Two months today!!!

I'm sorry its been so long since I've updated.  I'm still feeling pretty good!  I get frustrated with how tired I get, and my head still hurts, but not near what it did.  I go back to the Dr on Thursday to hopefully get released to do more.  I have noticed things are gone, like I can't hear my heartbeat in my ear anymore... or what I thought was my heartbeat.  I got the swimmy head the other day for the first time in months, but its not been everyday like it was before.  One of these days I will put together a list of symptoms I had before and rate how they are now.  I'm still figuring out what is gone and what was a symptom before.  haha

I am uploading a couple pics now of my head,  the hair is growing back pretty well.  These were taken a couple weeks ago.  (I know sorry) I'll take some more current ones and post them later.  I've stopped trying to cover the scar.  When my hair down it makes my head itch more, even a ponytail hanging down pulls the new growth plus I'd rather people see the big scar than to just see the bad haircut.  yes I AM that vain! Thinking about getting a zipper pull tattooed at the bottom of the scar.  :)

My frusteration

I can now turn my head side to side again, I am a little stiff if I
turn for long periods of time, but I can move. My biggest issue? Not
driving, I don't really need to turn my head and look for that. It's
trying to see my scar, I resemble a dog chasing it's tail, and I'm
sure Doug is getting tired of me wanting him to take pictures. I can't
help it tho, I'm obsessed with it. I want to see how its healing and
how the hair is growing back.

My hair is growing in quickly though!

Even with half my hair I still have a lot and you can't really tell.... unless you know that my hair is twice as big as it is here

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has a great Easter today!
My first week back at work went ok. I was tired and felt pretty
crumby by Tues and missed Wed, but was back on track by Thurs! My
main goal was to be back to work before my end of the months things
needed done, and I was. Pretty proud of that actually.
I'm allowed to go back full time tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.
Hair is growing back really fast. I'll post pics later.

Here is a pic now.  Hair is growing back quickly - I can get it dyed in another week too.The scar is looking much better I hear, don't really know all I see are pictures.  

Here are a couple pictures right after the staples were removed.  I'm sorry if these are kinda gross, but I'm fascinated by the whole thing.

Back to work!

Well, after three long and two boring weeks the first week was a bit of a blur), I'm allowed to go back to work. I had to barter and almost beg, but they did tell me that I can go back next week for four hours a day. I still have some limitations, but they seem to be pretty happy with how I'm healing up. I have some pics to follow

Staples out

I got the staples out today. There were 40 of them, and the scar will
be about eight inches long.
I didn't really feel anything, and will be so happy to shower at 3:25
tomorrow! -have to wait 24 hours

Anyway ... bad headache tonight so we'll see how I feel in the morning!

The Incision

Here is a picture of the incision. We replaced the covering/bandage whatever it is called because the tape was coming loose.
-Doug

Here is a nice pic of my reverse mullet! so glad to be home. can't wait to be back to normal!

Lindsay is at home now

Lindsay is glad to home, and we want to thank everyone for thier
thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

-Doug
(via iPod so formatting may be off)

False Alarm!

The nurse said that Lindsay will be going home first thing tomorrow, not today...not sure why they told us today. Lindsay is still doing great and we have no concerns.

Do NOT send anything to the hospital room!

Lindsay will not be there after today as she is being sent home today!
-Doug

She is out of the ICU

Lindsay was just moved to her regular room a few minutes ago. She is feeling much better from this morning and can walk around, and the doctors are finally letting her eat. She is in room [redacted], but is not ready for visitors at this time.

-Doug

FYI

She will probably not be ready for visitors today. I will update everyone when she is ready for visitors.
-Doug

Tuesday Morning Update

Lindsay is still in the ICU but it is still too early for the doctor to come in and look at her to see when she can be moved from a regular room.

The nurses are saying that she is doing very well and is talking like her regular self, so I am hoping that the doctor will move her to a regular room when they see her. I have about 45 minutes until I can go see her again.
-Doug

Good News!

Got done with the required phone call status updates, so I have a bit to post. The doctor just came out of surgery and reported a success. Lindsay is in the process of being moved to the ICU right now, and we should be able to see her at 1800.
-Doug

1 hour to go

Guess the theme for today is waiting! There was another 55 minutes between going to the OR and actually starting surgery. But that time was probably used for anethesisa(sp?). So, offcial start time for the surgery was 1510. It's been just over an hour. The surgeon estimated at most 2 hours, so I don't expect to hear anything new until 1710.
-Doug

Another version of waiting...

About 45 minutes ago, Lindsay went into the operating room. For an hour before that she was in pre-op. Everything is going as planned, except for the schedule, which we did not have any control over, but is not a problem.

-Doug

Waiting...

We arrived on time, just to find out that Lindasy's surgery was pushed back to after 1pm.

-Doug

Day Before

Well I am getting ready today. Packed a bag, etc... I go in tomorrow at 5:00 am, and the surgery will be about 8:30-9:00. Check back here tomorrow as Doug will update this blog to show how it went and how I'm doing. There may even be a picture or two!

Pre-Op

Lindsay is getting poked and prodded as I type this. They are mainly asking a bunch of medical history questions. Think we are almost done though.
-Doug

I am down to one week left. I'm scared still but really excited about
what may be after. There are a lot of things that may or may not be
fixed. I'm not sure if D is messing with me on some things that I ask
him about. I'll say "you know how ..... is?" or "What happens when ..... ?" that is usually met with "that doesn't happen to me." or "I have no
idea what you're talking about" not sure if he's screwing with me or
not but I guess I'll find out soon!

