ANA Discussion Forum
AN Community => AN Community => Topic started by: Wik1350 on June 04, 2010, 08:08:38 am
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The loonnnnggg wait is finally over. Today's the day for Kris' surgery at approximately 10am pst. We're certainly scared, but very ready to be on the recovery side of this ordeal. I'll keep everyone posted on how it's going today as best I can. Thanks for all your well wishes thus far, and those to come.
Mike
P.S. Parker is doing awesome. He's up over 7lbs now and has a clean bill of health from the doctor.
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You are all in my thoughts and prayers today. Best wishes to Kris for a successful surgery and uneventful recovery.
sara
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I put it on the other thread but I will put it on this one too - prayers for you all today and a special measure of PEACE for you and others waiting! Can't wait to hear the results...let'd get this behind you and get on to a LONG, fun life as a family!
K ;D
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We are all praying for your family today.
Grace
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Many thoughts and prayers going out .....
Clarice
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Well wishes to all of you~
Nancy
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Kris went into surgery around 10:15 pst time. They gave her some of the relaxing meds, which really shed the weight of the world for her. She called it her "me juice" ;D, which made her feel like her old self again. She was cracking jokes and laughing, and was in a good state that I haven't seen in awhile. I'm confident that this is the first step in being back to that full time.
Will keep posting as I know....
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Good thoughts coming your way! Hope everyone is doing well (that means you too!).
Lori
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Kris, Mike, Kay & baby Parker. Thinking great thoughts for you all today. Can't wait so see you on the post AN side.
Lainie.
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Surgery still going on....we're at about the 8.5 hr mark. Friedman checked in about 30 min ago and things we're going fine, but just a lot of tumor to take out. He was guessing she'd be into ICU in a few hours (30min ago). I sure hope so....the wait is agonizing, especially as time ticks on.
Her Baha is out of the question now, but no worries there. We'll get that done another time. Just hoping for a full extraction and some good facial nerve preservation at this point.
Will let you know when finished.
Mike
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Hang in there! I've heard of many 10-12 plus hour surgeries that were successful and thank God they are taking their time.
I had a tiny tumor that was only supposed to take 3 hours that took a lot longer than they predicted. No hurrying is what we want when it comes to brain surgery.
So many people are with you right now and supporting you!
Deep breaths,
Amy
PS I remember coming out in ICU and barfing all over the docs. Then my Dad was talking to me and I was so drugged I was talking to him with my pinkie! It's very surreal so don't be startled if Kris acts very strange!
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Mike, I'm one of those that Amy mentioned. My 3.5cm AN took 12 hours to remove and I came out fine. Positive thoughts...hang in there.
Patrick
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Kris is waking up as we speak and all is well. They got 99% of the tumor, with the last microscopic bit stuck to the facial nerve. Speaking of which, it is in tact and responding well to stimulation. We'll see how she does when we she comes to, but they expect her to respond well with hopefully no complications or long last effects.
Friedman said the tumor was "plunging into her brain", so I have no doubt her life was saved today. I'm so happy she did so well and we're blessed with great surgeons to see her though it. We've also been blessed and guided by all of the prayers that have been answered, so thank you all for that.
I'm off to see her now and will update more tomorrow. Good night, God Bless!
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Mike,
Great news! Thank you SO much for taking the time to update us.
Hope you're able to get some rest tonight, too. Looking forward to hearing more tomorrow.
Please let Kris know we are all thinking of her!
Nancy
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Mike, I am so glad it is all over and that Kris is waking up. I have been thinking of you and your family all day. I can now go to bed knowing that Kris came through this and all is well.
Lainie.
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I'm so glad that the surgery went well. Kris was not out yet when I went to bed last night, and this was the first thing I checked this morning. Looking forward to additional positive updates.
Sara
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Good to hear the surgery went well. I've always told my family that the surgery day is hardest for them once I was in surgery.
I hope all goes well now and that the first few days go fast! Remember our motto that the first 3 days don't count!
Cheryl R
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Glad things went well and hope she (& you) had a good night. Onward & upward from here...remember it won't always be smooth sailing and you will need lots of patience along the way, but everything WILL be good in the end!! Tell Kris to listen to her body!!
Prayers still coming your way!
K ;D
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So glad Kris' surgery is over. It sounds like everything went well. Now on to a quick recovery. As the others have said, do not be discouraged if these first three days are a bit rocky ..... she has been through a lot. From day four on she should rapidly feel better.
Thoughts and prayers continue for this next phase in the journey!
