Time Goes By...So Slowly.....

Tuesday June 3 at 2:00a.m.: “Doreen, open your eyes.” I struggled to lift my heavy eye lids; I blinked a couple of times and tried to focus on Dr. Gorelick. Wait, why are there two Dr. Gorelicks? She must have seen the look of confusion on my face, “Can you see two of me? Don’t worry, double vision is common after brain surgery, it will go away.” I closed my eyes and drifted back off to sleep.

After my diagnosis of a brain tumor, it had been a whirlwind month. I was admitted to St. Raphael’s Hospital on Friday, May 30, the procedure to block off the blood supply to my brain tumor had been successful….or so they thought. I spent the weekend in the ICU and at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 2, they wheeled me into surgery.

Dr. Gorelick had warned us that because of the location of my tumor the surgery would take at least 10 hours, my surgery eventually took a staggering 18 hours. Despite the procedure to cut off the blood supply, the tumor bled every time they cut into it. Several cranial nerves were attached to it and Dr. Gorelick had to remove slivers of tumor around them. When I was wheeled back into the ICU, my husband was told they did not get the entire tumor, they would have to do an MRI later that day to determine if I needed another surgery.

The next 24 hours are a blur for me. I remember nurses asking me questions “Do you know where you are?” I drifted in and out of sleep. I was awake enough to understand the need for the MRI and as I lay in the machine I nicknamed the “Tunnel of Terror” I prayed I would not have to have another surgery. Thankfully they had removed 75 percent so the remainder could be treated with radiation at a later date.

I would not let my kids visit me during this time; I looked like I had been hit by a bus. I was wearing a helmet to protect my incision and broken skull and because of 18 hours in surgery my face was puffy and thanks to the double vision I was sporting an eye-patch!

By Friday, I could shuffle to the bathroom by myself and when I took the patch off to wash my face, I was no longer seeing double. Once I proved I could walk up and down a flight of stairs, Dr. Gorelick told me I could go home the next day.

From the long list of potential side effects I had faced, the only lasting damage I was left with was a paralyzed vocal chord. This made swallowing difficult for a long time and yelling was no longer an option, something my kids were not disappointed about! My body eventually learned to compensate and I can now eat without fear of choking.

I went home and the physical and mental healing began.

For more information on primary brain tumors, go to www.brainsciencefoundation.com.