8 Weeks Post Op and Counting

I said in mid-July that I could not wait until September/October.  Not because of my usual excitement for football, or bonfire weather, nope.  But, because I knew that this was the time frame in which we would be over the post-op hurdles, and back to as normal of an everyday life as possible.  So, when I realized that G would hit the  8 week mark this coming Wednesday, I was relieved.  I don't know why, but the 8 week mark, in my head, was the freedom date.  Not from restrictions, or from symptoms, but from the constant worry of whether our decision was the right one.  The memory of sitting in the Pre-Op room seems so long ago, yet so recent.

I am amazed everyday how well G has done during recovery.  Since school has been in session, I have only been called to the school a handful of times, and these calls have decreased dramatically in the last 2-3 weeks.  She has only gone in once late due to symptoms, and has been picked up early very few times.  My fear that she would miss out on a major part of the first 9 weeks was, in relief, unfounded. 

Symptom update:  G's symptoms are, by no means, gone.  They are different, and less severe, but I am concerned that we will never quite win this war.  Her leg weakness is gone, and her falling spells have disappeared, which helps me know we made the right decision to choose the surgical option.  However, her headaches are still present, and I am not so sure the frequency is better.  Severity scale is better, but she still complains of headaches on a routine basis. I am hopeful that these will continue to decrease the farther from surgery we get. Most headaches are caused by an external source such as loud noises, over doing activity, or looking down too long.  Only occasional headaches come on with no warning or external source, which is an improvement from her pre-op complaints.

Her ringing in the ears has been the most interesting symptom to watch.  And, frankly, I do not know what to make of it.  She went into surgery with a steady ringing sound in both ears.  In ICU, the day after surgery, she reported it being completely gone. But as the recovery period has proceeded, it has come back.  But now, instead of a steady ringing, she reports an alternating higher and lower pitch every few minutes and a loud "booming" sound a few times a day.  Occasionally, she describes the sounds around becoming louder and deeper, then return to normal.  As the healing process continues, I expect this particular symptom to evolve. And I truly hope, with every ounce of my being, that it will resolve.  

We return to Cincinnati at the end of next month for a follow up MRI and appointment.  This is when we will know for certain if the surgery did what it was supposed to do both physiologically/anatomically.  I have talked with many other Chiari moms, and a large number have gone to this visit expecting a 100% fix, but they find that the healing process has gone slightly wrong.  In some cases, they may need additional procedures or therapy.  Others are watched more closely with more frequent MRIs.  I hope we are in the minority and find that the surgery gave her cerebellum enough room to heal, and her spinal fluid is flowing freely.  Until then, we will continue living a crazy, busy life and having fun.

-SCM :)