Saturday, August 30, 2014
The Fall
Tuesday night, August 26,2014, I got up from bed to go to the bathroom. I went around the bed holding on to the bed. My legs were feeling like rubber, but I kept going thinking that I could make it. I fell right on top of Dan, then it's all kind of a blur, but I thought if I could take a couple more steps I would make it to the handicap bar (we had put in for Mother when she lived with us) and the counter top, then I could stabilize myself. But my legs had other ideas and since they were feeling like"Gumby", down I went, banging my head on the metal strip where the shower doors slide into, leaving a nice mark right down the middle of my forehead. I also landed on my right arm leaving several bruises. I really don't understand why my legs are so weak. I started Physical Therapy this week and have gone 3 times, working on strengthening and balance.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
After the 2nd surgery-at home!
Sunday, August 17
I did not make it to church this morning! My brain said "go", but my body said "can't do it. Dan encouraged me to take it easy for another week.. I hated to miss the church picnic today after church.
It's been two weeks since the 2nd procedure. I am still using the walker for the most part. I feel more secure with it. I can walk around the house without it, but if I want to "speed walk", I use the walker. Let's see, for the week, I went out to the Verizon store. Bought a tablet for $50.00, instead of $400+ for a new phone since my contract isn't up for another year. But a friend gave me a flip phone which is a little antiquated after using a smart phone. But I can call and text on it and the tablet can do everything else. I have the same phone #. 402-679-3576.
My next big trip out was to the beauty shop to get my head shaved to match the part that was shaved from the surgery - (which was quite a bit of hair). My hairdresser, Shawna, left me some bangs in case I wanted tbo show a little hair from under the caps I wear. I haven't tried my wig yet. Maybe I'll practice tomorrow putting it own.
I have a lot of an uncomfortable feeling where the neurotransmitter is placed. There's still quite a bit of redness and I've been putting Cortisone as well as triple antibiotic ointment on the sight. I mentioned to Julie that I thought I might be allergic to the glue that was used, but she thought it was the pre-wash scrub. But I keep trying to remove all the glue and wash the area with a soft wash cloth. Julie suggested I use a loofa, but that gave me the heebbie geebbies.
Tomorrow I am going to try to play bridge for a few hours in the afternoon. A friend is going to pick me up. I haven't felt like driving yet. When I go back to the doctor on Thursday, I'll ask him when I should be able to drive again. I need my legs to feel a little more normal first. Maybe after getting my neurotransmitter "tweaked some more, then that will help with my legs as well.
My right arm and hand is pretty good as far as the tremors go. My left hand is good if I just hold it out straight and touch my nose, but if I raise it up to my head then the tremors start. And just typing, the right is good, but the left if somewhat jittery. So we need to do some more calibrating of the stimulator (assuming my brain is working!!)
I did not make it to church this morning! My brain said "go", but my body said "can't do it. Dan encouraged me to take it easy for another week.. I hated to miss the church picnic today after church.
It's been two weeks since the 2nd procedure. I am still using the walker for the most part. I feel more secure with it. I can walk around the house without it, but if I want to "speed walk", I use the walker. Let's see, for the week, I went out to the Verizon store. Bought a tablet for $50.00, instead of $400+ for a new phone since my contract isn't up for another year. But a friend gave me a flip phone which is a little antiquated after using a smart phone. But I can call and text on it and the tablet can do everything else. I have the same phone #. 402-679-3576.
My next big trip out was to the beauty shop to get my head shaved to match the part that was shaved from the surgery - (which was quite a bit of hair). My hairdresser, Shawna, left me some bangs in case I wanted tbo show a little hair from under the caps I wear. I haven't tried my wig yet. Maybe I'll practice tomorrow putting it own.
I have a lot of an uncomfortable feeling where the neurotransmitter is placed. There's still quite a bit of redness and I've been putting Cortisone as well as triple antibiotic ointment on the sight. I mentioned to Julie that I thought I might be allergic to the glue that was used, but she thought it was the pre-wash scrub. But I keep trying to remove all the glue and wash the area with a soft wash cloth. Julie suggested I use a loofa, but that gave me the heebbie geebbies.
Tomorrow I am going to try to play bridge for a few hours in the afternoon. A friend is going to pick me up. I haven't felt like driving yet. When I go back to the doctor on Thursday, I'll ask him when I should be able to drive again. I need my legs to feel a little more normal first. Maybe after getting my neurotransmitter "tweaked some more, then that will help with my legs as well.
My right arm and hand is pretty good as far as the tremors go. My left hand is good if I just hold it out straight and touch my nose, but if I raise it up to my head then the tremors start. And just typing, the right is good, but the left if somewhat jittery. So we need to do some more calibrating of the stimulator (assuming my brain is working!!)
