Under The Knife

Blog 2- Day II - Surgery.

Hi. So, it’ll be two weeks tomorrow that I went man down and started this big adventure. I’m still in the midst of a time warp and in shock that all this has taken place. Thanks for the love and support for my blog so far. I have 1,000’s of thoughts roaming through my head and I will do my best to get them out into some logical sequence! Currently, I don’t really have a voice yet due to my surgery either, which as you know is a tremendous challenge for me as well! LOL

So, I left of last time on a Sunday evening at prior to the surgery. My nuero surgeon was so kind and thorough. Even though it was a late night for him and obviously it was going to be a long day the next day as well, he took the time to thoroughly answer any questions my husband and I had. The Doctors name is Abraham Boskovitz, M.D. Side Note: Having worked in the medical decive world, it is still very incomprehinsible that I let a total stranger open my brain without knowing a thing about him. I don't even know what brand screws are now in my head! BUT, he was remarkable and I thank him for his patience, wisdom, and remarkable hands.

He explained in greater detail that the tumor was and that it was the size of a sand dollar growing inward to my brain tissue from my skull. I won’t be able really check out the MRI’s until my appointment on the 29th of January. I will ask more about the size and all then. But, apparently this little pest could have been there a while! (New meaning to being such a hard head…not shocking…lol) (More on Meningiomas http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-information/types-of-tumors/meningioma.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/)

He explained that best case the surgery would go 2-3 hours where they would open my dome, carve out the mass, and staple me back up. Easy as pie, right? One of the more challenging scenarios would be if the mass had started to grow into my brain itself and this would present further challenges. Any guess where we ended up??? It was needless to say, a lot for us to take in during a relatively short amount of time. Relaxing Sunday morning to major brain surgery in less than 24 hours.

Ultimately, they pumped my IV with drugs early on Monday AM and wheeled me into the OR. My husband and parents were there to see me off… As I understand it, it was a very, very long day of waiting. I cannot fathom the anxiety of those who were waiting and praying for me. I can tell you for 100% certainty that the love and support transcended the universe to provide for a positive outcome.

The RN, Phil, called my husband around 0930, per directive of the surgeon, to let him know that the surgery was on the way. He heard from him again around 1330 thinking that it was wrapped up but it was actually to inform him that it was taking longer than expected and they were about ¾’s the way through.

Around 1530, Rob heard from them again that they were done and Dr. would come in to discuss how it all went. When the Dr. arrived in the waiting room, in a nutshell, everything went well. The tumor was sticking to my brain and he had to slowly remove it with extreme caution and care. Because the brain cells were attached to the sample, he had to classify it as atypical in order to correctly determine the results at pathology and we are still

waiting. Fingers crossed…

Around 1730, Rob finally was able to get in to see me. I was obviously tired and drugged. But, seeing his handsome face was wonderful. I didn’t have a voice, energy, or much else. BUT, I was alive!

Rob was joined most of the day by my parents, his parents, our close friend Steve, my Aunt and Uncle, and others who showed so much love and compassion. My bestie was there after she got off work too. The love and support from across the nation and world was so tremendous!

Rob went home to get Alex from Dad and Sue and I spent that evening in the hospital with the most amazing RN’s and comfort they could provide. They truly showed their care and compassion for which I will always be immeasurably thankful for… Nurses are true heroes… More on nurses in another blog…

There was a whole lot of emotion into this day and at this time. It’s still hard to put it all into words for us…

Next Blog… the day after….

References:

Meningioma. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-information/types-of-tumors/meningioma.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

#surgery #kaiser #meningioma #Boskovitz #sanddollar