Today

I have a whole list of things to do and one of them is to update the blog. I thought I should do that now.

So, Aaron is officially out the door and on his way to the World Series! He said it was weird to leave us. Weird, but probably good for him. He deserves a break.  Henry has a late start at school today so we are just all hanging out at home right now.  To be honest, it is a little weird without Aaron here. I feel a little bit like I am rolling the dice and hoping I won't get a seven (or what ever it is that you don't want when you play craps). With all the things I can do, I still do have limitations. Already this morning I had to go downstairs because Henry and Franny were playing together and Franny started crying.  It was only because Henry didn't want to give Franny a toy and she got upset, so no big deal.  Still, I picture either Franny or Henry hurting themselves and me being useless.  For that reason and others, I am headed to my parents after Henry goes to school. 

I hope I don't need any help, but if I do, my mom is there (my dad is on a business trip). Well, actually, I will probably need her help in the mornings, which brings me to an update. I think I'm doing pretty good. The stitches are looking better and better, but are itching like crazy.  I am SO ready for them to be out. My headaches are still there, but are also getting better. Mornings are still the hardest for me. As soon as I can break the headache in the morning, I am good to go, but before that I am pretty useless.  Two days ago I went shopping by myself at a fabric store. That COMPLETELY exhausted me. It showed me that maybe I'm not as normal as I think I am. It made me think I need a game plan for recovery. I need a slow introduction to normal life with more and more activity during the day. Watching the kids without Aaron is probably a good step.

I'll let everyone know how it goes

Laura

PS Henry wanted to write some stuff:
mom fart  from henry henry henryhenry henry

Aaron's Perspective

Aaron wrote a great post on his blog about me and the Royals. Everyone should check it out.

http://www.royalsauthority.com/brain-tumor-playoffs/

I always enjoy it when Aaron writes (even if I skim over the baseball statistic parts). Aaron is a good writer, but he is an even better husband. This whole thing has gone pretty smooth and a lot of it is because of him. With all the things I cannot do, he has never even hesitated taking over the responsibilities. He has been loving, selfless and amazing. If I could give him every World Series game I would, he deserves it. I love you Aaron!

The Scar

Had a few people asking about Laura's incision/stitches/scar, so those who want to see it can click through. It's not so bad, but also not for the extra squeamish!

Stiches are.......

mostly still there.

I went to my two week post-surgery appointment yesterday. The usual plan is to take out all of the stitches. I was excited to get them out. I wanted to be able to sleep on that side again and for them not to irritate me.

Since the surgery, the would continues to have a little dried scabbing.  There is not oozing that I notice, but my hair gets a little clumpy and the wound is not completely dry. Because of this, the stitches are to remain in 1 more week and I am going to start some antibiotics just to make sure there is no starting skin infection. Although disappointed, I agree with the logic and will keep these things in my head for one more week. She did take the stitches out of my abdomen.  It's a small victory.

As far as my restrictions, the only thing that has changed is that I now can drive!  It's nice to have some independence. I still can't bend with my head below my heart and I still can't lift 10 pounds.  I guess this will be like this for about a month or so.  I also specifically asked about running. The nurse practioner smiled a little when I asked that ( I guess not a common question). She said it would be a while (like a month or more), but that I can walk as much as I wanted.  I didn't know there currently was a limit to the amount I am walking now.

I asked about return to work, she guessed about 6 weeks after surgery. I told her I was hoping for 4 weeks and she that might be possible, but we would just see.

As far as my headaches, they are getting better. I always have a headache when I wake up in the morning, and then it gets better throughout the day. The intensity of the headache from day to day is improving a little each day. That makes me happy. It makes me feel like I won't end up in chronic pain.

With my boredom, I am doing better. I am feeling more and more normal and with that,  have the energy to do more normal things.  I am still not a big fan of reading, but I am listening to an audio book and am loving that! Also, how can I be bored when the ROYALS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!!! It is fun to watch. We are going to work it out so Aaron gets to go to a game (party at Grandma and Grandpa's house).

All in all, things are going good but the stitches are still in my head.

Headaches

I'm doing good, but today was a little hard. The last steroids I took was over 48 hours ago and this morning I woke up with a pretty bad piercing headache. I tried coffee and extra strength Tylenol, but it didn't help much.

Aaron was great and took the kids swimming while I just focused on getting better. The headache has been so bad today, I just took some Percocet. I'm less than two weeks out of brain surgery, I should expect to have a headache. It was just the last few days has been great and I was feeling like the road to recovery would be easy. It still might be, but days with headaches should be expected, especially when the steroids are weaned.

Baby steps, baby steps. I really am doing well. I have to remember this.

Henry

When I found out I had an acoustic neuroma, I didn't try to protect Henry. We told him the basic facts and he accepted it and moved on. When he came and visited me in the hospital, he would glance at my scar and then cower into Aaron.  I could tell he didn't like it.  Aaron e-mailed his school teacher about the surgery and she suggested he meet with the school social worker. Because of his reaction, Aaron and I felt it would be a good idea, just to make sure Henry is doing okay.  They met a couple days ago and this is the resulting picture. We have the whole family, plus Link!

Turns out, Henry is doing well, but he does think the scar is scary.  I mean, look at that scar on me! Henry thinks I will be fine and if he gets worried, he will play Wii, well, at least that is his plan. When he is around, I keep the stitches covered, but that is it. 

It is nice to know from an outsider that Henry is doing well.

A Hard Day

I thought yesterday was going to be fun, but it was hard. Mainly, it was really boring. 

It's really hard to figure out what to do with myself. 

The morning started out great with some Mall walking and watching Frances and Ruby play. I was enjoying just observing life, living in the moment, watching the girls get happy, excited over and over again. Then the moment was gone. I came back home exhausted.  Really, too exhausted to do anything, but just lay down and NOT sleep.

I've been weaning down on my steroids, and with the half life of the medication, I think the wean is in full effect. Also, I stopped taking the Percocet. Yesterday I was really achy in my neck and jaw. Even the lightest touch was tender. The other thing was that my asthma acted up a little. I'm sure my body was just loving the exhangenous (sp?) steroids and was sad to see it go.  I had to start up my Flovent.  Today I'm doing better with the achiness and the breathing, so hopefully things are getting better.

Last night also I felt like I was on the roller coaster that wouldn't stop. Every time I closed my eyes to go to bed, my body felt in motion. I was trying to ride it out, but I couldn't. Eventually I woke up Aaron and tried to get into a better position where the rocking would stop. And, eventually it did stop, but it wasn't fun. I didn't really sleep that well.

So now today is a new day.  Most of the day yesterday was just waiting for time to continue.  It's not a good living. I need to think about what I can do, and what I can control and try to actually enjoy this time.

Even though my head is in a fog, I still think clearly.  I can write, I can plan. Pretty soon Aaron and I will be on our own for meals, maybe I need to start thinking about that. Also, I bet I can sew, right? I can knit most of the time now. I finished Frances' Halloween costume, but I still need to work on Henry's a.k.a. Shadow Link.  I will have my mom bring some puzzles over and we will continue our walks. Maybe if I have a normal daily routine, then things will get better. I am going to try to start getting a daily routine.  I will let everyone know how I do.