That's good to know. My husband isn't much of a shopper, but going for a walk will probably help take their minds off what's going on. I'm getting a lot of positive feedback of the recovery process. I have to admit that is what worries me the most. In a way I wish it was this week. Oh well, I'm sure everything will be okay. Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. Take care,
Bonnie
Hi Donna,
Yes, I have to admit that I have mixed emotions but I need to take care of this now so I can be well healed for Spring and Summer. My daughter is getting married on July 20th and I want to be somewhat of a help to her. Thanks for the response and well wishes. Maybe my daughter can post on the website at some point, she has a smart phone. Take care as well,
Bonnie
Oh Nikki, so good to hear from you, I've been thinking about you alot and praying you are doing well. Yes you are right about the daughter dome, I don' want to wait any longer. I need to take care of this and start on the road to recovery as soon as possible. I feel in pretty good health otherwise and I'm sure things will go as smoothly as possible. Thanks for you well wishes, I really appreciate it! Take care,
Bonnie
Thanks Mary for all your sage advice. I was wondering what I should bring along with me. I did get a headband that I can attach bangs to so I don't look too bad. I do have a soft hat I could wear over that as well. I was supposed to go for pre-admission testing today but we're in the middle of Hurricane Sandy. They're telling everyone to stay off the streets. I didn't want to get stuck in Philadelphia or have an accident trying to get there. Fortunately I can be squeezed in before my surgery so at least the date won't change. I would imagine they get you out of bed as soon as possible to get moving again. I have to admit I'm concerned about headaches and pain but alot of people have commented they are well managed and ease up after awhile. I think for me it's fear of the unknown and I want to recover as quickly as possible. I'm sure everyone feels this way. I really appreciate you responding to me and offering all these great tips! Take care,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
Thanks for asking the question. My clipping is also scheduled for November 8th. Trying to figure out how to get myself in the best frame of mind prior to going in. Want to be as positive and confident as possible hoping it will help my outcome. Great friends and family but I feel like I have to figure this out on my own. Good luck to us both!
Joanne
Hi Joanne, Although you directed this to Bonnie, I wanted to reach out to you. It is difficult to manage the multitude of mixed emotions, before your surgery. Like you and Bonnie, I wanted to go into the surgery as positive as possible and heal as quickly as possible. On the day of your surgery, it is sort of like diving into a swimming pool for the very first time. The fear of the unknown, but knowing that others have done this successfully.
The hard part about recovery, is none of us have the same experience. There are commonalities, but due to variables we all most heal at our own rate. I beg both of you, not to worry so much about how fast your recovery will be and to be patient with yourself. A positive attitude will help you. But it is okay to acknowledge and come to grips with your fear, anger, and any other emotion considered negative. Sometimes those feelings are important, to make it through a new experience.
Lol… My doctor said he knew it was time to release me from the hospital, when I started to be “fussy”. Before that, they called me a “model” patient. Not my personality at all, as I am usually feisty. Hope this helps you, Mary
Hi Bonnie, I am scheduled for a clipping Nov 6th at Johns Hopkins. I was undecided whether to go out in Sandy yesterday for my pre-op. I'm glad I did and it wasn't too bad of a travel. It is so good to hear all of the replies you have gotten. Things like head wear, pain / discomfort, jaw pain, things to eat! I had a coiling one year ago after ruptured annie and was in ICU for 2 weeks. I really craved fresh fruit.
We will have to compare notes!
joanne, much luck with your surgery. will keep you too in my prayers. donna
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for responding to me. I guess we are clipping annie buddies! I understand what you are saying. I'm praying for strength and a good outcome. I feel my faith is getting stronger and I'm thanking God that I have faith. I don't know what people do if they don't have faith. If negative thoughts come in my mind I immediately stop them and ask God to take them away. That works pretty well. Someone on here said "If He brings you to it, He'll bring you through it." I thought that was inspiring. I'm very confident with my surgeon now (2nd opinion doctor) and glad I chose her. Where are you having your surgery?
