Giving 110%

The surgery was on April 30th and was a success! I'm recovering well...very well...well, better than I ever hoped or imagined! I am completely deaf in my right ear and that will take time to adjust to and localize sound but I am trying to get out into different settings here and there. Anything larger than a group of 5 is challenging and overwhelming but my brain will adjust.

The surgeons are very pleased with the result and they were absolutely METICULOUS with their precision. I was hooked up to EEG wires on my wrists, feet, and head so that my extremities and nerves were under close watch throughout the entire procedure. Part of the tumor was attached to my facial nerve so the Dr's decided to leave 10% of the tumor in but cut off the blood supply. They anticipate it not growing again but I'll have a yearly MRI to make sure there is no obvious growth. Dr. Akagami said the next day that he wanted to "save my smile" so I am very thankful for that. My new joke is that I can now officially give 110% in ALL things I do...look out world! 😂

I was up and walking the day after surgery and was discharged the day after that! The first few days were rough (headaches, swelling...and I couldn't shower until 4 days post-op so you could imagine what my hair was doing. Lol) as well as the next 2 weeks (disrupted sleep, pain and lots of napping).  Once I hit the 3 week mark post-op, it was as if a switch had been turned on and I was feeling really good and didn't need my naps or pain meds anymore. Since then, I've been golfing and started going back to the gym! It's truly hard to believe and you'd never know looking at me that I just had brain surgery. I have a scar behind my right ear that is mostly hidden by my hair and I scored a bald spot just above my forehead from where the halo punctured my head to keep me steady during the surgery. Little stubble is growing back and a little make-up goes a long way but it's quite something. Lol.

Here are some photos of the experience:

Time to golf...!!

A date...

 I found out this week that I have a tentative surgery date for April 30. I was told to "plan for this date, but don't marry the date" as plans and schedules can change (which I've already discovered).

I was hoping for an early April date but this is as early as it can be. It's a crazy scheduling "gong show" and there are A LOT of moving parts to co-ordinate two surgeons (ENT and Neurosurgeon), the OR, staffing, special equipment etc. I had forgotten that the Ear Nose Throat surgeon plays a major part in the process and he is away or not available in the first few weeks of April. It is what it is...complex.

I did get a call from VGH this morning confirming an appointment for an EEG that needs to be completed the day before my surgery so that's booked for April 29. All things are pointing in the right direction.

Not the biggest but...

 ...I'd say it's still pretty big. This was the first time I saw it after my MRI and I may or may not have said a bad word. It's just a little shocking. I've learned since that it has been growing slowly for probably 10 years but in the last few years it has stretched the nerves to my face causing numbness on the right side of my face and hearing loss in my right ear. Not to mention a constant buzzing/ringing (tinnitus), too. Turns out that after surgery, I'll lose hearing completely in that ear and the ringing will continue. 😔

In the first picture, it's the dark matter where my ear would be and in the second, it's that thing pushing into my brain. It measures 3.1cm...kinda like a TimBit. 🤔 (Please note, I intentionally cropped the second picture to block my crooked nose, lol...not sure the story behind that one! 😆)

There will be some adjustments and new learning after the surgery but I'll have the rest of my life to figure that out. I know it'll be fine and I'm certain there is new hearing technology out there to help. All will be well.