The annoying hard bump on my scalp, that we’ve been reporting to the Neurosurgeon since the January wound infection surgery, finally got diagnosed. I’d been telling him that it felt like there was a pebble underneath my scalp. Early this week, it broke through the scalp and was clearly a piece of metal. He took one look at it and immediately knew what it was.
When I had the initial surgery in July 2007 they, obviously, had to cut a piece of the skull bone out so that they could remove the tumor. To reattach the skull bone piece to the rest of the skull, they use tabs and small screws that are made of the metal Titanium, because it is invisible on MRI scans.
Apparently when they did the surgery in January, they were probing around under the scalp to remove infection and apparently the probe got caught on the end of one of the tabs and bent it upwards. What I have now is a 1/4” high piece of Titanium protruding from my scalp. So, Susanne and I have been joking about it being an antenna and wondering what signals I’ll pick up. Not only that, this antenna is attached to what I’ve come to think of as the trapdoor for my 7th or head Chakra. How cool is that!
However, the downside is that at some point it will need to be surgically corrected. The surgeon said it may wait until surgery is required for some other reason or, once I’m through with chemo and my blood counts have recovered, I’ll have a further operation to fix the problem. It’s actually kind of annoying when I’m washing or combing my hair, and my rings easily catch on it. The surgeon said he’s never had this problem occur before, and was somewhat embarrassed and apologetic. I like being unique, but maybe not when it causes further surgery?! We also saw the radiology-oncologist the same day, who simply reported that he’s not seeing anything going on to be concerned about at the moment.
During or just after Round 5 of the chemo (July 7 to 11) I had two mild-seizure events. Each time, I took a single dose of the prescribed Clonazepam and the activity subsided quickly. The one episode was Tuesday, July 8, so I was unable to work much that day. The other was Saturday afternoon July 12, shortly after I’d taken a long hot bath in Dead Sea Salts. Actually, the circumstances of both of these felt to me to be of a releasing nature not of a stress-induced nature. However, each one that happens makes the point to me that driving is postponed, once again. It’s very frustrating! My sister has borrowed my truck for the summer, but I’d love to have it back and be behind the wheel!
In addition to the medical stuff, we:
- Had a delightful boat and swimming outing on Lake Erie with our friends Rebecca Li and David Stickler on Sunday, July 6th.
- Attended a wonderful but intense session of the Spirituality Group at the
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The rest of the story….
I’m clear that Craig’s seizure frequency is concerning me. I’m more vigilant of him and more reluctant to leave him alone. When he goes out with others, I’m starting to “brief” them about what to expect and how to handle the situation. Craig and I are talking about what is appropriate and what isn’t…how much do I hover? What can I prevent? The first seizure this week was at 5:15 a.m. and I was asleep! So, no control other than helping to keep the stress level down. Each time one happens, we are to report it to the seizure specialist and the oncologist. Although, I didn’t bother them on the weekend since it was brief, mild, and the medicine worked. He is so wiped out afterwards, probably mostly from the drug. He just seemed so weak the last few days from all the drugs and from fighting off another chest cold. So, we are adjusting to this “new normal” but wondering whether it will get worse or better and what it all means.
The day at the hospital for the doctor’s appointments was totally exhausting. We arrived at 10:45 a.m. to see the radiology-oncologist and the appointment was postponed until 12:30 p.m. I left Craig to nap while I dashed down the road to the food coop and did our shopping for the week. After the appointment, we got lunch in the cafeteria and then sat in the garden atrium for a few minutes. Then up to the surgeon’s office for a 2:30 p.m. appointment…that started almost an hour late. And then the news that we were not looking at an easily-removed staple in Craig’s head but the prospect of yet another surgery! Yes, we’ve been joking about it, but I’m pissed off, too. We have so regretted deciding to do the January surgery, and here’s another reason why we shouldn’t have done it. It never ceases to amaze me how being at the hospital makes us feel as if the life has been sucked right out of us!
The good news is that the wound on Craig’s head that has had difficulty healing since January is finally looking good. Since the end of May I’ve been applying a Tea Tree Oil/Vitamin E Oil mix to it before the Bacitracin ointment, and it hasn’t blistered or broken open since. It’s now getting smaller and looking much better. Twice a day head care is very much a part of our routine, and now the antenna has been added to the care regimen.
We went from the hospital to a colleague’s home in Cleveland Heights to pick up money from book sales at Smart Marriages (we sold out Happy at Home, Happy at Work!). And then, finally home to cook dinner.
We are starting to get good at managing the constipation that comes with chemo weeks. If anyone had ever said I’d be monitoring Craig’s bathroom journeys, I’d have said they were nuts. And here I am…fiber added to this, fiber added to that! Prune anyone?
By this weekend I could tell stress has depleted me again. My energy level is way down. So, back on the rebuilding track again. It was great, though, to be out on the boat last weekend. The weather was perfect and the company excellent. As far as I recall, it was my first time in all these years living on the Lake that I’ve been out in a boat on it (other than a ferry to the islands.)
I’m noticing that our life is more home-focused these days. We are more likely to stay home and watch a DVD movie or play on Facebook (now we are both on there!). We just cannot keep up with the pace we used to lead.
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