Post-Op Summary

Well I finally got to a computer to type up a real report. The public network blocked the social networking sites, so I had to update via my phone which is a pain.

In any event, things went very well yesterday. Kris went under anesthesia around 11am local time and she was out around 9pm. A little longer under the knife than we were quoted, but it's not uncommon for a tumor of her size to take that long. She was stable the whole time, didn't lose much blood, and the doctors were able to do what they needed to do. They got 99% of the tumor out, with the last little microscopic bit stuck to her facial nerve. They don't push the issue too much, because the facial nerve is a very important thing to keep in tact, as it controls the whole side of your face including the eyelid (think about not being able to blink or close your eye - Ben Stein doesn't have enough drops to cure those dry eyes). Thankfully, the facial nerve remained in tact and was responsive to stimulation throughout the surgery. She's now in ICU being monitored for 24 - 36 hours to make sure there are no compications. None expected, but they can happen from time to time.

Now she just needs a little time to recuperate from a long surgery, and it can take a few days for her body to react to not having a big mass in her head. The doctor said that the tumor was "plunging into her brain", which was really upsetting her cerebellum and causing the symptoms she was experiencing. She may experience some issues things with her face, balance, coordination, eye function, etc. but its likely those things are temporary. Outside chance of permanent effects from the tumor, but its too early to tell on that. The important thing is that she is healthy, has no tumor and will be ready to start recovering very soon.

For those of you who were previously unaware, Kris is now deaf in her left ear as a result of the surgical approach. She had a hearing test just before surgery and it was almost gone anyway already, so its not a surprise and was on the bottom of the totem pole of things to preserve. The doctors were going to try to get a bone anchored hearing aid implanted during the procedure, but with the length of the surgery they did not feel it a good idea to tack on additional time under anesthesia. No big loss, it was a mere convenience to do these at the same time. We'll get it done locally sometime down the road through an outpatient procedure.

I'm off to see her in ICU now, so till next time....