Countdown to Brain Surgery

A decision was made and I am officially having brain surgery. The big day is:

The Decision

After weighing my options, I ultimately decided to go with Dr. Almefty at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. I liked that he plans to be aggressive in attempting to remove as much of the tumor as possible in one go. I really loved Dr. Bi in Boston and when I spoke to Dr. Almefty, I felt like I was having the same appointment again. They were so in line with one another, especially in regards to the goal being to take out as much as possible while keeping me as whole as possible. You can learn more about Dr. Almefty here. I feel positive about this decision and I am as excited as I can be for having brain surgery. Also, a perk is that I will be undergoing surgery and recuperating where my best friend currently lives! I feel like it was meant to be.

The Plan

Several days before surgery I will arrive in Phoenix for pre-op appointments and imaging. At this point, I've only had one CT and one MRI and those are almost 4 months old now. I am so eager to see what Monica has been up to. Has she been lying low or getting bigger?? I'm so curious! The day before surgery I will finally meet Dr. Almefty in person. The surgery itself will be long... in the ballpark of 12 hours. After surgery, they anticipate me being in the hospital 3-5 days, then I'm to remain in the Phoenix area for a minimum of ten days. That way if there are any complications I can get back to the hospital and see Dr. Almefty right away.

The Preparation

The thought of having surgery is definitely daunting am I am preparing the best I can. I am trying to eat more fruits, veggies, and protein. To help calm my mind I am listening to various guided meditations to help me have a positive outlook on surgery and calm my nervous system. In order to avoid bringing a bunch of unnecessary items to the hospital and forgetting important stuff, I read a ton about people's experiences and am putting together a packing list. I even bought a few new sets of comfy PJs with button up fronts to hopefully help me avoid being forever stuck in a hospital gown. To get medical clearance, I made sure to book a appointment with my primary care doctor as soon as surgery was booked.

Now I Wait

It still feels so unreal to not only have this thing in my head but to now have a surgery date in less than 3 weeks. I don't know how many more updates I will have until then. I plan to make Steve an author on the blog so that he can post updates while I am out of commission. If you are interested in following the journey the best thing to do is sign up with your email on my homepage. It is free and you will only be emailed to notify you as soon as something new is posted! Thanks for reading.