...Free at last...

Greetings and salutations to all of my loyal Blog readers out there.

First things first...I am home..not in the hospital. And due to the lag in getting my proverbial you know what together, I fear there has been a bad communication gap to that effect - so my apologies to all.

So where were we - oh yeah, spinal drain. That came out once my medical entourage (if you think I'm kidding, you have never stayed at a true teaching hospital) concluded that my cranium had managed to properly seal its heretofore mentioned leaky weep holes and I could be sent off on my way. And so, without any ceremony and definitely no pomp and circumstance, Eileen and I departed NYU Medical Center once again.

For you skiers out there (especially those of us that call the Northeast home turf), here's a riddle for you. What's more fun than slapping on your rock skis and attempting a 'one last run' on a natural snow trail in Vermont, in late March at about 3:30 in the afternoon? Answer: being driven home from midtown Manhattan after cerebral surgery. There has to be something somewhere in the Stimulus Package that includes paving NYC streets and highways. There is something very bizarre about living so close to some of the finest medical institutions in the world and then being sent on to that city's streets as a post op patient. There has to be a municipal finance opportunity in this somewhere - maybe Mayor Mike can lay out the bucks before hand as a good will gesture to entice more voters.

And so home I have been since the 20th of June taking on the challenges of getting myself back to where I was physically (and dare I say) and mentally before all of this started. When I had first begun doing my research about acoustic neuromas I kept coming across references to post operative discomfort (I think they meant pain), disorientation, malaise and fatigue. Now, any one of those could be daunting and any normal person would say to themselves, okay, I'm a rational person, I'll pick one or two of those because going for the whole caboodle doesn't seem likely. Well...remember the old "it's nice to fool with Mother Nature" ad?

Here are a few of my cautions to patients in similar post-op situations. First, never lose sight of the fact that the after affects of general anesthesia should never be underestimated. Don't get me wrong - I am not advocating that we go back to the chloroform soaked towel over the nose or even a great bottle of Bourbon at the doctor's ready hand (was that for him or the patient?). Being a child of the late 60's and early 70's there is nothing in my past that would indicate that pharmaceuticals properly administered are a bad thing. But they do linger and have their impact on all kinds of inner workings of your normal processes, brain functions and ... boy what dreams. More on those in some later posting..maybe.

The next cautionary warning - pain killers. My previously noted post-op faves - morphine and percocet. Great combo but not the staff of life for sure. I came home to a decent supply of percocet that I quickly learned once I was out of the hospital was really getting in my way of holding on to the grab bars of getting a grip on getting this recovery underway. So I have now gotten myself to occasional Tylenol doses (I am saying that in case there is a panel member of the FDA observing the blog and is anxious to make an example of me should I prove to be an irresponsible Tylenol user and need the government to stop me from abusing myself ... oops... my politics are getting in here ...sorry) that help with a headache that still visits me each evening.

The fatigue is getting better but is none the less a reality. I have developed such an amazing understanding of older people that operate their daily routines with the wide array of impairments that affect their focus, clarity and dexterity. The seemingly simple undertaking is suddenly not. Walking a straight line, balance, diligent about what you can lift or not, bathing and showering... learning the patience to endure the adjustments to modifying those tasks is a life's education all by itself. Maybe as we age we just adjust ourselves as we 'mature' as opposed to being thrust into the scenario as the result of sudden illness or physical impairment.

I do feel as if I live in a haze - again no need to comment here. But there is this aura that I feel is between me and staying focused on specifics for extended periods of time (hence the delayed blog postings). I am on an absolute quest to make sure I am back on my skis by Thanksgiving and causing havoc with my fellow Ambassadors at Mount Snow (as much as we can get away with anyway). I have started daily walks in our neighborhood -I am up to about 3/4 mile as of today. I am quite a sight - I have so many masters to serve. Eileen insists that I take my phone - I do and I have pledged to call her at her office when and if I fall in the middle of the road and will wait there until she arrives (okay - I know that was just being silly). Of course there is my wide brimmed genuine Italian Straw Hat ( kind out of "Death in Venice") which I did buy in Venice, one of my walking sticks and of course a water bottle to stay hydrated. Just me and the birds and squirrels - very pastoral indeed. Sleep is strange - middle of the day no problem - middle of the night - problem. Stop the middle of the day nap - middle of the night still a problem.

I am getting home visits from a visiting nurse who is monitoring my progress. As fate would have it she's also a semi-pro pianist and awed by our piano when first she arrived. I now will not let her leave until she plays something for me. It's a very cool arrangement. I'm not exactly sure how much the VNS and Aetna approve but what they don't know won't hurt them. I am also getting some PT at home as well and my therapist, Phil, is a really good guy. He totally understands where I am right now, has validated it all, and is very focused on getting my confidence and balance back on track. Which also takes me to me next suggestion - please make sure that you ask every question you and/or your significant other can ask your insurance carrier and the social service staff at the hospital in which you will be treated. There are an entire host of services and therapies that can be made available to a post op patient. But honestly, if you don't investigate and ask, they are not going to fall into your lap. Do not be shy - these services can be invaluable in nudging your recovery along and take you to full health that much faster.

It's really getting late and thankfully, I am fading here. But I did want to continue to thank so many, many of you that have continued to e-mail wonderful messages of hope and support, send get well cards, fill up our answering machine and attach comments to the blog. Your love, support and faith in getting us through this has been truly unbelievable. Thank-you, thank-you.