All set for surgery
Just got home from the Cleveland Clinic. Wow, what a morning. Seeing as I got up at 6:30 and didn't leave the clinic until after 1:00, it was certainly a very loong morning if anything. The actual appointments went smashingly. Dr. Gonzalez is just as friendly and down-to-earth as Dr. Woodson (it's hard to believe he's a neurosurgeon), although it was difficult to understand him through his thick accent. (He completely gave up on trying to pronounce translabrynthine.) He won't really be involved much in the actual surgery. As Dr. Woodson put it, he's her "backup singer" for the procedure. Should, heaven forbid, anything go wrong during the surgery, he'll be there to swoop in and save the day. And if I have any issues with a clot or CSF leak post-surgery, he'll also be the one to take charge.
The longer of the two appointments was with Dr. Woodson, mainly because she was running late and because she's doing the bulk of the work for the surgery. She reviewed all of the specific details about my surgery and recovery and then graciously allowed me to assault her with my list of questions. I think the one about the roller coasters completely caught her off guard. She laughed and told me that she didn't see any reason why I couldn't head up to Cedar Point once I had resumed all of my regular daily activities. So yay for that bit of good news! At the bottom of this entry, I'll list some of the answers I received for those of you considering going the translab route as well.
I was also given a pre-surgery pamphlet to review and bring with me the day of surgery. (I admit "pamphlet" is a bit of a misnomer. It's actually a rather hefty three ring binder with all of the information carefully broken down into happy little tabbed sections ranging from Preparing for Surgery to Pain Management & Pt Education. The title of this comprehensive publication? "Your Surgical Guide." Top notch stuff, this is.) I'm basically supposed to have it glued to my side for any and all appointments from here until the surgery and afterwards.
I think the biggest surprise of the morning was that after finishing my appointment with Dr. Woodson and having some labs drawn at the outpatient lab, I was told that I was all set for surgery and didn't need to head back up there until the BIG DAY. And here I thought I was going to spend this month running around for pre-op physicals and chest x-rays and the works. Apparently, my age and great health history means that I basically get off scot-free in the pre-surgery area. So until May 11th, folks, I can completely avoid the doctor's office (well, save the one I work at of course).
Oh and did I mention that the resident who will be assisting Dr. Woodson through this process happens to be quite adorable? (Any males reading this entry are encouraged to completely ignore this next bit.) His name is Dr. Seth and I must say I am quite pleased with this arrangement. Granted, he will be one of the first people to see me fresh out of surgery so perhaps not the best second impression... Anywho, it's a nice mini-distraction from the more serious matters at hand.
(Male readers may resume reading here. I thank you for indulging me for one girly moment.) Before I left my appointment today, Dr. Woodson encouraged me to "try and get some sleep." Either my concealer is failing me or she realizes the amount of anxiety impending brain surgery can stir up in a person. Or she's been reading my blog. Thankfully, the anxiety has actually continued to lessen with each passing day. I still have my "Iggy moments" but on the whole I really feel that I'm doing much better. I know this has a lot to do with the show as now my thoughts are full of rehearsal times and song lyrics and dance steps. I have no doubt that by the time we close Chicago and I realize I only have ten days left I'll be feeling much differently. But until then I am enjoying the reprieve.
So to all of you other anxious, pre-treatment AN-ers out there, all I can say is go ahead and immerse yourself in hobbies and activities you truly enjoy. There's no shame in purposefully distracting yourself from an all-around unfortunate situation. And if you're busy doing the things you love, you'll spend far fewer hours working on your ulcer and may finally crochet that tissue box cover you always wanted.
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A few random notes on translab surgery (in no particular order):
- In regards to post-surgery MRIs, Dr. Woodson informed me that I would need to have one done 1 month after surgery and then another in 1 year. From that point I will need to have one every couple of years, although after 5 years it's not really necessary.
- After surgery, I will be put on oral antibiotics to keep down the risk of infection. Other than that there aren't any medications I will have to take afterwards. I will be given prescriptions for pain meds to use as necessary.
- Some no-no's before surgery: NO nail polish. NO make-up. NO Aspirin, Ibuprofen or herbal supplements (this includes multi-vitamins) 7 days before. I can't even have water after midnight the day of surgery!
- The fat graft to fill the hole in my head will be taken from my right side. This way I'll at least have one comfortable side to lay on afterwards. She'll decide the exact location (either from my belly or the area right below my hip) the day of surgery. There will be a scar. (She joked that she'd really have to hunt to find some fat on me to extract and told me to eat more hamburgers. How do you like that for doctor's orders?)
- The removal of the acoustic neuroma will not get rid of the tinnitus. It may become softer or louder post-surgery but I'm stuck with it for good.
