Hi, Family and Friends. It’s been since December 5th that I’ve been able to update, and after a rigorous few days up here at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids, I thought I’d give a quick update.

I had a piece of my skull bone behind my ear removed during surgery, and I still have quite . a bit of brain and scalp swelling from that. I still have facial droop. Speech is good, though, and so is swallowing.

I am still really unable to handle visitors, and that is mostly because of the vestibular hearing loss and brain processing. I can’t handle more than a few minutes of talking at a time without severe exhaustion, and I can’t have competing noises. I can’t handle the television or music either.

At my initial arrival to Mary Free Bed, I was still a fall risk. I basically have done nothing independent of a nurse or patient tech until today since prior to surgery. I’ve been working with PT, OT, and ST all week and weekend since my arrival. There were many impairments pre-surgery, actually, that we were not aware were impairments until I started therapy here. What I’ve learned is that for every day one takes of rest prior to surgery, four days of therapy are added to the post surgery regimen!

I worked really hard at PT through the weekend, actually, and today for the first time am able to self ambulate around my room and to do self care. Until Peter is cleared for my safety, which he needs to be up here for, I am not able to walk halls. This would benefit me greatly and benefit my ability to go home, but I also need him to see what I’ve been doing for therapy so we don’t have competing agendas. I will be going home with some assistive devices, but mostly for when I’m running errands or doing PT. I will be doing therapy three times/week once home, and in an outpatient situation. I will be in therapy for at least a year. The surgical recovery is only what is up to 3 months, but brain recovery is going to take much, much longer.

The long and short is this: I’ve worked really hard these last few days, and as a result of that hard work, will get sutures removed on Thursday and will likely be discharged to home on Friday. I still need to keep a low profile for quite a while longer.

We still don’t have a radiation verdict.

The girls were up here last night to visit for the first time since prior to surgery. It was a hard visit. There are lots of “scary” feelings, and concerns. When they left, I was super homesick, though.

I miss my family.

God is good, and I am grateful for everything.

I am grateful to be here.

I’m grateful for healing, even if it is going to take a long time.

In the meantime, we’ve had a new well dug. Hopefully that will be fixed by the time I’m home. I’m uncertain of the communication behind this process. Peter is trying to finish semesters, the kids are doing school. We’re trying to keep a sense of normalcy when nothing is normal. And there are already a ton of appointments to be sorted through all the way through February.

My parents are leaving this weekend.

So that is my “real.”

That is our “real.”

Blessings,

Deb