Well the big day finally arrived and at 5am my mom drove me to Foothills Hospital to be admitted for my transphenoidal removal of a pituitary tumour. Whoever thought I'd be going for brain surgery? It seems so surreal. I felt pretty prepared. I'd googled lists of things to bring to the hospital and read about other people's experiences with the same surgery. We'd been to the hospital the day before for all the pre op tests and talks.
Getting ready to go into the OR wasn't too bad...the hospital staff were great. I saw both of my surgeons before hand which was reassuring, they were so friendly and we had a few laughs before going in which made me feel more at ease. I also met the anaesthesiologist who my surgeon introduced as the guy who put his father under for surgery. I was very confident in my team and walked into the OR feeling positive. The hardest part was saying "See ya later" to my mom because I knew she was scared and had to spend the next few hours waiting alone in the hospital for me to come out.
The next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery, feeling incredibly nauseas and with a very bad headache. Still too groggy to speak I could overhear the nurses saying "It didn't work, they couldn't get it" and I just remember thinking ohhhh I hope they are talking about the person beside me because I do NOT want to do this ever again. Turns out it was me they were talking about though. Unfortunately I lost too much blood during the surgery and they had to stop before they could get to the tumour on my pituitary.
One pro about the surgery not being completed was that I only had to spend one night in the hospital. The nurse even wheeled in a chair for my mom to sleep in so she could spend the night with me. I only had time for two visitors before they let me go home. My mom was able to spend a week with me at home which was definitely a big plus in this whole experience! The recovery from surgery was pretty good, I slept upright for a few nights and couldn't lift heavy things for awhile, but I only took extra strength tylenol for pain. My nose leaked for awhile (gross I know but I'm being honest) but nothing too noticeable. I was able to go out in public for short periods of time after a couple of days, I just found I would get tired quite quickly. I was lucky to have my mom here to help me out. She was fantastic and cooked and cleaned and drove me around :) Love you mom!
However...it also meant back to the old waiting game. It would be another 2 months before I would be scheduled for a second surgery.
Hi Sarah, Meryl gave me the link to your blog. I just wrote an entry and then lost it. Just as well because it was really long and maybe too mushy :)Wow! I had no idea you've been going through all of this. When you come from a small town it's like you are the parent of all of the kids who grew up alongside of your own, whether older or younger. I haven't stopped thinking about you and I will continue to hold you very close to my heart in the months before your next surgery. Scientifically speaking I gotta tell you that studies show that praying and sending positive thoughts to human cells in a pitre dish actually changes and heals the cells....so add that to your list of preparations: tell everyone you know and tell them to tell everyone they know the date and approximate time of your surgery. No religion is needed, just faith in the power of love from those who care about you and want you to be well. A big hug from one of your many Marathon moms, Bonnie :)
ReplyDelete