My 30 day follow up appointment...

I know I have been a little slow on my updates but frankly I'm thrilled to be back to some of my normal chores and mother duties. I am generally still quite tired and lethargic! I know I was ready to be all better but my energy is so low. That being said everything is going well and better then expected, so for that I am grateful. Bryson and I met with Dr. Jensen On Tuesday for my 30 day follow up appointment. It was funny the nurse didn't know I had just had surgery she thought I was at a year follow up. She kept saying you just look so good I can't believe you just had surgery, apparently most people look like they have been hit by a truck? When Dr. Jensen came in I could tell he was happy kinda excited to see me and my progress. He expressed his sympathy for all the gloom and doom before the surgery and explained that it is his job to let us know all the possibilities. He then said how happy he was with the tumor removal and how smoothly it went. My mapping was perfect, which means the exact speech center was perfectly located (that is not always the case). He rubbed his finger across my incision and said that it looked great, no infection there. We discussed the pathology results more in depth and the particular tumor type is a stage who one. Meaning that this type of benign tumor does not return! So I will have a yearly MRI for a few years, then move to an MRI every two years, and finally every 5 years. Sounds great to me. We also discussed the sharp shooting pains in my head. Dr. Jensen said that they are probably sensors forming back together in my brain. They could last for 3-6 more months and that every ones body has their own way of healing and growing back together. He also told me that my numbness around my head, numb ear, and sore mouth is all normal and part of the recovery. that was reassuring also. It was funny to discuss the surgery with him because he laughed at how much I talked??? He said once he had the speech center located (which turned out to be close but not that dangerous to my tumor) he then asked the anesthesiologist to start talking to me. Some how we got into soccer, I think it started from my kids and his kids play also. And I got all opinionated about club teams versus independent teams, my time as a coach and what I'm choosing to do with my girls. He said it was pretty funny to hear me so with it and so clear. He also said that most people remember very little but he knew I would remember a lot because I was so clear throughout the surgery. Dr. Jensen also said that with most people they need a whole team of people to support them during the surgery because basically they are scared and nervous, but as soon as he met with me and talked to me he knew that I was ready and was going to breeze right through the procedure (that was comforting!) The most amazing part was to see the MRI scan during the tumor removal. There is my head, a small black hole from the tumor removal and the A HUGE SECTION OF MY SKULL AND SKIN TOTALLY REMOVED. Essentially it was like a drawing of a circle (my skull) that had been erased for 25% of it! It was wild and super amazing at the same time. Now I am still sleeping around 10 hours a night and taking naps during the day. I have to be very careful about how much I do and what events I go to. Truthfully I am sick of not feeling 100% but I know it will come and I know how grateful I am and how much I have been blessed. I can also feel words coming back slowly but surely and my spelling is also getting easier. Dr. Jensen said I'm way ahead of the game and not to worry at all. So I'm not worrying I'm loving the fun moments with my family and friends and I guarantee Thanksgiving is taking on a whole new meaning to me this year!