Three Week Update

At the three week mark, I need to step up my recovery and build up my stamina. Dr. Dave informed me yesterday he needs to get me OUT of the house and exposed to more stimuli. Hmm….wonder what that means…and just where did he get that direction?

Seriously though, I do need to do that. During my recovery after my rupture, once I started going into surroundings that I wasn’t seeing on a daily basis that had a lot of clutter, it was tough to process all of the data my brain was seeing. I am hoping I won’t have that kind of difficulty this time because the clipping wasn’t an emergency situation like the rupture in 2006 was.

I’m now trying to come up with a word or two to describe what my scalp feels like the last couple of days. It doesn’t hurt or ache really, it just feels…odd. When I psychically touch the left side of my head it psychically feels like my scalp has been shot up with novocaine and I’m told it could feel that way for months. That’s an easy one to describe and something other people can relate to.

However, when I’m not touching it, there are odd sensations and slight aches and pains when I’m simply sitting still. I’m assuming it’s all part of the process…just strange for me going through clipping this first time after multiple coilings

My hair is growing back and, if the winds are favorable, I can cover that area up with the longer hair around the 1″ wide shaved section and the incision. If it’s windy…well, people get the freak show.

When I have my 4-week follow up appointment, I’ll be curious to ask my Dr. exactly where the bone section of the skull was removed and to get a better idea of the size of the aneurysm.

From middle of forehead to ear Hair growing back And some hair covers it

Fresh Air

Yesterday was a breath of fresh air…literally! It finally warmed up enough and wasn’t horribly windy or icy outside, so I took a short walk down the road and back with Dave as my crutch. Then we filled the bird feeders. It was chilly, but that fresh, cool air in my lungs felt great.

I think one of the reasons I get a little bit dizzy inside when I walk is that I have to turn around so much and if I get walking too quickly I turn around too quickly. When we walked outside, I could just go straight…and it was much easier. So I should either walk outside or go slower inside, especially when turning. Makes sense.

As we were walking into the house the phone was ringing. It was my fellow aneurysm survivor Lori, from Florida calling to check in on me. She had been reading my blog and wanted to let me know a few things. One was that my numb head could be that way for months until all of those nerves that were cut get aligned back up and heal. I get to look forward to prickly feelings! It was so nice of her to call and it’s certainly a comfort to speak to someone who’s gone through it and knows what you’re experiencing.

Then, while I was in phone mode, I gave mom a call and checked in with her, then had some lunch. Needless to say, I was pooped.

However, I’ve been craving scones for some time now and knew I had a scone mix in the pantry, so I thought I’d mix those up before collapsing for the rest of the day. There are literally 4 ingredients to the scones. The mix, one egg, butter and milk. They are SO easy and quite tasty, but wow, did cutting the butter in cause pure exhaustion. I took my time, but it took a LOT of time. LOL

15 minutes later I had fresh scones and I DID eat them with a nice cup of tea and some marmalade, then hit the love seat and crashed. Dave made some more stew for dinner and it hit the spot later.

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Outside! Finally. The killer scones.

 

VIDEO: One Week Update

More Meds

TMI ALERT!!I’m taking stool softeners 3 times a day along with suppositories now and still can’t poop much. Ugh! Thinking that’s also why back is so sore. And,now….sore throat has developed and a slight cough when I lay down. Great! My head, however, feels pretty darn good. Go figure.

Vermont Teddy BearDSCN4762I received my very first Vermont Teddy Bear today in the mail from my family. Such beautifully constructed bears and sooo cute with the hospital gown and bracelet and bandage around left ear. My family sent it…as is our tradition. Love them all and it surely seems odd to not have a sister to chat with about everything. Going to take some more getting used to…not that I have much choice.

Trying to figure out what to do with my back pain. Waiting for return call from PA a Dr. Ecker’s office. Pain pills, heat, cold, rest or walking don’t seem to be helping.

So, I’m going to try more steroids, and a relaxant for my back/butt. I’ll try anything if it eases that pain. Who’da thunk after brain surgery it would be my butt that is giving me the most trouble!

Got a nice card in the mail from the Purchasing Department at Johnny’s today. Thanks so much! They bring a smile to my swollen face.