Bed Head, Gray Hair, and More Pain

So I know it's been a long while so Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day and everything in between. My holidays were nice with the family, which truly is my pure joy in life at this time.

So now an overdue update on the most important thing, my hair. Yes, it's growing much longer now. I even wake up with bedhead now! I have to comb it every morning after a shower to keep it down if I want it that way. Honestly, this was never so exciting to me as it is now, something is much different with me :)

We have been experimenting with spiking it up so I need to take a picture next time I spike it.

Another funny issue that has been observed is some nerve damage which affects my left eyebrow. Thus, I'm unable to lift the eyebrow, but have full functioning of the other. It's a bit uneven and looks funny when I show emotion. Just yesterday as my sister-in-law told us a story she had to laugh at my half excited face. However, if this is the only lasting damage I would be very happy with nothing to complain about. I did see my neurologist recently and he did notice some change in it, so maybe it will come back over time. The surgeon said possibly 3-4 months. Who knows?

The scariest thing perhaps was two gray hairs that I found and pulled out. My hair is just growing back and now I find gray hairs? It's odd for me because I haven't done that before. However, I have had plenty of stressful gray hair producing moments before so I suppose the time has come for them to show.

Okay, enough with the silly business with my hair. Why I think about it so much I don't know. It's just a little exciting to me I guess with all these changes. I feel like a mother watching her child grow hair except it's mine.

So, I have continued to have a lot of pain all over my body for the past few months. It basically hurts to move and getting dressed everyday was something I did not look forward to because it hurt so much. It is very odd since I don't remember this last time.

However, my endocrinologist did test my cortisol levels, which also deals with the adrenal glands somehow (I still haven't studied this one as much as everything else). It was really low in December, but he wanted to wait a little while to see if it improved at all longer after surgery. I just took the test again a few weeks ago an it turns out it was low again so he started me on some steroids.

My biggest fear with all of this is possible wait gain with the steroids. I've somehow lost my appetite recently so with walking every day for about 30 min. and not eating as much I've lost almost 30 pounds. This is huge for me since I basically gained all of my weight after the first surgery.

So I'll keep you posted on more happenings in my life. Hopefully a little more frequent than this last time:)

Top Ten Benefits of Having Brain Surgery

Wow time has flown by, even when resting and staying in the house all day (except for my daily walk, which I thoroughly enjoy). This past weekend was especially nice with the Thanksgiving holiday and extra time spent with the family. It also gave me time to reflect on the many blessings I truly have to be grateful for.

As part of the reflection process, I came up with a top ten list I'd like to share. Having gone through this twice now, I'm still not an expert. My youngest brother had up to 19 surgeries in the few months before he passed away, so I still have much to learn. Although I'm certainly not hoping to compete with him by any means.

10 -- Get A New Hairdo - Honestly, I love it as short as possible. However, it does get a little chilly up there at times, so if there's a next time I seriously need to consider a time in the summer months:).

9 -- Catch Up on Television Viewing - Actually I haven't found too much to enjoy except old game shows on The Game Show Network, which is tied with Disney for my favorite channels.

8 -- Lots of Sleep and Rest - Seriously, in the past how many times have I said I was tired or exhausted?

7 -- Time to Read - I've read several books and magazines. I read the Ensign, New Era, and Friend and love all of them. After all there really isn't too much on TV to keep me entertained.

6 -- Dedicated "Favorite Seat" in the House - I've stayed on this recliner all day everyday since I came home -- including sleep.

5 -- Waited on for Every Need - The first week home my mom did everything for me I couldn't do and continues to help with everything I need as I'm getting stronger and more independent. I love you mom, you truly are the best.

4 -- Medical Education - From all of the doctor's visits and new terminology I'm learning. It's better than watching a medical drama on TV.

3 -- Reminder of the Good Friends I Have and Love - The visits, calls, cards, flowers and well wishes truly keep me going every day. I appreciate everyone so much more than words can express.

2 -- My Family - I will always love my family regardless and know they love me. However, this experience truly brings us closer together and brings out the best in everyone.

1 -- Increased Faith in My Savior - At a time like this I can only rely on my Savior for comfort and guidance. He has truly sustained me thus far and I know I can continue to rely on Him. This experience has allowed me to draw closer to Him and strengthen my testimony.

There you have it. I am continuing to get stronger each day. I have up and down days with my energy level (I sometimes forget I'm still recovering and may do too much, then I have to sleep more the next day). The headaches have also been manageable with the help of the pain medicine I have. Honestly, they haven't been bad, I'm still adjusting to getting off of the steroids and the swelling. Today was my last dose, so I'll see how this week goes.

Thank you to everyone for the love and support.

2 Weeks!

It's hard to believe it's been 2 weeks already! Each day I feel stronger. The swelling is slowly going down. The pain is much less. I'm taking a lot less pain medicine too. I even can shampoo my head now, which feels great! The incision is healing nicely.

I've started walking down the street (a few houses and back) each day with a friend Joyce Morris. I've appreciated the many visits, calls, and comments on the blog and facebook. It does lift my spirits and breaks up the day!

Staples are Out!

I went to see the surgeon today and it went well. The most excitement was when he took out the staples; there was some minor bleeding and I nearly passed out. After resting for about 10 minutes and some water I was refreshed and he let me go. He wasn't concerned and said this was not too uncommon, and that I may have been a little dehydrated. I need to make sure that I'm drinking more. Everything else looks good, the swelling may take a few more weeks to go down, which is normal considering this is a second time around.

The biopsy concluded that it was a Craniopharyngioma, possibly residue from the first tumor. It's very slow growing, so we just don't know for sure. This is excellent news since it is not cancerous. We just have to continue to keep an eye on it with follow up MRIs down the road.

Now my biggest challenge is getting enough rest and managing the pain. The doctor did note that the pain was normal as well, especially since he's decreasing the dose of steroids gradually. The pain medicine helps as long as I take it soon enough.

Thanks again for all of the love and prayers. Now it's all recovery, which in some ways is more difficult than the surgery itself. This is truly a test of my patience and faith as I must accept that I'm not as strong as I used to be and may not be for awhile. However, with my Savior by my side I know I can accomplish anything I'm asked to bare.

Thank You All!

My heart is so full I don't know where to begin. Thank you all for the thoughts, prayers, cards, flowers, gifts, and visits. Truly, I was carried into the operating room with my Savior by my side. I was calm the entire day going in, knowing it was only my Faith that would keep me going.

However, in many ways the surgery is the easy part. Now it's the daily recovery I face as I wake each day and must find ways to manage my pain (if there) and keep from becoming too bored (yes, I get tired of sitting still for too long). I've read some great books and I'm catching up on many television shows I haven't seen for awhile.

Even though I faced this once before, this is a new experience. I must continually ask myself, what is it I should learn from this? I look forward to reflecting on many of the experiences past and present.

For now, I'm just grateful for good family and friends who love and support me. I'm happy to have visitors anytime as I continue on this road to recovery.

Fancy New Hair Doo!!

Holly's is doing great and recovering nicely. She's getting a lot more rest and feeling stronger. Also enjoying some visits and able to read for short periods of time to break up the day.

Home Sweet Home

Holly made it home this afternoon! She sat down in the nice comfy recliner and went right to sleep. Maybe she'll actually gets some rest now. :) She's feeling a little stronger today. It just takes a lot of time. Everything is looking good and will get her staples out next week and do another CT scan in 2 or 3 weeks. Your welcome to call or visit at the house too. We want to express our thanks and appreciation again for all your thoughts and prayers which have been answered.