Hello everyone,
I am soooooo happy to be home and finding my feet again.
Thank you Pat so very much for posting the updates I really appreciate it....
Thank you dear friends for your lovely messages of support and kind words...they have meant a lot to me.
Getting home for Christmas was the best gift of all being around my family and friends..I feel very grateful for that.
The operation was five hours and the two neuro surgeons that took turns to get out the tumour are happy with what they removed.
They could see during surgery that it was a metastasis because of its form and this was later confirmed by pathology.
My first night in intensive care went really well and once my blood pressure was stable they moved me to high care.
My first night in high care was very intense as they wake you every two hours for observation tests and you just grab sleep in between.
On th second morning in neuro high care they wanted me to try to sit up and danggle my legs but my head was not having any of it and I became dizzy and woozzy and threw up breakfast.
I promised myself later that day to play with the electric controls raising my head rest higher each time to get over that woozzy feeling.
The next morning the same nurse said come on Leigh lets try again after your breakfast and I said ok....fine but first help get me out of bed to the chair and table and then I will have breakfast....I was too scared I would be dizzy again and throw up...it worked and I had the best breakfast ever....watching the snow flakes fall at the window ledge....
On the Monday they shipped me off to the regular neuro ward and at last I could sleep the night through with no observations during the night.
They released me Wednesday afternoon and boy was I happy to get home..
The care I received at the UZ GENT in Belgium was top notch and I apppreciated the amazing care I received from the doctors and nurses and all the other staff members keeping the ball rolling.
The instructions from the nuro surgeon are to rest for two weeks and get pampered and then slowly build up my walking and then at six weeks I can get back to my normal activities.
My oncologist said in most cases with a metastasis other areas are effected and this would then deemed to be terminal.
This is not the case with me and are still aiming at curative intent care.
My Ct scans of my body and bone scans were clear so the plan of action now is to have preventative full brain radiotherapy for 10 days. 5 days on two days off 5 days on...with each session being 10-15 min.
On the 4th Jan they will make my mask and on the 8th Jan they will start treatment. Side effects could be itchy scalp, hair loss, tiredness, no motivation, forgetfulness.
At the beginning of Feb they will do a new MRI....this will also be my check up with the neuro surgeon.
My regular CT scans have come back from 6 monthly checks to 3 montly scans to keep a close eye on me. To be honest I am happy they have...
My balance and coordination problems will improve with time along with my double vision...feels like I have drunk a bottle of gin or something
So I am back at home
enjoying the holidays getting ready to see the new year in with family and friends and boy do I feel blessed.
I hope that the holidays have been special for you all and I want to wish you all a very peaceful, healthy and happy new year!!
Chat again in 2010
Peace to all....
xxxLeigh
