Hi Samantha~
Once again, this site is not showing me all of the "unread posts" correctly so I didn't see this thread until tonight. You have received some WONDERFUL responses already but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring too because I
DID have most of what you are talking about, including the hand. However, mine was the WHOLE right side, not just my hand. They said that I had a stroke on the table but not a regular stroke, a "surgery induced stroke" so it was all on the same side as my tumor. I don't know what all that means, I just know that I had to relearn EVERYTHING (I even had to relearn speech as I had reverted back to my childhood - didn't even acknowledge my sweet hubby b/c he wasn't around when I was a little girl!)! As the others have said, you are still not very far out and even though the recovery REALLY STINKS, it WILL get better. You can go to my blog if you want & see what my life is like now 13 years later - I was only 25 when I had surgery - the address is below. I went back to teaching 1st grade (high energy) in 3 months - even though I didn't feel like it! - and then on to have 3 daughters. I still get tired, lose my balance, and have a paralyzed face but I am alive and I have a GREAT life!
On the eye issues (this is for you too, Ken) - PLEASE keep your eye very moist at all times - even when you think you don't need to. I went for 7 years before I got a gold weight and so I used Refresh PM 24/7 - therefore, I did not really have any vision in that eye b/c the salve distorts it (& I had horrible - 20/400 - vision in that eye to begin with). I drove and did everything I needed to with only seeing with one eye. After I got the weight, I only put the Refresh PM at night and used a drop of Systane in the mornings (or if it got red). My vision improved, but it is not constant because if your eye is not blinking ALL the way, it is not getting the moisture it needs all over the surface of the eyeball. I have 1/100 of a second where I might see perfectly clearly, but then it goes away. Does that make sense?
Please do not despair that you will end up with the "problems" that I have (I don't even think they are problems anymore!), I had a very large tumor and it was 13 years ago. Modern medicine has progressed so much, even in that amount of time. Most people today do NOT have the lasting effects that I have. I would LOVE to chat with you on the phone - please send me a PM if you would like to talk!
K