The Nitty Gritty: Iggy Takes His Leave

(dictated by me, typed by big bro)

Ookay, folks, it's time. Time to hear all about what really went down behind those OR doors and the subsequent week in the hospital that followed. Be forewarned, I'll not spare any details. So for those of you who may be queasy of heart or mind, you might want to skim this entry. I know that as a person who had never been hospitalized or had major surgery prior to this, I wanted to know everything beforehand. I mean everything. To me, the less surprises I faced once I actually got to the hospital the better.

Days 1-2:
I won't say too much about the day of surgery as I was only conscious for a few hours of it and my dad already took care of documenting that bit. We arrived at the surgery center a little before 5 and by 5:30 I was registered and heading back to a "holding room" to be prepped. I spent a little over an hour back there getting gowned, IV'd, and barraged by a host of medical questions. The nurses were wonderful and the entire experience was very casual and lighthearted considering. Dr. Woodson and Dr. Seth swung by for just a moment to say good morning and assure me that I would soon be on my way. And that was that. The next thing I knew, my hair net was being put on and I was getting wheeled away from my dad.

It was a pleasant enough trip to the OR. We passed through a little hallway with windows and I could see the sun starting to rise over the buildings. I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. To my surprise, they didn't wheel me straight into the OR. Instead, I got parked outside of the room while the team finished prepping inside. One by one the different members of the team came out and introduced themselves to me and then verified that I was in fact one Amanda Elisabeth McCarther here to get her right-sided acoustic neuroma removed. Then they wheeled me in, started to inject me with a liquid which they said was going to burn a little, put a mask over my face and I was out. I was expecting it to be much more dramatic. I didn't even have to count backwards from ten! (I must say I felt a little jaded about that.)

Twelve hours later I opened my eyes to see my dad standing next to me in a darkened recovery room. When I say I opened my eyes, it was more of a split second blink than anything. I couldn't keep them open for the life of me. I remember my dad telling me that they had gotten all of the tumor but that there had been complications and I had been out closer to 13 hours than the original 7 they had planned for. I can't honestly describe how nauseous or dizzy I was since my eyes stayed closed. I did vomit twice, but apparently that was because my dad was standing on my right side talking to me and you're not supposed to do that after surgery. 

I spent the rest of Friday night and all day Saturday in the recovery area. I was only conscious for small snippets and don't remember much at all. (Unfortunately, I do recall getting my catheter removed. Don't worry, though. It's literally a second and you're done.) I do remember crying out at one point because someone was trying to move my arms and they hurt terribly.

Day 3:

A room finally opened up in the step-down unit so I was transferred to a room on the eighth floor on Sunday morning. I still felt pretty groggy but I did feel like I was finally breaking out of my post-surgery haze. I think I finally was given something to eat that morning, too. Just your standard clear liquid diet. It felt good to eat something but I was too tired to eat much and my stomach still hadn't quite settled. My wonderful nurse aide did give me a sponge bath that morning, which was greatly appreciated. I started to feel the slightest bit human again. My family stopped by that afternoon to see me for the first time, as well. By that point I was able to get up and sit in a chair briefly while my mom opened her mother's day cards. I still couldn't keep my eyes open for long as the movement and light were simply too much. I kept the lights in my room off as much as possible. 

My mom planned to stay at the hospital until I was discharged. What a huge relief! While the nurses were excellent, it was nice to have someone there for me around the clock since I needed assistance to do pretty much everything.

Day 4: 

Monday started off well enough. I was feeling much better, and my headaches were beginning to subside. These were only mild headaches, mind you, more like pressure behind my eyes. It was one of the reasons why keeping my eyes open was painful.

I was started on a soft food diet that day and by the time Dr. Seth and Dr. Woodson stopped by to see me that evening, it looked like I would be able to go home the following morning. 

However, after Dr. Woodson changed my head wrap that night, things took a turn for the worse. I immediately proceeded to get the MOTHER of all headaches. Just imagine having a blood pressure cuff strapped around your head at full pressure and left there for ten hours. Yes. Not a pleasant experience. I went through morphine, percocet, and oxycodone, and all to no effect. At the same time, they had also given me a suppository to get my bowels moving so not only did I have a raging headache but my poor body was trying to get rid of toxins at both ends. But wait. There's more. As if suffering through brain surgery wasn't enough, I also randomly started my period that night as well. I mean, really? It was like my entire body was conspiring against me. So of course let's just throw in a little PMS to keep things exciting. Sheesh.

Day 5:

Let's just say that when the doctors came in to do their rounds Tuesday morning, I was absolutely miserable and barely coherent. I couldn't complete any of my facial exercises or bend my head to my chest. All I could do was lie there and cry. The doctors were immediately concerned that I had developed meningitis and sent me downstairs for a CT scan. That was followed by a spinal tap (guess I'm now prepared should I ever need an epidural) and blood work. Thankfully, as the morning continued to progress, the pain in my head begn to subside. I was started on antibiotics and steroids, and by the afternoon I was starting to feel myself again. The worst was over!

Days 6-8

My last three days in the hospital were mercifully uneventful. I had my first shower Wednesday morning and, let me tell you, there is no medication that can compare to getting battered by hot water for 20 minutes. It was miraculous. Trust me, as soon as you are able, take a shower! I was also moved out of the step-down unit on Wednesday to my own private room. What a wonderful little blessing that was! I had a huge picture window and my own bathroom and shower (I think my mom was happier about that than I was) and it was significantly quieter.

These three days consisted mainly of me waiting for my lab results, working with my therapist Adam and taking walks. I had received doctor's permission to leave the floor, so I made the most of my freedom and visited the bookstore, cafeteria, and even ventured outside for a bit. The Cleveland Clinic also has a beautiful rooftop terrace you can visit (which we did multiple times).

My incision site did begin to collect some brain fluid on Thursday (because according to Dr. Woodson I failed at eating hamburgers and she didn't find enough fat) so I did have to have my head wrap put back on (it was taken off on Wednesday). That will remain on until my stitches are removed this Friday.

I left Cleveland Friday evening with a clean bill of health. The doctors weren't entirely sure what caused the episode on Monday night but it was most likely aseptic meningitis. To keep me in the clear, they did prescribe me a steroid that I'll be on for the next week to ensure that the inflammation stays down. (And yes, I am starting to look like a chipmunk.)

Since arriving home two days ago, I can already see a marked improvement in my walking. I don't need any assistance (even on the grass and carpet!) and have a much easier time remaining steady and nausea-free. My face hasn't changed much but I know that will be a more gradual process. The only time it actually bothers me is when I'm trying to eat. I'm so grateful I'm not the person sitting across from me at the dinner table! :)

Of course there's plenty more to share and I'll be posting some pictures of my "battle scars" shortly and additional info. If there's absolutely anything you'd like to ask, please just leave a comment. I promise I do read each and every one!

Happy turtling!