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Suddenly, Brain Surgery--part II
Oct. 9th, 2013 07:13 pmSubject: Brain Surgery Update
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zia_narratora posting here.)
( Suddenly: Brain Surgery - Part I )
Thank you everyone for your kind comments, I read them to mom (furzicle) this morning and she really appreciated them.
Went into surgery yesterday around 12:45pm. As they wheeled her away into the OR the anesthetic seemed to kick in in midsentence, her words suddenly slurring like a melting cassette tape. The surgeon had estimated it would take about three hours right before they began, and so we waited very anxiously as it approached its fifth hour.
Finally the surgeon came out, said it had all gone very well, and they think they got nearly all of it and can get whatever remains with radiation. Said the tumor itself was one of the biggest they've seen (and I imagine they see a lot!).
After another hour in the the recovery room we were finally able to see mom as they wheeled her back to her ICU room. She looked very bedraggled, her face puffy and her eyes watering as if she'd been bawling. Her head was covered in a cloth cap and she had a respirator on her face. She feebly -and muffled by the respirator- asked us each to step into her field of vision. It brought one's heart to one's throat to see her so.
Considering all this, we were fairly surprised by how soon she was making jokes -- the orange-sized void in her head has been filled with air and water (the surgeon's warned her head may make a sloshing noise!), within an hour of getting to her room she joked that she's now literally an airhead! Though she did say that "jokes are the best thing" for making her feel better, she was quite clear that she felt more awful than she's ever felt in her life.
Dad and I stayed with her all night, she didn't sleep much. she dozed I guess, but she said she felt her mind was being extremely active even while she was dozing. About once an hour or so she'd ask for ice (she couldn't eat but she found small ice cubes soothing), or suddenly remember someone else who should be told what's going on.
Having not eaten for 24 hours she was very excited for breakfast this morning (Wednesday), and eagerly asked for scrambled eggs, specifically.
It's now 3pm, she still isn't allowed to sit up, and has to wear the oxygen mask, and insists that she feels absolutely terrible, and objects when she hears us telling people she's doing great. But notwithstanding her feeling super awful, I think we are all really impressed with her lucidity and level of having her wits about her.
I think she's got one more night in the ICU room and then will be moved to a less intensive care room. Will probably be in the hospital about a week. She said she has a hard time pinpointing "the worst thing" because its all worst things, but I know she's looking forward to having the oxygen mask off, which has been bothering her.
As to more inane details, the weather is grey and somber and drizzling, which is not typical weather here. Us three (Me, dad, and my brother Eric, my brothernibot being in Germany) are doing pretty good despite having been camped out in hospital chairs for days.
**** Addendum Wednesday Evening
This afternoon mom actually said she was feeling a lot better and seemed fairly better. Though she's made some remarkably depressed-sounding comments earlier, like "I don't think I'll ever feel better!" (if you know her you'd be shocked to hear her saying such things), us observers remain very impressed with her recovery. This evening dad and I felt we could go home and get some sleep, with Eric remaining there on watch (last night he was home himself with a random bout of puking (something he ate?))
Mom really liked the rain and thunder and lightning actually, and declared it a good omen.
And thanks again to Tea for the help posting! For some reason I can't access LJ from the hospital network.
(Still
zia_narratora posting here.)( Suddenly: Brain Surgery - Part I )
Thank you everyone for your kind comments, I read them to mom (
furzicle) this morning and she really appreciated them.Went into surgery yesterday around 12:45pm. As they wheeled her away into the OR the anesthetic seemed to kick in in midsentence, her words suddenly slurring like a melting cassette tape. The surgeon had estimated it would take about three hours right before they began, and so we waited very anxiously as it approached its fifth hour.
Finally the surgeon came out, said it had all gone very well, and they think they got nearly all of it and can get whatever remains with radiation. Said the tumor itself was one of the biggest they've seen (and I imagine they see a lot!).
After another hour in the the recovery room we were finally able to see mom as they wheeled her back to her ICU room. She looked very bedraggled, her face puffy and her eyes watering as if she'd been bawling. Her head was covered in a cloth cap and she had a respirator on her face. She feebly -and muffled by the respirator- asked us each to step into her field of vision. It brought one's heart to one's throat to see her so.
Considering all this, we were fairly surprised by how soon she was making jokes -- the orange-sized void in her head has been filled with air and water (the surgeon's warned her head may make a sloshing noise!), within an hour of getting to her room she joked that she's now literally an airhead! Though she did say that "jokes are the best thing" for making her feel better, she was quite clear that she felt more awful than she's ever felt in her life.
Dad and I stayed with her all night, she didn't sleep much. she dozed I guess, but she said she felt her mind was being extremely active even while she was dozing. About once an hour or so she'd ask for ice (she couldn't eat but she found small ice cubes soothing), or suddenly remember someone else who should be told what's going on.
Having not eaten for 24 hours she was very excited for breakfast this morning (Wednesday), and eagerly asked for scrambled eggs, specifically.
It's now 3pm, she still isn't allowed to sit up, and has to wear the oxygen mask, and insists that she feels absolutely terrible, and objects when she hears us telling people she's doing great. But notwithstanding her feeling super awful, I think we are all really impressed with her lucidity and level of having her wits about her.
I think she's got one more night in the ICU room and then will be moved to a less intensive care room. Will probably be in the hospital about a week. She said she has a hard time pinpointing "the worst thing" because its all worst things, but I know she's looking forward to having the oxygen mask off, which has been bothering her.
As to more inane details, the weather is grey and somber and drizzling, which is not typical weather here. Us three (Me, dad, and my brother Eric, my brother
nibot being in Germany) are doing pretty good despite having been camped out in hospital chairs for days.**** Addendum Wednesday Evening
This afternoon mom actually said she was feeling a lot better and seemed fairly better. Though she's made some remarkably depressed-sounding comments earlier, like "I don't think I'll ever feel better!" (if you know her you'd be shocked to hear her saying such things), us observers remain very impressed with her recovery. This evening dad and I felt we could go home and get some sleep, with Eric remaining there on watch (last night he was home himself with a random bout of puking (something he ate?))
Mom really liked the rain and thunder and lightning actually, and declared it a good omen.
And thanks again to Tea for the help posting! For some reason I can't access LJ from the hospital network.
