When I was told I had chiari malformation it was the beginning of the year. The pandemic hadn't started and things were how we used to remember them. When I was told that I should have surgery the the first covid-19 case hit Park County and the town was shut down. I never thought I would have brain surgery, let alone during a pandemic, but here I am. Eric just called the hospital and currently there are no visitors allowed in the hospital, which during a pandemic is expected. Now I am without my husband, daughter and family being near me during a pandemic. Stress has become a common word in our household over the last four years. We keep moving forward because there isn't an option. We've got this. We will beat this fear and stress.
When I was told I needed to have surgery I went to my Facebook Chiari Support Group and found many many posts about what you should bring and have for surgery. Well I wrote them all down and realized I didn't have any of the things the other chiarians told each other you should have. So, I had to order them online (as I haven't left the house in over two month because of covid-19). I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not. The only times I left were for a car ride with my family, so I felt like I got out, or to visit the doctors regarding my surgery. Trust me, I was bundled up and pretty much laughed at, but I figure it is better to be safe than sorry. If the hospital is refusing visitors because of the virus, I wasn't going to take any chances.
This surgery thing, yeah, It is starting to become real. Items I need for surgery are arriving.
My two/three night overnight bag is getting packed full of things coming just for surgery. I feel like I'm nesting, like pregnant woman do before giving birth. I've got new slip on shoes and slippers, because apparently after surgery you aren't supposed to bend over. I never thought I'd add another pair of shoes to my shoe collection because of brain surgery. But hey, if that's what allows me to get more shoes I'll take it! Button up pajama tops so you aren't irritating the scar site after surgery. I could have sworn I had button up pajama tops, but I didn't. So now I have a couple cute pajama outfits. A fanny pack! Who ever would think a fanny pack would be on the list, but it is. First, I never thought fanny packs would be back in style, but here I am 2020 and I own a fanny pack again! This one was a great suggestion that I never would have thought of. It attaches to the bed rails and holds all the little things in it; phone, charger, chapstick, water flavoring, pen, etc. I seriously would have never thought about that. And last but not least a suduko book, to keep my brain trained.
I have prepped multiple freezer meals that I can eat for after surgery, that way Eric and Tatiana can just throw it in the oven. It's weird I never thought I would make plan ahead freezer meals in my life, but with the diagnosis of gastroparesis, I didn't want Eric or Tatiana stressing out about what I could or couldn't eat during this time frame. Especially since constipation is such a major thing with gastroparesis if I eat the wrong thing, The doctors have told me to do everything I can to avoid having any strain on my body to prevent a CSF leak. Arg......
And as for my diabetes..... I must be getting stressed. My blood sugars have sky rocketed over the last two weeks. I had my sugars leveling out and then BOOM! Let's get you back up to the 200-300's! The weather hasn't helped me with this either. My sugars have always been erratic when it came to weather changes and stress, but this is ridiculous. I was in the low 90's before and now I'm lucky to get under 200. If my A1C is over 8 I will not be able to have the brain surgery, which I understand. Knowing this disease can progress and that I have no fluid moving down my spinal cord, and may cause a herniation of the actual brain. Arg..... No, I'm not stressed. I've got this. 27 days before the surgery.... I've got this.
So, my to do list before May 28th, bring sugars back down to where they should be (this is when I have my A1C checked). My to do list before June 10th, day of surgery..... Breathe! Seems easy enough, right? Yep, I can do this. I'm sure I can do this. Yep, I've got this!
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