My husband and daughter are taking me to Jefferson for the operation and they'll wait to see how I'm doing. It's a little nerve wracking but like you said we have to remain as positive as possible. I have a lot of family and friend support as well. I do believe that no one understands what we are going through totally as the ones who have been through it. Thank God for this site, it's helped me tremendously.
I'm going tomorrow for pre-admission testing. I was supposed to go this past Monday but Hurricane Sandy interfered with that, luckily I can go tomorrow so it won't affect my surgery date. Yes, Good luck to both of us! Take care,
Bonnie
Mary,
Thanks so much for your insight. You are right that the fear of the unknown is what bothers me the most. And thank God for this site, it's helped me so much understand what to expect and what to do and not to do. My husband did say he thinks he will have a hard time keeping me down and I do worry about that as well. I'll have to remind myself resting will result in a speedier recovery. I'll try to take it easy and listen to my body. I so want to be back to normal as soon as I can. If you think of anything else that would be beneficial please let me know. Take care,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, I had 2 clippings done on 6/26/12. If you're confident with your neurosurgeon that's a big plus. I was with mine at Johns Hopkins and he did a wonderful job. I'm not sure of the exact location of mine but they were on my left side behind my left eye. The surgery itself is fine, you're asleep and they pretty much knock you out the minute they take you into the O.R. I had more discomfort with my angiogram then the actual surgery, but I was completely awake for that.
Recovery does take some time. You'll be on some strong pain meds in the hospital. Mine actually made me think I was seeing "spirits" so don't be alarmed if that happens. I had some pain pills for about a week at home. I tried to sleep on my right hand side since the surgery was on the left but had a frozen gel pack that I kept on my pillow in case I turned sides in my sleep. The gel pack really helped, I actually used it at night for almost 2 months.
I had 42 staples in my head and while it was uncomfortable in a couple of spots it wasn't too bad when they removed them. I was driving in 2 weeks and back to work full time in 5 weeks. I wore a scarf the first couple of weeks but had ordered some wigs before my surgery, my pic on this site is with one of my wigs.
I'm not sure how old you are but I'm 53 and my surgeon told me that no one over 50 has ever had another brain aneurysm so I'm cured and won't need any tests in the future. Even though clipping is far more intrusive than the coiling I feel so much better that this is how mine were handled.
Recovery does take some time so don't try to rush it. Just because you can't see your brain doesn't mean it's all better in a couple of months. It takes time just like any other surgery. Pamper yourself afterwards.
You seem pretty positive and I think that helps a lot. Good luck and best wishes to you!!
Hi Valerie, Who was your surgeon? Tuesday I get mine clipped by Dr. Tamargo MJ
Hi Mary Jo, sorry I just saw your message.
My neurosurgeon was Dr. Rafael Tamargo too. Trust me, he was wonderful, you are in great hands! I felt like god had sent him down to me. I hope that everything goes as well for you as it did for me.
Good luck to you and keep us posted!
I do want to add one more thing for Bonnie.
A lot of people write that light or noise bothers them after surgery. I have found this to be true for me with noise. My one daughter and 2 little granddaughters all live with me and I'm very sensitive to when they are loud or making a lot of noise. I've made my family aware of this so they understand when I have to excuse myself and head to my room.
I've also found that when a lot of people are talking to me at the same time my head gets kind of jumbled and I can't concentrate on just one person. When this happens, I don't care if I'm at work I'll say something like "One at a time please, I've had brain surgery and you're making my head spin for crap sake". They all know about my surgery so they usually just laugh at me then.
You can't change what happened to you, you just have to learn to accept it, work around it at times, and laugh at it when you can!
Hi Valerie,
Thanks so much for the valuable information. I just turned 59 so that is good to know about no more aneurysms forming. I had one angiogram the end of August and I have to admit it was a breeze, hardly felt anything. Good to know I won't have to have anymore of them. I've had enough radiation this year, 2 CT scans and MRI. I wouldn't even let my dentist Xray my teeth my last visit. How long were you in the hospital? I might be in 4 days. I had my pre-admission testing today and she told me I was very healthy.
