Finding Strength in Weakness

There isn't much to update everyone on at this point, but the concept of writing holds a therapeutic aspect for me that I am compelled to capitalize on. I met with my neurosurgeon today and he was pleasantly surprised to see how successful my recovery has been within a two week period (I think he expected me to present with some residual neurological deficits, but alas, I have very few limitations at this point other than extreme fatigue with light activity (mostly as a result of being de-conditioned from surgery and some slight left sided weakness, which is resolving a little more each day. The staples finally came out and I am so happy for this, although I'm still not allowed to shower and soak my head for another 2 days. This has been the biggest source of agony for me to date and I am so looking forward to Thursday morning when I can finally scrub my fingers through my hair and enjoy the simple task of utilizing shampoo and conditioner to their full extent (It's the little things).

This weekend was for lack of a better word, rough. Friday started off poorly when my post-operative appointment was cancelled an hour before its scheduled time and I spent most of the day on an emotional roller coaster that consisted of more tears and tantrums than you ever thought possible in a 29 year old (I blame some of it on the fact that the surgery has left me in a heightened agitated state at times that has virtually obliterated my patience, ((not that I had much before)). I saw vast improvements in my mood upon the arrival of an autographed photograph from the one and only Kliff Kingsbury courtesy of my aunt Diane Mason as well as a massage from my Aunt Holly (who is the best massage therapist in town hands down) and a pedicure with Jeramy's Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jared.

Today I shocked my speech therapist with my overall recovery and progress with cognitive function as she informed me that I am the first patient she has ever seen recover as quickly as I have from brain surgery. I told her to get used to this type of progress, because I'm all about breaking records. Unfortunately, I did not receive running clearance this visit( I have to wait to see what my course of radiation treatment will be, but my neurosurgeon did tell me I could walk as much as I could tolerate without over doing it. I'm currently waiting for my husband to arrive home from work so that I can go on a walk this evening. I'm also optimistic that I will be able to return to work sooner than later at this point (even if it is just part time).

Physical Therapy has been far more challenging than I ever anticipated and I couldn't believe how worn out I was after attempting 6 squats. I go back for another day of PT and OT twice more this week and I am very excited at the thought of being able to progress my activity levels each time I attend.

Tomorrow I meet with Dr. Torres at the Southwest Cancer Center to see what the plan will be for radiation treatment. I have been reading several articles on the efficacy of treatment of low grade gliomas and was surprised to find that the research lies in favor of a mixture of radiation and chemotherapy, so we'll just have to see what they feel the best plan of action will be for me long term.  I know I will be requiring 6 weeks of at least one form of treatment to stabilize the tumor and prevent it from progressing into a more aggressive form.