My Pet Head-Rock

I found this tiny skull made of howlite on a recent trip to Door County, WI. Notice the gray streak -- right where my surgical scar was! At this time last year, my head was pinned in place, my scalp cut open, and a section of my skull temporarily removed. That sounds a lot more dramatic than it turned out to be. A year later, I look back on that time with some fondness, partly because it was such an odd, fascinating experience to go through and partly because as stressful as my pre-surgical days were last year, my current level of stress is much higher. The hazy-dazy respite of relatively pain-free brain surgery would be a relief compared to watching my mother go through the long, drawn-out process of dying. Last year, my husband and my older sister were in attendance at the hospital as I went under the knife. My other sister left that day for a work trip to Uganda (lucky bitch). Notably absent were my parents. I completely understood their absence and didn't mi...

Lookee what I discovered in the Little Free Library near my house: My question for you is this: Just who is this publication for? A medical student? No, the contents are too general, not medical enough. I'd hope medical students entering the world of brain surgery would have a textbook with a glossary. A brain tumor patient? No, the contents are too broad to be useful. A person is usually diagnosed with a specific type of tumor. All the information about astrocytomas and glioblastomas is likely to freak out someone with a simple meningioma. (I know. After my diagnosis, I made the mistake of reading the ABTA's "So You Got Yourself a Brain Tumor" pamphlet -- I might not be remembering the name correctly -- and made myself nearly hyperventilate by seeing where my symptoms seemed to match other types of tumors.) So is this wee dictionary for bloggers? Maybe!

As you can probably tell, my blog is winding down. Now that I’m completely recovered and just waiting for my hair to go out long enough to match the rest of my hair (it’s taking forever ), there isn’t so much to report. I may still post some writing I did right before or soon after my craniotomy, but even those are running low. I’m also trying to put together a questionnaire for a couple other former meningiomates I know so that readers can see the range of experiences. However, as I went through my remaining essays, stories, and anecdotes, I found some items that are too small to merit their own post. Hence, I give you my Bits ‘n Bobs: ·        There’s something strange going on with hospital socks. I first discovered this when I went in for my stealth MRI the day before surgery. I was given a bright blue pair of socks to wear that had those sticky bits on the bottom so that you don’t slip on those slick hospital floors. However, there were three odd ...

For as common as meningiomas are, some of you meningiomates reading this may be the only person you know to have a non-cancerous lesion in your head, and you’re freaked out. However, if you ask around, you may find that more people than you realize have or have had a meningioma. (I now personally know four other women who fit the category.) Too polite to pry into people’s medical histories? Then take comfort in knowing that there are some celebrities who share your condition. So far, I’ve uncovered these illustrious names: Elizabeth Taylor , Mary Tyler Moore , and Sheryl Crow . Fortunately, in most of the articles about these three women, the medical information has been sound. The type of surgery Taylor had is described in surprising detail. There are some takeaways from reading these articles: 1.      More women than men are diagnosed with meningiomas. 2.      The symptoms that prompt someone to get an MRI may have nothing to do wi...

My husband and I did not do all of the things I list here, but we realized after the fact that they would have been helpful. 1.      Cleaning. a.      Do all your laundry as close to your surgery date as possible. Make sure that your comfy, lounge-y recovery clothes are ready for you. b.      Clean your house, especially the bathrooms, and change your bedsheets the night before leaving for the hospital. c.      Take out the garbage! d.      If you live in a house, do all or as much of the seasonally appropriate yardwork as you can.   2.      Pay any outstanding bills. You probably have a stack of medical bills sitting around. If you are able, pay off everything you can before surgery because you are liable to forget such things afterward—and you don’t want to pile up overdue charges just because you’re recovering from surgery. This will also ...

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-...

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 ...