Back two holes and grids in and now a short break and repositioning and they will start on the next two holes. That only took them them three hours.
Author: Darren Long
A blog about me, my meds, my brain surgeries, my hospital stays, my doctor visits, my life... la la la...
Meeting with Neurologist…
Met with the doc today (finally) and had questions answered. This is how it is. Serious time, folks…
It’s gone from two operations to three. And I’ll most likely be in the hospital for 20 or so days. Now, let me explain:
Originally, it was thought that the brain damage was just in one area deep within the brain on the left lobe. After all the MRI scans and such, this doesn’t look to be all there is. Where there seizures start is not in a perfectly set area. There is “scar tissue” and deep bleeding (I call it a scab) from the trauma that is evident. The entire left temporal lobe of the brain is “smaller” than the right due to years of seizures.
The original drilling spots of “near the front”, “sides” and “near the back” are not going to be used anymore. Still six holes, but the side ones are going to be higher in the skull just to be safe. Do not want to drill on the side and “puncture” the areas that have the scar tissue. This might cause me to be paralyzed.
I was thinking that it was going to only have to be just one seizure and then on to the next thing, but they want a few seizures (fun, fun). Once I have a few seizures, I was thinking we were doing the brain surgery. Now I find out that the second surgery being done is another opening to put more probes in. This time, they are going to take a slice out of the top of my skull to make a larger hole and put probes there. This is done to find more precisely the focal point as to where the seizures are beginning. Need to have a few more seizures too.
From the tests that were done, it was surprising to find out that my memory is being controlled on the left (damaged) side as opposed to the right. The seizures I’m having, that cause the left lobe to shrink, is the reason my memory is bad. This brain surgery may have worsening effects to my memory. Grrrr….
Still, if EVERYTHING is looking good and the doctors/surgeon feel it to be safe, I’ll go ahead and have the brain surgery. Still have a ways to go before then, but I’ll be in the hospital for the next 20 or so days starting on Monday.
PET Scan
Okay. Just got done and home from the PET Scan and now I feel radioactive and glowing. LOL
Got to the hospital, signed in and went back to a small room where everything was explained to me. Then, the room was darkened and I sat there for a good 10-15 minutes. This was to “relax” my brain while a pharmacists in the next room mixed together a radioactive substance.
The guy came back and gave me the shot of the radioactive stuff. It was funny, the shot that he was holding had a lead cover around it to keep himself safe from the radioactive liquid that he was shooting into my body!
“What about me? Am I going to glow forever?”
“Trust me, you’ll be fine. Just wait here another 10-15 minutes in the dark and I’ll let you sit in the waiting room with the TV.”
I sat there (luckily not glowing) and waited. Afterwards, I waited in the next room 30-45 minutes and watched Judge Judy and the news. Then the guy came back and walked me down the hall to the scanning machine.
Okay. A PET Scanner looks like a MRI except that the tube is much smaller. You cannot move in this thing if you wanted to. I laid on the table and he actually put straps over my body to make sure I wouldn’t move and/or get away. Pushed me in and off it went.
An MRI machine is the loudest damn thing in the world and they give you ear plugs to wear when do those. This PET Scan was silent and I was in there for about 20 minutes. Pretty easy stuff. I was about to fall asleep when the guy pulled me out and said I was done.
That was simple. Talking to the doc on Friday and Monday is Fun-Day.
Really? One more test?
Yep. Just got a call from KU Med and they want me to come in on Wednesday for a PET Scan of the Brain. Surprisingly, I’ve never had a PET Scan before, or at least not within the last couple decades. People have asked me this and then have been confused as to why I have not. I don’t know. I just haven’t needed one up till now?
PET Scan — Wednesday at 10:15am at KU Med.
Talk to the Neurologist — Friday at 11:00am at KU Med
Surgery — Monday at 5:30 to get to the hospital and 7:00 for the surgery at KU Med
Finally…
Well, we all know the surgery is on Monday, November 4th. Coming up very quickly!
I still have allot questions that I’d like to have answered…
What is the recovery time?
What can we expect afterwards?
..are a couple questions I can think of off the top of my head. 🙂 I have more written down.
So, just getting closer and closer to surgery time I just have thought maybe I get these things figured out on my own after the surgery??? Then got a call from KU Med on Friday to set up an appointment for next Friday to meet with my Neurologist to answer any and all questions. Finally! Now I can get these answers, think about the answers over the weekend and then drill my head on Monday.
Guess it’s better than never…
The Catalpa Chronicles 