Starting to freak out

So I go in two weeks from today and I'm wondering if I will panic
more? Or if I will just accept that this is going to happen and be
calm about it. I'm guessing by the lack of sleep I am getting the
closer it gets I will just be a wreck by the time the 8th gets here.
I'm trying to keep a sense of humor about it even tho my stomach is
doing acrobatics at the moment.

For those who have asked, what I have is called a Chiari Malformation
Type 1 and the surgery is called a decompression. Don't look it up
tho, it sounds barbaric. I prefer to call it a brain reduction, makes
me sound really smart.

Finished the latest round of med he gave. Pretty sure he's testing my
loyalty and testing how much I will follow directions! He's heard
about me I'm guessing! Haha.

I don't get up in the middle of the night to pee, its too scary; there is an obstacle course I can't run in the dark.  Now, mind you I can sit on my side of the bed, stand up, take three steps forward (forward is the key word) and I'm in the bathroom.  Keep that in mind, because I have laid in bed many nights thinking I'd rather hold it than chance trying to get to the door.  
For a long time I thought the wall moved, I'd aim straight the door would move, I'd adjust to where ever the door would be at the moment only to miss - and miss hard.  Most times I look like a pinball trying to get through the door.  I bounce off the wall, then ricochet and hit the door frame where I'd bounce back and hit the door, which to my horror at that moment moves!  so I feel like I'm falling all over again.  I reach out, arms flailing and try to grab something.  Anything.  I usually grab something that opens like the shower door which is no help or I manage to get the doorframe, but my fingers fail to grip and I fall against the wall.  Doug usually sleeps through this, although HOW I don't know, because its usually accompanied by my swearing loudly.
I have decided, however, that the wall does not move, one of two things are going on.  I always get pulled to the right which is north.  Either its the magnetic north pulling me that way or maybe I'm the one person on Earth who can feel the planet's rotation.  Both have strong arguments, the latter would explain how I walk during the waking hours.  
I had a little better luck this morning.  I waited until it was almost light out, I sat on the end of the bet to devise a plan, would I use the left, right, left?  or right left right?  I stood up and whatever I had decided to do, my feet did not get the message.  I stumbled to the right and before I could stop myself, I hit the wall - dead center.  my left arm was able to wrap around the door frame and let me gather myself before I tried again.  I pulled myself off the wall, and tried to figure out how I was going to explain the teeth marks in the wall to Doug.  He tries to pretend to sleep through this, but I'm sure he's awake laughing or wanting to take a breathalyzer. 
This is too much work for three steps! 

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure some people are screwing with me. I'm getting a few coming up to me, head cocked, "How are you today?" "You doing OK?" Some are genuinely nice people who are being very sweet. And I appreciate that.... others, I'm pretty sure are messing with me. They know are being nice, and know I have no defense for that. I'm better equipped for the jokes. My favorites so far are "Are you going to keep your brain bits in a jar on you desk so you can refer to them if you need to?" (no BTW, I asked, they won't let me keep them, I wanted to put them in a jar with wax lips on it) Someone else I work with wants to pay my neurosurgeon to etch his name in my brain so I can always say "I was just thinking about you..." I think more so he wants to patent the first ever brain tattoo, he's thinking once Britney Spears hears about it, he'll be rich when it catches on.

By far my most favorite comment has come from someone who has never let me down with the quick responses. I walked into the trade room and asked him for something to which he asked "are you in your right mind?" and I replied "well its not so much a matter of right or left as it is top or bottom" a few minutes later he asked how long I'd be out with the surgery, and I told him that I was told me up to eight weeks, but when I saw the Dr. that week, he said I could be back to work as early as two. So without skipping a beat he said "What, did he realize it was your brain so this is a minor surgery?" I had to agree. there was nothing else I could say.

You can see my brain falling down the back of my head here. Its not supposed to do that... also equally suspicious, the hole in the middle there... usually referred to as the "common sense gland" see how small it is compared to the space allowed there?

Pic 1

Took Doug and Mom to the Dr

Another couple hours in the waiting room, but it was worth it. Doug and Mom got to ask the Dr questions, and it sounds like I may not be home from work that long. Eight weeks max, but could be as early as two. Made me feel better about surgery, anesthesia, and recovery. Brain is down to the C2 spine, knew it was really big. haha

Doug is working on finding some pics now from the MRI, to post. -proof of my giant brain. maybe he can get them up tonight or I might be able to do it tomorrow.

I get headaches

I have created this blog to keep family and friends updated on my surgery, and to give me something to do when I am home. I don't know what to expect yet, but my surgery date is March 8, 2010.

I'm really nervous, but excited for the chance to live a more normal life. I do believe you need humor to get thru things. if I sound like I'm not taking this seriously, I assure you I am. But you have to find some of this funny. Soooo, I can worry, or I can vent here, and crack a joke or two. For 30 years I thought I was normal, just a wuss. I thought everyone got a "flash headache" from coughing or sneezing. I knew I blacked out sometimes, but thought I was just quarky. I thought everyone got queasy from turning their head or standing up, so I didn't say anything. Coordination was never my thing, but again, I thought I was normal, just a little off. Now I know why.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on my progress, and the day of my decompression Doug will post how it went here. This will also keep him from having to call so many people and let him concentrate on me more... :) haha

I don't know how often I will keep up with this before the surgery, but I'm sure I'll play with it some. If anything major happens, or there is any news, I'll post here.