Full Speed Ahead

On Monday morning, I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Mittal (my neurosurgeon) to which I wore wore my Fergie suede platform fur boots and my black leather jumper.

When I met with Dr. Flaherty (my oncologist) on Tuesday morning, I was sheathed in my brown leather jumper and grey suede boots.

Keith stifled a sigh both days when he saw my outfit (and probably rolled his eyes when I wasn't looking) but had to come around after multiple compliments from the gals at Karmanos each day.

 

 Looking as smashing as I did, it was decided to proceed with my gamma knife treatment ASAP.  Okay, I am open to the possibility that it is likely since I was recovering from the craniotomy so well.

Originally scheduled for this Friday - SURPRISE!  I found out today that is occurring tomorrow morning.  I check in at 6 AM Wednesday morning and should be done by noon.

I am not experiencing any apprehension for this procedure - especially because the sooner I complete this next treatment step, the faster I can start living it up again BIG TIME with no restrictions.

Looking forward to a fabulous holiday season - hoping the same for everyone and their loved ones.

Weaving Magic

My original incision was 9" long and ran along the front of my hairline a few inches above my left eye down to my right ear. It was disguised by a left part and a forward comb-over. This time, the surgeon made an 8" incision down the back of my head (imagine a reverse mohawk) to access the tumor.

Since there really is no way to cover both areas even with an extreme comb-over, Peggy's hair god decided to work his magic utilizing a hair weave. Bring on the windy days! Check it out below!

Peggy is giving celebs some serious hair competition with the help of Mark D'Alleva (whom Peggy has known since high school) of D'Allevas Hair Salon In West Bloomfield.


The brain competition takes place this afternoon when Melissa & Peggy play Scrabble while Keith is at the Lions' game. FYI...Peggy was kicking Melissa's butt the day before craniotomy #1 in August.

Just to Keep Things Interesting

As part of the game plan to keep Peggy distracted while she recuperates, we pulled out a jigsaw puzzle from last year's summer vacation that never was completed.  It is probably shocking to hear a goal was not fully executed by Team Studzinski.  In our defense, the puzzle is a pretty complicated 1000 piece stained glass floral design.  Our intention was to complete it during this year's vacation in August (which was sidelined by my first craniotomy) but see how things all work out for the best?  We now had a major project to tackle that required my sitting still.

We unrolled our felt traveling puzzle mat across our dining room table, and Keith and I spent the better part of Thursday evening engrossed in finishing our task.  Upon standing much later, I thought one of my my slippers had fallen off but when I looked down, it was still on my right foot.  I discovered that I could not feel the slipper and also noticed that my skin was numb from the ends of my left fingertips, up my left arm, through my shoulder and into my left chest.

The good news is that this was a known potential side effect as the tumor was sitting on my sensory skills which regulate the sense of hot, cold and touch on my skin; and pressing on my motor skills which control the muscles in my extremities.  It was anticipated that my brain would swell within 48 - 72 hours of the surgery and create either a sensory loss, or a foot drag and a floppy arm.  We paged the neurosurgeon (who responded immediately) and assured us we did not need to head to the emergency room.  We simply upped my anti-swelling medication to offset the expected effect.

Fortunately, the personal friend scheduled to come assist Keith in taking care of me Thursday night is a medical professional and she was on her way.  She evaluated my functionality and it was determined that there was no reason for heightened concern.  In the big picture, I can deal with a flaccid arm or leg or a little numbness.

Slowly but surely, the symptoms are declining.  I still went for a two mile walk on Saturday and Monday.  I hope to be back at work before the Christmas holidays and the gym before the end of the year.

Raising the Bar a Notch

I continue to be astounded by how well everything keeps falling into place.  I did such a stellar job post surgically this time, I keep joking that Keith and Melissa will expect me to do a 'drive by' craniotomy next time.  I picture them dropping me off at the front door, advising me they will circle around the block and swing by to let me hop in our vehicle and head home straight from the operating room.  After all, I only spent 10 minutes in recovery on Tuesday.  I'm lucky they allowed the nurse and I to stop and take a picture rather than make a rolling jump into the truck.

To be completely honest, getting back into the saddle for this second craniotomy was slightly more daunting.    Being fully cognizant of what I was heading towards this time made it harder to deal with mentally  - definitely not my ride of choice.  But as the 'end justified the means' - some lack of sleep for a week or two due to understandable anxiety seemed a reasonable price to pay to be cancer free once more.


Not surprisingly, my floating in and out of consciousness in August allowed me to block certain aspects of the impending procedure.  I have no recall of even being in pre-op previously.  This time, I was fully alert when they wheeled me into the actual operating room - a pretty intimidating experience to have half a dozen gowned and masked individuals awaiting your arrival.

I started to feel anxious.  Frankly, I had to fight the urge to block my entrance thru the OR door.  I had an image of being a cartoon character and possessing the ability to clamp down on the door frame while stretching my arms & legs like a rubber band as the surgical team attempts to roll my  gurney in and me ricocheting out of there (think Wile E. Coyote from the Roadrunner series).

 

I inquired if I could be sedated before they moved me onto the operating table and placed my head in the frame.  Sorry - have to get this show on the road, have a 5 hour surgery scheduled and we are already running late.  Ultimately, I settled down and made two additional requests: could I be knocked out before my head was shaved and may I just sign the paper work with out any further discussion of the details?  Absolutely.  Off to la la land I go.

I wake up in my room and feel so phenomenal that with out the bandages on my head, I would almost doubt the procedure was completed.  This sentiment is echoed by the medical staff and my family.

Once again, I am the liveliest patient in the neuro ICU but also the hungriest.  Fortunately, after I inhale a few cups of ice chips, I have the opportunity to reject the nasty beef stroganoff and disgusting carrots I am offered for dinner and consume a fabulous cherry chicken harvest salad my daughter obtains for me.  Go Team Studzinski!