Medical Journey - My Thoughts - Post #1
I wanted to take some time to share about what God did for me during my stay at University of Michigan Hospital and my recovery since. This will be the first of several blog posts explaining things from my perspective. Some of my memories from the first several days do tend to run together, probably a result of the moraphine or other drugs used during the surgery.
On May 26th, Alexis, my Mother, and I woke up early to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Those of you who know me, I am not a morning person and this was difficult in itself. Knowing I was going in for brain surgery made it that much harder. I remember joking with Alexis during our drive that morning that not many people probably drive themselves to the hospital for brain surgery, and that was exactly what I did that morning.
When we got to the hospital it became very real for me, and what I was about to do scared me a bit. Thankfully I had faith that God was on my side and that He was going to take care of everything. He had taken care of me so far, and I was confident that He was not about to stop!
We checked in and within a few minutes they took us back to the pre-op area. All the Dr's filtered in over the next hour. The first thing that happened after I got dressed in the nice stylish hospital gown and cap was an IV was put in. This was no biggie, but then they said they wanted to put in an artery line. This was the first time that I saw God work on that day. Artery lines tend to not go in right the first time, and they are a bit painful. God guided the Drs hand and it was in perfectly the first try. Even the Dr said that is not the norm, but it reminded me that God was in control.
As we approached the 7:30 hour, my nerves were begining to get shot. I was thankful for Alexis, my Mother, and Pastor Byron who came to pray with us. At 7:30 on the nose they took me back. They brought me to this rather large room, with a 50+ inch plasma screen on the wall. They screen had my name on it and my vitals were showing up as they began to hook things up to me. Shortly after I really was struggling and just kept praying. In a matter of minutes they had me breathing oxygen and then put something in my IV, and I was out.
Some of things I remember before being put under, was that they made sure my robe was not tied underneath me. 10.5 hour surgery with a knot under me would cause problems. The table was hard, seeing my name on the screen was calming and scary.
Next thing I remember is waking up and hearing Dr. Thompson the brain surgeon asking me to smile. I did and it must have been a big smile, cause I remember seeing my check in my left eye which was a very good sign. About this time Alexis was able to come see me and shortly after so was my Mother. I am not sure if that helped them or not, I guess all the IV fluids made me look a little different.
I don't remember if it was that day of the next but Dr. Thompson said he got the full tumor, and believed that the facial nerve was untouched. Based on the results I have seen so far, God guided his hands perfectly. I do remember talking to one of the interns and she walked into the surgery just as Dr. Thompson got the tumor out, and everyone was cheering. It was good to hear that they celebrate success even during the surgery.
Dr. Thompson also asked when was the ultrasound taken. We told him it was done in March and he was surprised at the speed that the tumor was growing. Normally Acoustic Neuromas grow at a rate of 1 mm per year. Mine grew 7 mms in a couple of months. It was definately a good thing that we did not take the wait and see approach as is taken by some.
The day ended with me being in Neurology Intensive Care Unit and them continuing to give me moraphine. I did throw up a couple of times that first night and early the next day. Normally due to being moved or turning my head to quickly. Thankfully after that I was able to keep everything down, especially once I started eating.
Thanks for reading about my medical journey. I will continue to share more in the coming days.
Please continue to pray for me and I heal up from all that has happened. Their is still a risk of the CSF leak coming back and I have a long way to go before I have enough energy to do much.
I appreciate your prayers, and pray that God Blesses You Abundantly!
Robert
On May 26th, Alexis, my Mother, and I woke up early to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Those of you who know me, I am not a morning person and this was difficult in itself. Knowing I was going in for brain surgery made it that much harder. I remember joking with Alexis during our drive that morning that not many people probably drive themselves to the hospital for brain surgery, and that was exactly what I did that morning.
When we got to the hospital it became very real for me, and what I was about to do scared me a bit. Thankfully I had faith that God was on my side and that He was going to take care of everything. He had taken care of me so far, and I was confident that He was not about to stop!
We checked in and within a few minutes they took us back to the pre-op area. All the Dr's filtered in over the next hour. The first thing that happened after I got dressed in the nice stylish hospital gown and cap was an IV was put in. This was no biggie, but then they said they wanted to put in an artery line. This was the first time that I saw God work on that day. Artery lines tend to not go in right the first time, and they are a bit painful. God guided the Drs hand and it was in perfectly the first try. Even the Dr said that is not the norm, but it reminded me that God was in control.
As we approached the 7:30 hour, my nerves were begining to get shot. I was thankful for Alexis, my Mother, and Pastor Byron who came to pray with us. At 7:30 on the nose they took me back. They brought me to this rather large room, with a 50+ inch plasma screen on the wall. They screen had my name on it and my vitals were showing up as they began to hook things up to me. Shortly after I really was struggling and just kept praying. In a matter of minutes they had me breathing oxygen and then put something in my IV, and I was out.
Some of things I remember before being put under, was that they made sure my robe was not tied underneath me. 10.5 hour surgery with a knot under me would cause problems. The table was hard, seeing my name on the screen was calming and scary.
Next thing I remember is waking up and hearing Dr. Thompson the brain surgeon asking me to smile. I did and it must have been a big smile, cause I remember seeing my check in my left eye which was a very good sign. About this time Alexis was able to come see me and shortly after so was my Mother. I am not sure if that helped them or not, I guess all the IV fluids made me look a little different.
I don't remember if it was that day of the next but Dr. Thompson said he got the full tumor, and believed that the facial nerve was untouched. Based on the results I have seen so far, God guided his hands perfectly. I do remember talking to one of the interns and she walked into the surgery just as Dr. Thompson got the tumor out, and everyone was cheering. It was good to hear that they celebrate success even during the surgery.
Dr. Thompson also asked when was the ultrasound taken. We told him it was done in March and he was surprised at the speed that the tumor was growing. Normally Acoustic Neuromas grow at a rate of 1 mm per year. Mine grew 7 mms in a couple of months. It was definately a good thing that we did not take the wait and see approach as is taken by some.
The day ended with me being in Neurology Intensive Care Unit and them continuing to give me moraphine. I did throw up a couple of times that first night and early the next day. Normally due to being moved or turning my head to quickly. Thankfully after that I was able to keep everything down, especially once I started eating.
Thanks for reading about my medical journey. I will continue to share more in the coming days.
Please continue to pray for me and I heal up from all that has happened. Their is still a risk of the CSF leak coming back and I have a long way to go before I have enough energy to do much.
I appreciate your prayers, and pray that God Blesses You Abundantly!
Robert
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