Why, yes. Yes, I did overdo it yesterday. Apparently cleaning out the cat’s litter box, making a tea tray, doing one small load of laundry and watching tv all day was too much. Today I could not wake up and did not feel well. I did force myself to do some stretches and walked, but that was all she wrote.
Now that I rested all day, I’m sure I’ll be up all night now. Goody.
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.
 |
 |
| Outside! Finally. | The killer scones. |
Head Status: I’m not experiencing any major headaches. I can get a little dizzy quite easily still and need to make sure I don’t move or bend down too quickly. The incision is healing slowly but surely. No major black and blue areas any more, but the skin on my skull feels “weird” for lack of a better word. Touching the skin on my skull on left side and behind ear feels numb still…almost like I had hair implants on each individual follicle. That’s the best way I can describe it. It doesn’t hurt per say, just feels strange. I’m not sure how long it will take that feeling to go away. There is still some tenderness around the incision and I expect that to continue until it has all healed. I thought my jaw was feeling better until I went to eat a PB&J sandwich and opening my mouth that wide hurt quite a bit still.
Stamina Status: I am trying to walk a little more each day, but if I start out with too much momentum, I poop out and have to stop and sit. Get shaky and wobbly. I know that will improve with time. I’m trying to drink a lot more water and eat more fiber. Thankfully, the sciatic pain In my lower back has improved significantly and I’ve been able to sleep at night.
Reading/Writing Status: Reading a lot is still slow going, but coming along. It tires my brain out to concentrate so much, but it’s getting easier. Shorter snippets at this point. Writing in my blog is easier because I’m typing, not reading. I know that probably doesn’t make sense to anyone. And I write the blog entries throughout the day, not all at once.
Overall: I’m listening to my body, because I can afford to right now while I am not working. When I’m overly tired, I go lay down. Even if I don’t sleep, that rest with my eyes closed is very important.
Well, last night was the first night in 12 days I have slept the entire night without waking up in pain every three hours. I woke up, it was still dark out and I was very afraid to look at the clock thinking it was probably 2 a.m. again but it was actually 5:30. I was THRILLED!! I slept all night and wasn’t in extreme pain.
So the start to the day was very good and I wasn’t in too much pain. Ate breakfast, took my pills and walked for 30 minutes inside. I guess putting my sneakers on makes it feel more like I’m walking than shuffling. However, after I walked, I was quite shaky and haven’t felt real good the rest of the day. Figures. I tried laying down, but couldn’t get to sleep. My head is hurting a little bit more today and I’m still feeling my jaw ache from the muscle being cut. I get the rest I need, but still don’t feel good. Oh, well…..it’s not quite two weeks since the surgery. I shouldn’t expect miracles overnight.
Dave, god love him, is cooking a Scottish stew for us for dinner and the house smells wonderful. I only have the mental retention for so much and at specific times of the day, so I’m glad he figured it all out.
Today also brought a pletheria of goodies delivered to the house: A wonderful set of hand-knitted hand warmers from a high-school classmate, a thoughtful exercise stability ball from friends in Boothbay Harbor, and a fabulous breakfast gift basket from a cousin in Virginia. None of these were expected, so each gift was a lovely surprise and very appreciated. Friends/family from three different states.
Because I have been through a recovery process due to brain aneurysms before both in 2006 and 2011, I guess I forget just how serious this was or could have been since I’m doing pretty well after the procedure. I forget how scary it must be for my friends and family and the apprehension they all go through FOR me. Dave has gone through so much and I am so, so very lucky to have such a loving and caring man like him in my life.
In some respects, I went through the easy part. I was OUT for the procedure and others were left to stress over me. I’m sorry they had to go through that. I guess because I’ve been through a more life-threatening experience during my rupture in 2006, these other procedures don’t seem quite as serious, even though they could certainly be. Anything regarding the brain can cause serious issues, but the faith I have in my Dr. and the staff at Maine Medical Center make me feel far more confident.
Making the decision to have this aneurysm clipped and taken care of wasn’t one I took lightly and I had to look at all my options. Obviously, since the successful clipping and learning the outer wall of the aneurysm was very stressed and thin, I can certainly say NOW that it was the exact right decision to make and I’m so glad I made it. I cannot imagine putting my family through any more right now so soon after the loss of my other sister right after Christmas. Just unbelievable all that we’ve gone through the last several years.
However scary this procedure was for me, I am damn sure I made the right decision. I AM going to take care of myself. I do NOT want to put my family through any more and I want to continue to enjoy my life with Dave. I ain’t dead yet.
Unfortunately, since 2006, there isn’t a day that goes by that I do not think about brain aneurysms and their effect on my life. I cannot dwell on it. If I did, I’d not be able to function. Thanks to the wonderful medical professionals in this state, both mental and physical, I have found ways to funnel my fears and frustrations into helping others survive and thrive. I don’t complain on every website I can find…I’m one of the lucky ones..I’m a survivor and if I can do ANYTHING to help one person get scanned, or one person get a closer look at something or feel like they’re not alone, I will have done something for those we have lost. That’s all I can do. We’re finally getting a support group started in the state, and although I don’t necessarily look forward to sharing my stories over and over, I know it will help and I know it’s also good therapy for myself to be with other survivors.
