to the present, I am back at work!!! I am so happy to be working and though a lot of people would never say that, I look at it this way: I am blessed to be able to work because I am alive. I am blessed that I can still function normally and am still able to make a difference in the lives of my clients. I may get tired at times, but I am not dead. I have nothing but happiness and love and gratefulness in my heart. The journey has just begun, though. My battle is far from over; my battle is merely stagnant at this point. Dr. Chandler said that he was able to remove 100% of the mass, but keep in mind that what I have is a disease. Keep in mind that although "These tumors have also been referred to as "benign" gliomas, this is a misnomer. [And] although they have a more favorable prognosis than glioblastomas (GBMs), [Low-grade Gliomas] are only occasionally associated with prolonged (>10 years) survival and, over their course, frequently develop characteristics similar to more aggressive brain tumors." So while the "life expectancy (which according to Dr. Chandler is an average of 8 yrs)" is still the same as it was before surgery, my prognosis is greater because of how successful the resection was. On that note, Dr. Chandler insisted that I just "live life" and when the time comes to do so such as in times when making huge life decisions then remember and take in to consideration my brain disease. No problem, I thought.  Live life he said...Ha!! As if I wouldn't do that any way :) Until next blog...

This picture is of my brain...obviously

 This pic is of the tumor which actual size is about an 1x1 inch

Post surgery...and still kickin'

So, it has been almost two weeks since I had brain surgery. Two weeks Thursday to be exact. And as you might be able to gather from me writing this blog...it went remarkably well. I went in for surgery at 5:30am April 26, 2012 and was released from the hospital around 4pm April 28, 2012 to finish my recovery at home. I was up walking the hallways of the ICU the day after surgery, and was moved to a regular room the second night. The day of surgery I was wiggling my toes, lifting my arms and legs, and showing good signs of strength on my right side...the side that is supposed to have been affected most by the surgery.
As some might imagine or have personal experience with, you don't get much rest while laid up in a hospital bed so when I got home all I did was sleep for the first couple days. Some days were better than others...some most certainly more painful than others. Medications helped take the edge off my skull hurting as much as it did for a bit, but I tried my hardest to only take Tylenol when I could stand it because the medications made me zombie like. I stopped taking all medications last Thursday night (well other than my seizure meds like I have to take).
As for effects stemming from surgery, there have been several. Everything, though, has been better than expected from the beginning. First and foremost, my depth sensation is out of whack and if you don't know what that means...imagine opening your fridge and hitting yourself in the face with the door because you dont realize how close in proximity it really is, haha!! Imagine also reaching for the bathroom faucet and missing it entirely only to hit your hand on the back wall or mirror...both happen to me still at times. I had a lot of coordination issues in the the first week also, difficulty typing, texting, writing, sometimes understanding too. All of which has improved as time goes on and as I continue to practice my fine motor skills...and all of which still need tuning up before I am back to "normal".
I have my post op appointment with Dr. Chandler, my surgeon, on Friday and I cant wait to find out what else I will have to do before I can return to work and most of all driving. I feel confident that I will be back to a normal routine far before anyone expected and look forward to moving on with my life. I did find out a couple days after surgery that as of right now I will not need any further treatment...no chemotherapy, no radiation, just follow ups in a few months!! They got all of the tumor they could get and the results showed only stage II throughout which is great news! God truly had his hand in this!
This is a shorter blog than my others mainly because it is taking me forever to type it (like two hours) and I am getting tired, but know that I feel truly blessed with how far I have come in such a short period of time. I am also truly thankful for everyone who has supported me through this journey. I will write in more detail in the coming weeks about everything so stay tuned! :)