(Here is a new post by Vitor De Souza Carneiro, a great friend of the "Schwannoma Survivors" Facebook page and blog. He just recently had surgery to remove a Schwannoma, and was kind enough to write a bit about his experiences post surgery. Thanks Vitor! Neil)
And the Big Day came. I was feeling great the day I went to hospital to have the operation. The main reason was that I had managed to organize almost everything before hand so I could come back to what I call a “Recovery Temple”. The day before surgery was also special. I spent all day with my wife, enjoying, not even thinking about surgery.
I know it sounds weird, but I was actually excited about the whole thing. Finally a major mile stone on the healing process: The removal of the tumor. My neurosurgeon came into the room and we had a nice chat. I told him I hadn’t felt any pain, what so ever, for the last 3 months. With a tumor the size of mine, that was pretty unusual and he took the time again to look at the images and discuss the importance of the operation. I really appreciated that. The last thing I told him was: “Doc, you got my back!”
I knew it would be straight forward, in and out. Done. My wife said it was the 5 longest hours of her life (4 hr of actual procedure). When I opened my eyes I felt like I had been chopped in half by a chainsaw. But that only lasted a few seconds and they gave me a nice relaxing happy something that had me feeling ‘no worries’ for the next 48 hrs. The doctor was very happy with the procedure. They managed to remove all the tumor and there was no major complications. He even showed me pictures of the procedure while I was in ICU.
I spent a total of 7 days in hospital. Bloody long time, but not really. I knew that every second there was important. I was being looked after so well by all the staff. There were, as expected, a few small challenges though. I had really strong headaches and was feeling nauseated and vomiting for good 3 days. Then, they wanna get you up and going as quick as possible. But because my body was still producing the liquid that soaks our nervous system, I had this massive headache and my eye balls felt like they were going to pop out.
That is when surrender and patience come into play. Even though having a major spinal surgery is not the most smooth experience one can have, if you are patient, things will stabilize again. Well, the days went by and the so awaited discharge came. Quick note: Here might not be the place to express my reflections on Patience and other philosophical question about life, but feel free to write me and we can exchange ideas.
It felt really good to be home. Special friends came for quick visits and I was slowly getting my bearings. But once again, I had to surrender and accept. For someone hyperactive active (when I say hyper I mean suppa duppa Hyper active) to be so deprived of free and easy mobility is a major issue. Again, patience and relearning. I have to be really respectful and mindful of all my movements and almost everything needs to be calculated. After a while we just figure things out and adapt. So, in regards of the practical sides of things my wife is being superb and we are making things happen, very slowly. The boat is just Sailing by...
But it didn’t take long until I started to see a few nasty looking clouds forming in the horizon. And before we could do much the storm hit us. I used to sleep like a sloth, not anymore. My bowel used to function like a swiss clock, not anymore and I used to have a good humor, not anymore. That hit us day 2/3 at home. This is the message I sent my friend Neil of how I could better describe how I was feeling:
“We are sailing the storm. The sea is a bit rough, bumpy and gusty but we got the boat under control. The forecast looks good. For the moment we can only keep steering and getting used to the "roughness".Will see a good Physio tomorrow. “
And sure enough the storm passed. Through natural medicines we manage to get my guts working again (gosh, that felt good) and reestablish a decent sleep. But I know that this recovery is like a ocean crossing: we might know the prevailing winds and currents but anything can happen, any time. So, we take as it comes. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes magic like a beautiful sunset in the middle of the Atlantic. The most important thing is that I am learning heaps about myself, about life and about LOVE.
(Disclaimer: advice shared on this blog or on our related Facebook page can not be a replacement for proper medical treatment by a trained physician. Speak with a Doctor before making any medical decisions.)
And the Big Day came. I was feeling great the day I went to hospital to have the operation. The main reason was that I had managed to organize almost everything before hand so I could come back to what I call a “Recovery Temple”. The day before surgery was also special. I spent all day with my wife, enjoying, not even thinking about surgery.
I know it sounds weird, but I was actually excited about the whole thing. Finally a major mile stone on the healing process: The removal of the tumor. My neurosurgeon came into the room and we had a nice chat. I told him I hadn’t felt any pain, what so ever, for the last 3 months. With a tumor the size of mine, that was pretty unusual and he took the time again to look at the images and discuss the importance of the operation. I really appreciated that. The last thing I told him was: “Doc, you got my back!”
I knew it would be straight forward, in and out. Done. My wife said it was the 5 longest hours of her life (4 hr of actual procedure). When I opened my eyes I felt like I had been chopped in half by a chainsaw. But that only lasted a few seconds and they gave me a nice relaxing happy something that had me feeling ‘no worries’ for the next 48 hrs. The doctor was very happy with the procedure. They managed to remove all the tumor and there was no major complications. He even showed me pictures of the procedure while I was in ICU.
I spent a total of 7 days in hospital. Bloody long time, but not really. I knew that every second there was important. I was being looked after so well by all the staff. There were, as expected, a few small challenges though. I had really strong headaches and was feeling nauseated and vomiting for good 3 days. Then, they wanna get you up and going as quick as possible. But because my body was still producing the liquid that soaks our nervous system, I had this massive headache and my eye balls felt like they were going to pop out.
That is when surrender and patience come into play. Even though having a major spinal surgery is not the most smooth experience one can have, if you are patient, things will stabilize again. Well, the days went by and the so awaited discharge came. Quick note: Here might not be the place to express my reflections on Patience and other philosophical question about life, but feel free to write me and we can exchange ideas.
It felt really good to be home. Special friends came for quick visits and I was slowly getting my bearings. But once again, I had to surrender and accept. For someone hyperactive active (when I say hyper I mean suppa duppa Hyper active) to be so deprived of free and easy mobility is a major issue. Again, patience and relearning. I have to be really respectful and mindful of all my movements and almost everything needs to be calculated. After a while we just figure things out and adapt. So, in regards of the practical sides of things my wife is being superb and we are making things happen, very slowly. The boat is just Sailing by...
But it didn’t take long until I started to see a few nasty looking clouds forming in the horizon. And before we could do much the storm hit us. I used to sleep like a sloth, not anymore. My bowel used to function like a swiss clock, not anymore and I used to have a good humor, not anymore. That hit us day 2/3 at home. This is the message I sent my friend Neil of how I could better describe how I was feeling:
“We are sailing the storm. The sea is a bit rough, bumpy and gusty but we got the boat under control. The forecast looks good. For the moment we can only keep steering and getting used to the "roughness".Will see a good Physio tomorrow. “
And sure enough the storm passed. Through natural medicines we manage to get my guts working again (gosh, that felt good) and reestablish a decent sleep. But I know that this recovery is like a ocean crossing: we might know the prevailing winds and currents but anything can happen, any time. So, we take as it comes. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes magic like a beautiful sunset in the middle of the Atlantic. The most important thing is that I am learning heaps about myself, about life and about LOVE.
(Disclaimer: advice shared on this blog or on our related Facebook page can not be a replacement for proper medical treatment by a trained physician. Speak with a Doctor before making any medical decisions.)