Clarice
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Mike ~
Thank you for the great news about Kris! Prayers have certainly been answered. I'm sure she'll have a fine recovery. Take good care of her. :)
Jim
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Mike,
Thanks for the wonderful updates and I want to officially welcome Kris to postie land! Hope she is recovering well, and remember the first 3 days don't count :)
Take care and please keep us posted,
Liz
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Mike,
So relieved to hear that Kris's surgery was a success! Now YOU take a deep breath, get some fresh air.
We'll be here for both of you ;)
Maureen
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Quick update for Day 1, which as I understand it doesn't count. I'll be sure to remind her of that, btw.
I got in to see Kris several times in ICU today. She is sleeping most of the time and very groggy from the pain medication when she is not. She's bothered by head pain (does this surprise anyone?) the most and she's soar from being strapped down in an awkward position for 10 hours during the surgery. It was a long surgery and her brain stem was displaced pretty bad so this isn't shocking anyone, including me.
She is really bothered by opening her eyes, so she doesn't do it too much right now. She says it makes her head hurt so she has to be pushed by us and the staff to try every so often to get used to it. The doctors have done full exams on her and gotten good response out of her eyes when they do, so they don't think there is any lasting issues there it might just take a little time to adjust. She also had an MRI today to check for fluid buildup and such and it came back clean which was good.
I did notice that as the day progress our conversations went from one word answers to more reciprocal interactions. I believe that with another night of rest the progress will continue. I have faith that the answer to her question today of "will I ever get better?" is absolutely and unequivocally YES!
Till tomorrow, good night friends.
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2 wonderful blessings to count... baby Parker and a successful surgery (whew that's behind her now).
Your family remains in my prayers.
DHM
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Sounds like things are already picking up!! Yeah, between all the drugs/anesthesia and whatnot, she'll be groggy for several days. I'm keeping her in my prayers for a speedy and uneventful recovery! Keep us updated when you can (you are doing a wonderful job thus far!)
Jay
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Sounds like Kris is doing well. It is very normal not to want to open her eyes ..... not only because of the headache, but she may experience double vision and dizziness when she does, as well ..... all very expected. Once they can begin to reduce the pain meds and anti-nausea drugs, she will feel better also.
Thoughts and prayers continue for all of you!! You need to also take care of yourself, you know!
Clarice
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Sounds like she is doing good ... I know she feels bad but still sounds like she doing good all the same ...
as for eye opening ... opening mine post op was painful ... recovery tech that sat with me for hours before going to ICU said it was from suddenly seeing everything and it was overstimulating my tired brain ... he put it more in medical terms but that is what it came down to ... I could open my eyes for them when asked , but preferred them closed ...and for 2 days opened them as little as possible
continued good healing to Kris
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Mike ~
Kris' reactions thus far seem perfectly normal and why we say (thanks to Steve), that the first three days (post-op) 'don't count'. It takes that amount of time to get the anesthesia out of your system and for the patient's body/brain to begin to rebound from the trauma of invasive surgery. You should see improvement daily. 5 days is the typical hospital stay, although there is no set time frame for discharge and her doctors will decide if and when Kris is ready to go home, where recovery is always easier (in my opinion). Thanks for keeping us 'in the loop'.
Jim
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Thanks again for the updates, and I also had a lot of pain from light that lasted about two weeks. In the hospital I used an empty pillowcase to cover them when it was really bothersome.
Take care,
Liz
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I am so glad to see your updates. I only have a computer at work right now, so I had to wait until this morning to see how Kris is doing. I thought about her all weeked.
Grace
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Today is post op day no. 3.
Hopefully Kris is slowly feeling a tad bit better every day. Tell her a lot of us can empathize about the "liking the eye closed" situation, including me. :)
Too much stimulation, and I would get "woozy" or more woozy. Seemed the minute I closed my eyes, another person came in and of course they want you to open your eyes!
She'll feel better when she can rest uninterrupted. Has she been up and walking? How's the dizziness? Tell her we are all rooting for her! It WILL slowly improve.
This is the AN road we travel......
Gentle hugs,
Maureen
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Post Op Day 2: Yada, yada, yada. Fastforward.....just a blah day.
Post Op Day 3: Was a little freaked when Dr. Friedman said that he hadn't really seen how her eyes were reacting before, but he reassured me that everything was perfect after surgery and the MRI was good so he was not too concerned. Sure enough, mid-morning rolled around and there was vast improvement. PT got her up to walk around and she was a little shaky the first time. She did much better in the afternoon and walked quite a bit with less assistance. Her eyes are opening more, and while still not fully coordinated, there's big improvement there too. We sat and had a real conversation for a bit, which was so uplifting for both of us. Good to see smiles and laughs.
