Thanksgiving Weekend

So here’s where things stand right now … We’re 95 percent sure that I’ll have the surgery. Right now I have it scheduled for Jan. 24 at the U of M, but I may move it to Mayo depending on how things go on Dec. 19 at Mayo. One of the good things about this tumor is that it’s very slow growing (I’ve had it for ten years or more) so waiting a couple of months doesn’t seem to be of any concern. We (me, Jeff and Brooke) are going to Acapulco Jan. 12 – 19 with two other couples and their kids and selfishly I don’t want to cancel this vacation nor do I want to miss out on the holiday fun. So my doctors told me to enjoy the holidays and to have fun in Mexico and we’d do the surgery in late Jan. Jan. and Feb. also seem like good months for laying on the couch and recovering.

For the most part I’m doing great and I feel good about our next steps. I feel fortunate to live in an area where we have access to excellent medical treatment without the need to fly anywhere or drive for days. I’m so blessed to have an amazing husband and lots of supportive family and friends. Something like this gives you loads of perspective and even amongst all the stress and anxiety I have never felt more blessed.

I’m planning to take eight weeks off of work (not including the trip to Mexico). I will be in the hospital for about five days and then probably pretty down and out for about two or three weeks after that. Most of the reading I’ve done indicates people start feeling a little better during week three or four of their recovery. I will have extreme balance issues in the beginning, walking will be difficult and I will lose my hearing completely in my right ear. There are many other unpleasant side affects that I’m mentally preparing for - most are short term but there are some scary long term affects too. I am not focusing on any of the scary long term stuff because I honestly just know in my heart that it’s all going to be fine in the end. I can’t describe it, but it’s just something I’m certain of.

We haven’t told Brooke about the surgery yet. She knows I’m having difficulty hearing out of one ear and that it will never get better. We will probably tell her about the surgery the week before and let her know that mom will be gone for a few days, etc.