My Pet Head-Rock

Enough to start an addiction? Maybe so. By now, you’ve all heard that there is an opioid crisis in our country. I did not fail to consider this when facing a surgery for which I knew I’d be prescribed narcotic painkillers. Before I go into my experience with Percocet, here is some basic information about the opioid problem of which we should all be aware: 1.      “Crisis” and “epidemic” are not overblown words. The CDC reports that in 2015, approximately 15,000 people died from prescription opioids alone. Last year, more than 64,000 people in the US died from all drug overdoses . (Compare to approximately 32-35,000 deaths from gun violence per year– go, USA!—and around the same number, maybe a little higher, from car accidents .) The rate of opioid deaths has quadrupled since 1999. 2.      This crisis is not about preventing kids from doing drugs (“Just say no, kids!”), though obviously some of the overdose deaths come from illici...

Craniotomates are told to take four to six weeks off of work after surgery. Due to the nature of my job (teaching = getting a long-term sub) and the holiday schedule, I am fortunate enough to get two entire months off. Since my pain and discomfort are minimal, this sounds like a great time to kick back and get caught up on my Netflix streaming, no? No.    Brain surgery is unlike other surgeries, I’ve realized. When I had my colon removed in 1985, I indulged myself in MTV and Danger Mouse and listened to tapes of Howard Jones and OMD . When I had exploratory abdominal surgery in 1991, I watched news about the Gulf War and The Golden Girls. I listened to my tunes when there was nothing good on TV. But now, after my craniotomy, my house is often silent. Brains are complicated things, simultaneously fragile and remarkably resilient. Brain surgery and the medications prescribed for swelling and seizures afterward mess with the functioning in some subtle and not-so-...

Old-timey cane and bed-boot: Not a normal part of post-craniotomy care The morning of the eighth day after my craniotomy, I awoke (if that’s the right word when I had an obsessive and sleepless night, thanks to Decadron ) and got out of bed. Then I immediately leaned over to brace myself against the wall as pain shot up from the arch of my left foot and my calf tightened. Not only was I unable to put much, if any, weight on the foot, but I was flummoxed (okay, that’s a pretty common state so soon after brain surgery … but still): Why had my foot gone from completely fine to excruciating pain overnight? Now, I am a runner, and plantar fasciitis is something that plagues the running community, as exercise or overuse is a leading cause of the inflammation and micro-tears that develop in the plantar fascia ligament, which runs from the heel bone along the bottom of the foot. It is the main cause of heel pain. Wait… heel pain? Hmm. And the timing … WTF? I have been fortu...

While this sentiment can be helpful while shopping, I'm not sure it captures the spirit of Thanksgiving. Even three full weeks after surgery, stores stressed me out. (I write this at the 3.5 week mark, and I haven’t been to a store since the events I’m about to relate, so it’s possible that the stressing continues beyond this point.) Since my release from the hospital, I’ve been to a wine store (see the “ Recovery Day One ” post), various grocery stores, Costco, REI, and Goodwill. Most of them, with one notable exception, left me feeling frazzled and tired. Grocery stores in particular are dizzying. There are items vying for your attention everywhere, at eye-level and above. There are shiny and reflective surfaces at all different angles that you have to navigate. There are people rushing around you in unpredictable directions. It sets a craniotomate’s heart a-flutter—and not in the good way. I managed all the stores without incident, mind you. I didn’t break anything ...

Here’s fun: Which of the Seven Dwarves are you most like? You may check up to ten if you’ve recently had a craniotomy. ○ Sleepy ○ Sleepless √ Dopey (I’ll just go ahead and check this one for you now.) ○ Happy ○ Super Happy! 😁😍 ○ Grumpy ○ Aggro ○ (call your) Doc (tor immediately if you have suicidal ideation) ○ Bashful Weepy ○ Sneezy Sweaty ○ Ravenous Sugar Beast ○ Peevish ○ Anxious ○ Drowsy ○ Shaky ○ Depersonalized (Holy crap! Really?!) ○ Manic ○ Obsessive ○ Dizzy ○ Easily Distracted   If you checked five or more, you’re probably taking a corticosteroid for brain swelling and an anti-seizure medication. Welcome to fun world of Decadron and Keppra ! Fortunately, your visit to this world will only last a few weeks, but you may want to strap yourself in (and your...

[Again, pardon my lack of chronological order. I've dispensed with the "Recovery Day #" system, which seemed perfectly logical when I started it -- less than a week after surgery -- because I realized that every time I use it, I have to use math to figure out the day and then explain that it starts from the first full day out of the hospital. So after this post, time will be marked from my surgery date, November 1st.] This photo is from Recovery Day 4, not 5, but I include it here to illustrate two points: 1.     Look carefully at the top half of my face. It’s not very lively, is it? No, no it’s not. 2.      Voting is a both a right and a privilege! If I can get my butt down to the polling station less than a week after brain surgery to vote for St. Paul mayor and school board, you can damn well try to get yourself to the polls for the midterm elections in 2018 or do early voting.  The next evening was my first social outing. By “social outi...

I hope everybody had a tasty Thanksgiving. I definitely did, though I had to absent myself at one point when my circuits got overloaded. I’ve just returned from a surprisingly illuminating Black Friday shopping venture, and I’m excited to pass along that experience in an upcoming post, but first I want to present this topic, which relates to the idea of Thanksgiving or gratitude in general. This was actually one of the earlier blog entries I wrote, but I waited to post it, as it seemed there was other, more timely information that needed to get out first. I would also like to make an addition to my Thanksgiving gratitude list: I am thankful for the other people who have blogged about their craniotomy experiences. My family had many questions for me yesterday about my recovery, and one person asked whether I was worried about any of the ongoing cognitive issues. I am not worried because I know that eventually these things will improve, though it does take time. How do I know that? ...