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.

Looking Good!

Holly is doing better each day. She's looking good and was walking around today. Some of the swelling has gone down as well. The CT scan showed some bleeding still but should absorb over time so they are watching that. If she has a good night she should be able to come home tomorrow. She enjoyed some visitors and phone calls today and is looking forward to coming home and not being poked all the time and getting some rest!

Good Day!

Holly had a good day. The pain is less and under control. She feels better than yesterday. The Dr. took out the drainage tube too. She is out of ICU and in regular room now. Finally off all the monitors and stopped the IV's. The swelling and the black eye are starting to show which is normal. Of course not getting much sleep but who does in a hospital! They'll do another CT scan tomorrow and the Dr. thinks she may be able to come home on Monday if all goes well. She's happy to eat real food now and a little more comfortable in the new room! You're welcome to call or visit. She's at Banner Desert Hospital on Dobson.

24 Hours Later

Holly is doing well. The CT scan was good and they'll do another on Sunday. The drainage tube maybe for another day. They had her sit up twice today but not walking yet. She's still having lots of pain and they are trying to adjust the morphine and meds. Still very sleepy. She looks good and progressing nicely. She's still in ICU and will probably go to a regular room tomorrow. She's not quite up to visitors yet. We appreciate all your love and prayers!

Update

Holly is doing well. Still in a lot of pain but had a fairly good night. She's having a CT scan this morning to check things and hopefully to be able to take out the drainage tube. They haven't had her out of bed yet. Her spirits are good and has felt all your love and prayers.

Surgery update: post surgery

Holly's surgery went well. It was a little longer than the surgeons anticipated because of the previous surgery's scar tissue. Of course she is very sore and tired.
The surgeon said that it went well and they think that they got it all. They were glad to catch it before it got too big. She is currently in the ICU and won't be able to have visitors Friday. We will keep you posted on visitor status for Saturday. It all just depends on how she is feeling and where they have her. Again thank you for all the prayers in her behalf.

It's a Brain Tumor!

Hello family and friends. I decided this would be an easier way for my family and I to update everyone on my recovery and health. I have to say there are no words to express the love and gratitude I feel for the outpouring of love I continue to feel for all of the prayers, wishes, and thoughts that have been on my behalf. It is humbling to imagine how this experience has not only influenced my life, but that of others around me.

I suppose it is only right to give a little history. 12 years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, technically it is called a craniopharyngioma. It's amazing how you learn such technical terms so quickly. I even know how to spell it (I looked it up)! It's not cancerous, but it was located in an extremely invasive place in the center of the brain. It was pushing on my optic nerve, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland (just a few important centers up there).

I often get asked how did you know? Of course I had headaches, anyone who knows me knows I've had headaches my entire life. I started to wonder what was wrong with me??? I even had a coworker once who mentioned she didn't comprehend what a headache felt like, boy did I want to help her feel one (not physically of course).

I was also experiencing other symptoms, which I now know was the hormone imbalances. The pituitary gland is the control center for all hormone functioning, which means mine wasn't doing it properly. The biggest concern, which sent red flags to the doctors, was when I started losing my vision. That was scary! I started to see black clouds obstructing my view everywhere I looked. I couldn't read, drive or do anything independently now. I could still see a little but I had to move my head to see around the "black clouds."

So, a few MRI's and Drs. visits later it was diagnosed. It was the quickest result to an MRI I ever received. I now know if the doctor calls you the day of your tests it's not good news. They also offered me medicine to help me sleep or calm down. This just made me laugh because I was calm the entire time. I had the love of my parents with me and faith that everything would be alright. I was honestly relieved because now something was found so we could move forward and treat it. I was in the surgeon's office the next day and plans were made.

Surgery was scheduled for Halloween day (I didn't have any plans). With the faith and prayers of many family and friends the tumor was removed. The surgeon thought it was miraculous, but I know otherwise. Going into the surgery, the plan wasn't to completely remove the tumor, but to remove as much as possible and diagnose the problem. Because of the location, and the tumor's presence on the other centers of the brain (pituitary gland, hypothalamus) the surgeon already said he wouldn't touch those areas, knowing it could make matters worse. We would have to discuss treatment after.


For 11 years, there was no sign of the tumor on follow up scans. This past year, the headaches came back and I knew they were not the usual stress or day to day headaches. After several months of more testing, it was positive that the tumor had in fact come back. Apparently this is somewhat common and we always knew there was that possibility.

I really wanted to schedule the surgery for Halloween again this year to be sentimental (I'm just crazy that way) but decided against it since now I enjoy the holiday with my young niece and nephews. I also needed to postpone the surgery a little to finish my commitments to an online class I was teaching and a family trip to Disneyland in Oct. (I have my priorities -- Disney always comes before health).

Thus, the time has come. On Thursday, Nov. 5 I will be at Banner Desert Samaritan Hospital for surgery a second time. The good news is the tumor is smaller, and not pressing on the same areas, with the exception of my optic nerve. It's a blessing I still have my vision to this day really.

I'm confident in the surgeon and health professionals. However, I'm more confident in my Savior, who guided me through the last experience with peace. At a time like this it is only my faith in my loving Father in Heaven that will give me the strength to continue to smile and endure the pain as I am asked to.