Monday, August 11, 2014
2nd Surgery
Friday, August 1, 2014 was the same pre- procedure as the first one the previous week except that I had to be there at 5:30am instead of 6:00am. Before going to the hospital Friday morning, I lost my balance and fell in the bedroom hurting my right hip and scraping my arm. It was so disconcerting to have that happen. This time after arriving in the procedure underground parking lot, Dan stopped at the door and brought out a wheelchair for me. After parking the car, we processed to registration, got checked in and then sat down and waited for a very long time. Finally they came for me to take me back to a prep room. I was not in the pre-procedure room nearly as long, because there was no local anesthetic and no fitting of the frame!The next was the same in the prep room as before, except the nurse trying to get a vein to take blood couldn't find one after two times digging around in different veins, and ended up using a prick on my finger. It took forever to get enough blood into the little vial, but she finally got enough of a sample. Then everything was pretty much the same except a different nurse came in to insert the IV. (I guess the first nurse had had enough of my veins!) After getting the blood pressure cuff on, oxygen on finger, puffers on my legs and warm blanket, it was time to ZIP down the hall again. This time there was no terrible anesthetic in my forehead and no frame! Thank goodness!
#15618
The sign kept Dan informed of how things were progressing.
Once I got to the procedure room, I was put to sleep and when awakened, I was in the recovery room.
The general anesthetic was the way to roll! Just wish I could have done the first surgery under general, but I realize I had to be awake. {FYI: The reason I had to have my surgery in two stages is because of Medicare!! They wouldn't pay for it otherwise. So any one under 65 yrs of age would be able to have both stages done at the same time.} I asked Nicole what I looked like (it was so great to see her with her Dad come into the recovery room together) so she took a picture of the second surgery. This one incision on the left was really sore. It is where the two leads come together and are woven down my neck (Julie said I don't want to know how that's done!) and joined together with the neurostimulator.
So off I went home...all done. Now to rest and recuperate, wait for swelling to go down so I can have my neurostimulator turned on and programed.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
The Procedure Room
After arriving in the Operating Room, I was transferred to a different table (bed). There were many people to lift me!! Oh, I forgot to mention that in the prep room there were two male nurses. They were asking me questions and answering them. Like"what happens to the holes put in my head for the Leads"? The answer: They are covered like with manhole covers!! That was very graphic or picturesque. A good image. Sometime a cat scan was taken of my brain, so it could be aligned with the MRI and let my surgeon, Dr. Doran, know exactly where to drill. Then Mark, the nurse,said he needed to insert a catheter, and I was okay with that. He explained that he had been a nurse for 25 years and was probably more comfortable than me with performing the procedure. It went fine, although it felt a little funny. But that's not nearly as uncomfortable as to what is about to happen. Thankfully the nurse anesthetist was there. I'm not sure what she put in my IV, but it wasn't nearly enough to dull the pain. Ordinarily the brain has no feeling, but out of 1 in 50 surgeries that Dr. Doran has done, only 2 were sensitive. And one of those two was me!! He wasn't able to get me completely numb with the local. I guess the periosteum is quite sensitive!
I was terribly uncomfortable, with that frame on my head and trying to relax when I actually felt very tense. The Nurse anesthetist, Sally, sat beside me and held my hands throughout the whole procedure! It was very comforting. She put a warm blanket on that puffed up every so often , put little pillows under my elbows, and kept telling me how great I was doing. Julie kept encouraging me also. It's just that I didn't feel as confident as they did. In fact the thought crossed my mind "Why am I doing this exactly?"
Mark, my nurse kept asking me questions about my family and I really did not feel like talking. But I answered him anyway. Dr. Doran kept saying he was sorry whenever I felt pain, but to focus on the outcome and how nice it will be to not have the tremors anymore.
There was someone in the room with a deep voice. Since I couldn't lift my head and look around, I asked who it was and it was the Medtronic guy who was setting the electrical wave on his machine to match up with what Dr. Doran was doing in my brain, I guess. (Medtronic is the name of the company that makes the particular machine for this procedure as well as other medical equipment for different medical procedures.) I was asked to hold up my right arm and let them know if I felt any tingling in my fingers or around my mouth.I never did feel any tingling around my mouth, only my fingers. So I told them when the tingling stopped.. Then I had to raise my right arm pretty high and touch my nose (which I had to find my nose under the frame), It was absolutely amazing that I could do it without any tremors whatsoever!! At this moment, I felt there was a glimmer of hope that maybe all this agony was worth it after all!
I never knew exactly when my scalp was opened or stitched up. But I did hear the drilling and felt the right side, which Dr. Doran couldn't get completely numb. The left side was fine.
Once the procedure was over, the scalp closed up, the frame removed, it was off to a room. I don't even think I went to recovery room. Dan was kept "up to date" with everything. Dan was the name also of one of the nurses who told my Dan when the right side was complete. All in all, The total time was 3 hours.