Thanks for the tip about noise and light sensitivity. I told my husband I'm staying home by myself for Thanksgiving because I know I probably won't be able to handle 30 some loud people at his brothers house. I was thinking we should have some type of code to use when I need to rest or we need to leave to come home if we're out.
How was it when you went back to work? Do you find you might take longer to process information or did it all come back to you? I'm an accounting assistant and it's really not hard work and luckily for me I work part time. My boss told me not to worry about work and to come back when I am able to do my job. She is very supportive, thank God. I hope I am able to go back to work, I really do love my job and I have great co-workers.
You look great in your picture, can't even tell you're wearing a wig, very nice. I did buy a strip of fake bangs that you can velcro to a headband, so I'm definitely taking that with me so I can wear it home. I have to laugh at myself going through such an intricate, serious surgery and I'm worried about my hair.
What did you take to the hospital? A robe? I'll just wear their gowns, but a robe might be nice.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to me with your great tips, I really appreciate it. Take care,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
I was in ICU for 4 days and then in a private room for 2. I probably would have been out of the hospital in 4 days but my sodium and potassium levels were really low so that had to be taken care of first.
I wore the hospital gown while I was in there but had my pj bottoms on underneath when I was able to. You really don't care what you look like after surgery, at least I didn't. I cut my own hair short the day before but did bring a baseball cap with me to wear when I left the hospital. You’ll want to wear your most comfortable clothes when you leave too. I know the hair thing is probably the biggest concern to a lot of women but it will grow back, getting better is the most important thing.
It’s good that your workplace is understanding, that helps a lot! I’m a buyer/data analyst and since I had about 2 months before my surgery I spent a lot of time writing instructions for everything I do just in case I forgot something. I made out pretty good when I came back to work, usually it’s goofy things that I forget so I do write post it notes from time to time and sometimes I'll loose my focus but just tell myself to get back on track.
Don’t be too hard on yourself afterwards, your brain needs time to heal like anything else. It's just a new journey that's all.
Feel free to ask me anything Bonnie!
Take care,
Val
All of these tips are great to read. Even though I went through hospitzlation last year for a SAH and my stay was longer, this craniotomy has me a bit anxious. And, like what was written, I wonder about the little things - especially hair! I had my cut short a couple weeks ago (wish I did that years ago). I had my ears repierced for the short look - they still hurt a bit). i am still bothered by noise, high pitched voices and feel on the weekends I need to lay down for a couple of hours. I stayed off work close to 3 months last time. Doctor says about 6 weeks. I work with the criminally insane at a state max security psych hospital - I need to have my wits about me. Starting to ramble. I feel wired, like I am floating - and this is days before the pain medicine!
I'm going to get my hair cut again early next week so I won't have to get it done again until 3 or 4 months from now. I'm not looking forward to the craniotomy either but for some odd reason I feel calmer every day now. I must have a lot of people praying for me. We have to tell ourselves it's better to go through the clipping instead of taking the chance of rupture. My surgeon told me the average recuperation is 3 months. I think I'm going to take her up on that unless I feel spectacularly wonderful.
Sounds like you have a tough job, I don't think I could handle that. I'm thinking of all the things I want to get done before next Thursday, that stuff I have control over. Try to stay calm Mary Jo, I will pray for peace for you. Take care,
Bonnie
You've already been thru a lot Mary Jo, I can understand your concern. I hope that you feel comfortable with Dr Tamargo. He is a wonderful surgeon and I know that he will do the very best he can.
It is a bit scary when you're waiting for your surgery but I just kept telling myself, this is what these docs do for a living so I will be fine.
I do wish you and Bonnie all the best!
Thanks so much for your words of encouragement! I am getting stronger everyday and appreciate everyone's insights.
Joanne