It was awful but its over!

Well I am home and the procudure is done, thank God. It was much more uncomfortable than was represented to me. It was awful when they bolted the halo to my head. It hurt, alot, even with the versette and the topical anesthesia. It hurt. Bad. Mike held my hand and I am suprised that I didn't break his fingers while they drilled into my head. Once affixed to my head I spend the next 6 hours with this 3-1/2 pound halo on my head. Discomfortort doesn't adequately describe what it felt like. When they bolted the halo into the CT it hurt really bad. The halo had to be bolted into the CT so evertime they worked to get the bolts to slide in correctly the tears just ran down my face and then I spend the next 45 minutes with my head bolted inside a CT. Once done, I was unbolted moved to a room where I waited out the planning. Since the one bad tumor is so spread out it took better than 90 minutes to plan and they wanted it to be planned perfectly which I appreciate. But in the meantime I sat in a chair for hours with this weight bolted to my head, the headache almost unbearable.

Finally they got the planning done and I was taken to the Gammaknife machine. I made them let Mike stay with me and hold my hand while I was bolted into the Gamma, which was another painful procedure then I laid there for 55 minutes while the machine did its job. Alone in the room, listening to Norah Jones, trying to relax, trying not to feel the pressure pushing down on my head and shoulders. Praying it would not only work but be over soon. Once the planing is done it is all automated and the nurse and physicist just observe and make sure it works as programed. Apparently it did and one hour later I was being unlocked from Gamma and the halo was removed, thank God. It still took about an hour for the pressure to receed and my head to start to feel normal and even today I am still experiencing numbness and terrible headaches.

After I got out of the shower this morning I was sitting there and my foot started to shake uncontrolably. I moved from the chair to the bed and began to massage the foot and leg to stop the shaking. This is exactly the way that the seizure started before and I am not going to risk it happening again. I laid in bed, called my mom and didn't move until I have someone do help me downstairs. I was going to go to exercise class today, but I am not risking another seizure and the shaking leg was the first symptom when it happened before.

I am glad to be home. The biggest side effect is swelling and exhaustion. So I will probably rest the afternoon and see how I feel later. I know I am now getting beind the wheel of the car until I am relatively certain that I am not going to have a seizure. Not today, maybe tomorrow.

My brother and his wife will be in tomorrow night for the weekend. I hope I am feeling good enough to spend some quality time with him.

I am just so glad this is over. I hope I never have to do this again but at least I know its there if I need it and if tumors return.

I am off to relax but wanted you to know I am here safe and sound, recovering as fast as I can. Will post later.

Patty