I was terribly uncomfortable, with that frame on my head and trying to relax when I actually felt very tense. The Nurse anesthetist, Sally, sat beside me and held my hands throughout the whole procedure! It was very comforting. She put a warm blanket on that puffed up every so often , put little pillows under my elbows, and kept telling me how great I was doing. Julie kept encouraging me also. It's just that I didn't feel as confident as they did. In fact the thought crossed my mind "Why am I doing this exactly?"
Mark, my nurse kept asking me questions about my family and I really did not feel like talking. But I answered him anyway. Dr. Doran kept saying he was sorry whenever I felt pain, but to focus on the outcome and how nice it will be to not have the tremors anymore.
There was someone in the room with a deep voice. Since I couldn't lift my head and look around, I asked who it was and it was the Medtronic guy who was setting the electrical wave on his machine to match up with what Dr. Doran was doing in my brain, I guess. (Medtronic is the name of the company that makes the particular machine for this procedure as well as other medical equipment for different medical procedures.) I was asked to hold up my right arm and let them know if I felt any tingling in my fingers or around my mouth.I never did feel any tingling around my mouth, only my fingers. So I told them when the tingling stopped.. Then I had to raise my right arm pretty high and touch my nose (which I had to find my nose under the frame), It was absolutely amazing that I could do it without any tremors whatsoever!! At this moment, I felt there was a glimmer of hope that maybe all this agony was worth it after all!
I never knew exactly when my scalp was opened or stitched up. But I did hear the drilling and felt the right side, which Dr. Doran couldn't get completely numb. The left side was fine.
Once the procedure was over, the scalp closed up, the frame removed, it was off to a room. I don't even think I went to recovery room. Dan was kept "up to date" with everything. Dan was the name also of one of the nurses who told my Dan when the right side was complete. All in all, The total time was 3 hours.
Friday, August 8, 2014
The Beginning July 25, 2014
How do I make this interesting, yet not too boring? Keeping to the facts, yet not sounding too horrible!
After arriving at the hospital a little before 6:00 A.M. (not exactly my time of day), and registering, I was taken upstairs to the prep room. There I was asked to wipe with towelettes all over my body. The wipes were Chlorhexadine Gluconate. Then I had to put on a disposable paper gown and socks, put all my clothes in a plastic sack which was labeled and taken to a locker. The blood pressure cuff paced on my arm, the compression leg "thingies" were placed on the legs to keep the blood circulating, oxygen "thingie" put on my finger, temperature taken, and IV started. I hate the IV's because I have terrible veins and they're always having trouble getting the needle in the vein. It only took two attempts this time.
Now we're all ready for the Dr. and his PA to come in and fit the frame on my head. This device is used to keep my head stabilized during this delicate procedure - called brain surgery! OK, ready, set, let's get this party started! Enter Dr. Doran and Julie, his PA, with the frame.
After arriving at the hospital a little before 6:00 A.M. (not exactly my time of day), and registering, I was taken upstairs to the prep room. There I was asked to wipe with towelettes all over my body. The wipes were Chlorhexadine Gluconate. Then I had to put on a disposable paper gown and socks, put all my clothes in a plastic sack which was labeled and taken to a locker. The blood pressure cuff paced on my arm, the compression leg "thingies" were placed on the legs to keep the blood circulating, oxygen "thingie" put on my finger, temperature taken, and IV started. I hate the IV's because I have terrible veins and they're always having trouble getting the needle in the vein. It only took two attempts this time.
Now we're all ready for the Dr. and his PA to come in and fit the frame on my head. This device is used to keep my head stabilized during this delicate procedure - called brain surgery! OK, ready, set, let's get this party started! Enter Dr. Doran and Julie, his PA, with the frame.
Exhibit A: THE FITTING
Next the anesthetic was placed where the screws were to be placed. This was most unpleasant...in other words, IT HURT LIKE HELL in the temples. The back of the head wasn't so bad.
THE ANESTHETIC
EXHIBIT B:
Then came the screwing the frame to the head:
EXHIBIT C: THE HAT
Placing of the Hat
ALL SET READY TO GO!! (I think)
Next we zip down the hall and I mean ZIP down the hall in the motorized bed. Every moment I felt like we were going to run in to someone around the corner. Then I discovered there were these little mirrored balls up on the ceilings near the intersections, which told the driver if there was anyone coming.
Then through the doors to the PROCEDURE ROOM!!
.
After the Procedure
Once I was in a private room, I wanted to know what I looked like, so I had Nicole take a picture.
TOTAL BAD ASS!!
says Nicole
THE WIMP
Is what I felt like
THE BEAUTIFUL HEAD
(neat little stitches-about 40)
I really didn't have much pain. My head was swollen and felt like a Fuller Brush with the bristles of hair that had been shaved sticking up. I guess I had some kind of pain medicine in my IV. The little white 2x2 covered the screw hole that was bleeding. You can see the one on the left just left a mark.
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