- She didn't specify when I could start Zumba again as everyone recovers at different rates. She did say that it definitely wouldn't be before 4 weeks and then I would just have to gauge how I'm doing from there.
We did cover much more information in the appointment than what I posted here, so if you have any additional questions or comments please post them and I'll do my best to give a helpful answer.
The longer of the two appointments was with Dr. Woodson, mainly because she was running late and because she's doing the bulk of the work for the surgery. She reviewed all of the specific details about my surgery and recovery and then graciously allowed me to assault her with my list of questions. I think the one about the roller coasters completely caught her off guard. She laughed and told me that she didn't see any reason why I couldn't head up to Cedar Point once I had resumed all of my regular daily activities. So yay for that bit of good news! At the bottom of this entry, I'll list some of the answers I received for those of you considering going the translab route as well.
I was also given a pre-surgery pamphlet to review and bring with me the day of surgery. (I admit "pamphlet" is a bit of a misnomer. It's actually a rather hefty three ring binder with all of the information carefully broken down into happy little tabbed sections ranging from Preparing for Surgery to Pain Management & Pt Education. The title of this comprehensive publication? "Your Surgical Guide." Top notch stuff, this is.) I'm basically supposed to have it glued to my side for any and all appointments from here until the surgery and afterwards.
I think the biggest surprise of the morning was that after finishing my appointment with Dr. Woodson and having some labs drawn at the outpatient lab, I was told that I was all set for surgery and didn't need to head back up there until the BIG DAY. And here I thought I was going to spend this month running around for pre-op physicals and chest x-rays and the works. Apparently, my age and great health history means that I basically get off scot-free in the pre-surgery area. So until May 11th, folks, I can completely avoid the doctor's office (well, save the one I work at of course).
Oh and did I mention that the resident who will be assisting Dr. Woodson through this process happens to be quite adorable? (Any males reading this entry are encouraged to completely ignore this next bit.) His name is Dr. Seth and I must say I am quite pleased with this arrangement. Granted, he will be one of the first people to see me fresh out of surgery so perhaps not the best second impression... Anywho, it's a nice mini-distraction from the more serious matters at hand.
(Male readers may resume reading here. I thank you for indulging me for one girly moment.) Before I left my appointment today, Dr. Woodson encouraged me to "try and get some sleep." Either my concealer is failing me or she realizes the amount of anxiety impending brain surgery can stir up in a person. Or she's been reading my blog. Thankfully, the anxiety has actually continued to lessen with each passing day. I still have my "Iggy moments" but on the whole I really feel that I'm doing much better. I know this has a lot to do with the show as now my thoughts are full of rehearsal times and song lyrics and dance steps. I have no doubt that by the time we close Chicago and I realize I only have ten days left I'll be feeling much differently. But until then I am enjoying the reprieve.
So to all of you other anxious, pre-treatment AN-ers out there, all I can say is go ahead and immerse yourself in hobbies and activities you truly enjoy. There's no shame in purposefully distracting yourself from an all-around unfortunate situation. And if you're busy doing the things you love, you'll spend far fewer hours working on your ulcer and may finally crochet that tissue box cover you always wanted.
***************************************************************************
A few random notes on translab surgery (in no particular order):
- In regards to post-surgery MRIs, Dr. Woodson informed me that I would need to have one done 1 month after surgery and then another in 1 year. From that point I will need to have one every couple of years, although after 5 years it's not really necessary.
- After surgery, I will be put on oral antibiotics to keep down the risk of infection. Other than that there aren't any medications I will have to take afterwards. I will be given prescriptions for pain meds to use as necessary.
- Some no-no's before surgery: NO nail polish. NO make-up. NO Aspirin, Ibuprofen or herbal supplements (this includes multi-vitamins) 7 days before. I can't even have water after midnight the day of surgery!
- The fat graft to fill the hole in my head will be taken from my right side. This way I'll at least have one comfortable side to lay on afterwards. She'll decide the exact location (either from my belly or the area right below my hip) the day of surgery. There will be a scar. (She joked that she'd really have to hunt to find some fat on me to extract and told me to eat more hamburgers. How do you like that for doctor's orders?)
- The removal of the acoustic neuroma will not get rid of the tinnitus. It may become softer or louder post-surgery but I'm stuck with it for good.
- She didn't specify when I could start Zumba again as everyone recovers at different rates. She did say that it definitely wouldn't be before 4 weeks and then I would just have to gauge how I'm doing from there.
We did cover much more information in the appointment than what I posted here, so if you have any additional questions or comments please post them and I'll do my best to give a helpful answer.
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