I expect we'll see continued improvement from here. Oh, and I did paraphrase a lot of the responses to her and it really relieved her to know that others had the eye issues like her and she would be OK.
She'll be too emotional right now to reunite with Parker, but I can't wait until she's ready for that. That'll put the world's biggest smile on my face.
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Glad to hear things went a little better today and she is up walking and talking and the eye situation is improving somewhat. :) Baby steps we call them. The big thing is simply walking, resting, drinking, eating (pooping too :D) so she can get home. Between the c-section and brain surgery, she has been through the wringer! She sounds like a strong lady.
She'll be holding her precious bundle before she knows it. Little symptoms may arise, but they will most likely be temporary.
Sounds like she is doing great!
Maureen
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Great news that Kris is already up and walking around. And laughing! I don't think I was able to do that for quite some time after my surgery. She is going to do great! And the reunion with Parker will be very emotional and uplifting for everyone! What better reward after going through brain surgery than to be handed a beautiful new baby boy when it's all over with! My son Dylan was only 3 months and we kept him out of the hospital for fear of him getting sick. Coming home to him made me so happy that I couldn't stop crying and hugging him. Of course, Dylan was over the 10 lb weight limit so I couldn't lift him, but Parker is about 7 lbs now so hopefully Kris can pick him up whenever she's ready!
So glad she's moving around, talking and acting like herself!
Keep up the good work!
Amy
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We'll have to get in a visit soon then, he's rapidly on his way to 10lbs. Kid can eat!
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Fantastic news and she must be so happy to be walking around, what a great improvement ;D
Thanks!
Liz
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Mike ~
Thanks a bunch for the update! It seems as if Kris is having a very good recovery and is right on track for discharge. I'm sure the mother and child reunion is only a motion away. ;)
Jim
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Another good day of steady progression. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're working on it. Doc mentioned a possible discharge tomorrow. We'll see, but it's a sign we're going to get back home sometime in the foreseeable future. Oh how we miss home and our puppies.
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Yea, great news! Baby steps continue :)
Maureen
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Glad to see that everyones prayers and positive thoughts were answered again. No, you are not out of the woods yet but the worst is well behind you. Continued luck with your recovery.
Mike
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Sounds like Kris is right on track. This week is rough, I know, but it gets better and better every day. I'll be thinking of you!
Katie
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Mike,
I just checked out the video you posted on the blog of Kris walking with her PT. ;D
She looks like she is making fantastic progress! It is so nice to see her walking and smiling. Thank you for posting it!
http://www.ksiwek.blogspot.com/ (http://www.ksiwek.blogspot.com/)
Nancy
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Just saw your video of baby Parker back in Mommy's arms. What an incredibly beautiful moment! It seems like all is right in the world after watching you two back together. You look fantastic and your recovery seems to be going remarkably well. Many prayers were answered for your family!
Here's to continued recovery and the entire family reunion! Pooches included!
Love,
Amy
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Mike ~
Thanks again for the updates. I checked out your blog - and it's great!. The video of Kris and Parker was charming. The video of Kris walking brought back memories because that is pretty much what I was doing exactly four years ago today...recovering from AN surgery and trying to get back to normalcy as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I don't have so much as a snapshot of that time but my memory is quite clear. Besides, who would want to watch some grizzled old guy walking around the hospital corridors? Kris, you and, most of all, baby Parker are much nicer to watch - so thanks for sharing this with us. :)
Jim
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You look Great, Kris, and the baby is beautiful. You must be so happy and relieved.
Keep up the great recovery!
Maureen
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Kris and Mike .....
So glad you are all back together as a family ..... even if it is still in California. News continues to be good. So grateful!!
Thoughts and prayers continue for a quick and safe return to Wisconsin.
Clarice
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Hi All! It's Kris posting a short note (as you all know time on the computer right now is so taxing on the brain). I just wanted to come on for a minute to say a huge 'Thank You' for the support!!!! This has been the most difficult journey and one that was made lighter from support from all of you!
I am getting better day by day and am so looking forward to heading home on Thursday (from LA to Milwaukee...got discharged from hospital after 6 days...) My eye tracking is slowly improving, but so many of my pre-surgery symptoms have improved! By the last month before surgery I wasn't able to walk on my own, move my eyes fully, feel my face, etc.....all of these things are gone now! My heart is lighter and full of love! I feel blessed and look forward to everyday that brings me closer to what is normal!!!
I will post more as the computer becomes less fatiguing, but needed to let you know how much I appreciated hearing every word you posted (via Mike). The comments kept me going thru those first crazy steroid filled days!
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Hi Kris,
Wow, what an amazing recovery you are making. Keep up those baby steps (you got TWO in that category :D). Your body will tell you when you are physically overdoing it. Nap when the baby naps, with him snuggled up to you if at all possible.
How sweet is that? And then the easy walking. I'm so happy for you, I don't recall the pre op symptoms but yes, you are sure blessed to get all those pesky symptoms behind you. Time to enjoy your new role as motherhood.
Let us know how things continue to go as you "re-enter" the real world in WI. At least you'll have nice cool weather to welcome you back.
Keep smiling!
Maureen
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Great news Kris, "there's no place like home" :)
Hope you continue to feel better,
Rich & Scarlett
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Hi Kris - It's so great to see you on the computer already, even if only for a short time. Great progress!! Safe travels home, and enjoy every minute with the baby as you continue to heal!!!!!
Martha
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Hi Everyone!
It has been about 3.5 weeks since my surgery now...and life recovering from a craniotomy and tending to a newborn are busy...and that is an understatement! I am lucky to have such great help with the baby so that I can rest a little more than most mom's with a new baby!
I just wanted to let you all know that slowly but surely I am making progress. As I reflect on the symptoms that have resolved, I am reminded at how far I have come! I am blessed for the outcome this far and continue to pray that all will continue to resolve and improve.
Also, local ABC news media did a piece on our story and I think that there may be some other media coverage coming....I will post if this is the case....http://www.wisn.com/video/23956845/index.html
I am just so thrilled to be alive with a healthy baby..I wanted to list out all of the things that have improved from prior to surgery and I am thankful for...and that I will never take for granted again....
I can now walk without help...before surgery I had to hold on to my husband or mom
I can look up at a menu at a place like starbucks with my eyes (and not move my head)
I can wash my hair without getting water/soap in my left eye
The left half of my face doesn't feel like its asleep with a 10lb weight
I can feel my tongue
I can drink out of a glass without dribbling fluid out of my mouth
I can put eye makeup on again because I can focus my eyes to do so
My left arm has better coordination when I type!
My left eye is the same size as my right eye 95% of the time...it was bulging prior to surgery
Did I mention my adorable baby that is happy and healthy despite his early arrival?!
I have full facial function post surgery!!!
I am still waiting for my eyes to track fully together, but I can tell that they are slowly improving. I still have a decent amount of that 'wonky' head feeling, but I know I need to be patient as it has only been 3.5 weeks! It is great to be on the other side...the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders, and I am so thankful and blessed to be typing this message. I have hope and I believe that all will continue to get better.
Thanks again all of you, your support shaped my AN journey for the better! I will post more when I can! Now fingers crossed baby Parker will start sleeping through the night in a few weeks!!!!
God Bless all of you!
Kris
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sounds like recovery is going great ...take care of yourself and that baby ...bet he has grown ... they never stay little long enough
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Kris .....
Parker is adorable (and so are you! ::)) in the video. You are doing amazingly well!! ..... and Parker is a tremendous incentive to your quick recovery.
Best thoughts and continuing prayers for an uneventful full recovery.
Clarice
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Kris ~
Thanks for the update and video link. I'm pleased to see how well you and Parker are doing, in your own way, of course. Please stay in touch via this forum because you have a lot of friends who care about you and your family and are interested in your recovery, which will be excellent, I'm sure. :)
Jim
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Very emotional.
God Bless you and your family.
Anne Marie
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Thanks for the link. Very emotional like Anne Marie said.
What a ride you have been through, and to see that you are feeling so much better now with your healthy baby boy. How exciting for you!
You are so strong, keep it up and enjoy your darling boy (s)!~ husband included ;)
Maureen
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WOW. What a great clip. You both look great, that Parker is a DOLL. And I loved your list of gratitudes.
Take care and enjoy the little one. He'll be sleeping through the night before you know it.
Martha
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The clip is wonderful and certainly inspirational. You are a terrific role model for anyone going through challenges!
~Dale~
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Kris,
You look great and Parker is a doll! Congrats on your successful surgery and many happy years with your little man (and the hubs he's great too). Thank you for sharing the link.
You are amazingly strong, and an inspiration to anyone with an AN.
Take care,
Liz