You Betta Belize It!

We had a wonderful belated honeymoon in Belize. We went snorkeling, swimming, biking, and jungle hiking! It was wonderful to enjoy all kinds of activities that seemed so far away only three months ago. We also had a lot of time to rest and relax. I have never been on such as peaceful vacation in my life. It was exactly what I needed. What a wonderful way to conclude a somewhat traumatic year

I am feeling pretty good these days – not 100%, but my energy levels are much better and my facial nerve is recovering quickly. My smile is very close to symmetrical and I can wrinkle my nose. The eyebrow on my right side is proving to be a bit more stubborn. I can definitely live without being able to look super surprised!  I am able to concentrate for longer periods of time and my handwriting (though never great) seems to be improving. The ringing in my right ear is less frequent and pressure in my head is much more tolerable. I am also driving longer distances and loving the sense of independence it brings. Overall, I am feeling pretty lucky and very grateful!

I had a MRI at the beginning of June. It turns out there is still about 2 cm of the tumor left in my head. It was pretty shocking to realize that there was still so much of it left, especially after both of my surgeries this spring. I thought I could possibly be done with doctors, trips to Boston and focusing on my health by the end of this summer, but the bottom line is that my journey will probably never be completely over. I need to learn to make peace with MRI machines and just be thankful my recovery is going so well. My next MRI will be in October and at that point the doctors will decide whether to keep monitoring my tumor or radiate it to prevent regrowth.   

Driving!

I drove to Greenfield on Thursday morning to pick up some donuts for my classes. Dave agreed to ride along for the early trip. One of my students asked if he was there to supervise. It was funny and slightly tragic to trade driving stories with the kids. They spoke about getting their licenses while I reminisced  about balance and dry-eye issues. Overall, I felt normal enough to drive to town on my own yesterday for the first time since before the first surgery. A true milestone!

Three Weeks

I have been back in the classroom for three weeks now. The first week was extremely exhausting, but I am so glad I had the option to go back to work at all this year. I took a nap after every class for the first two weeks. However, I found I had more energy left at the end of the day during the second week and I didn’t nap at all on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of this week. Progress!

I am getting some facial movement back. I can move the right corner of my mouth now, but no matter how hard I try I can’t move my eyebrow. 

We haven’t been to the hospital since April 20. This is the longest we have stayed off the highway to Boston since December. We will be heading back to the Mass Eye and Ear on June 1 to see the facial nerve/plastic surgeon. I think she’ll leave the weight in my eyelid because I still can’t close my eye completely, but I have no idea what else to expect. On June 6, I will have another MRI and my surgeon will examine the scan l for evidence of regrowth.

I am thankful to be returning to a normal life and so grateful for all the support we have had on this crazy journey. I am really ready for a new school year and a fresh start. 

Back to work!

I am heading back to the classroom today!

Month

It has been one month since my second surgery and it is turning out to be a busy week. I was finally able to get a haircut yesterday and today I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. On Thursday night we will stay with Dave’s parents and head to Boston early on Friday morning for an appointment at Mass Eye and Ear with another one of my surgeons.

This morning I was able to move the right side of my mouth, only a barely perceptible twitch, but it was pretty exciting for someone who has not been able to smile properly for a month. I may never have the same amount of facial movement that I had before, but it would be great to be less one-sided. Ultimately, I am grateful to be alive and any any facial movement is a true bonus at this point.

Next Monday I head back to the classroom!

Mandy 

The Mend

Well, it is amazing for me to think that only three weeks ago, we were still in a hospital room with Mandy after her second surgery. Life post-surgery has had its ups and downs, but there has been more to celebrate than to lament over. Mandy is out walking with Ellie a few times each day. She’s started to go to meals in the dining hall, and today, she will attend a science department meeting. In two weeks, she plans to return to work. All of these every-day activities seemed so far away three weeks ago. Her scar is healing incredibly well as you can see from the picture and her hair is growing back rapidly.

The remaining challenges for Mandy are the occasional bad headaches, which seem to come and go every few days, getting her energy level back, and still the numbness and weakness on the right side of her face. Her eye is feeling better with some new drops and gel, and the blurriness in her vision is steadily improving. We remain confident and hopeful that a full recovery is not too far away.

Our sights are set on our one year anniversary vacation to Belize in June: a beach, a sunset, and an umbrella in our drinks.

Seek the Joy,

Dave

Today

I washed my hair in the shower today. First true step toward independence!

My right eye is drying out and hurting a lot today. I am glad we are seeing the doctor tomorrow. We will head to Mass Eye and Ear around 12:00 pm. Our car might know the way to Boston even without a driver!

MGH appointment

Stitches are out! We saw Dr. Martuza and he was pleased with my progress. We will see about my eye on Friday. It was a big day. Hopefully, I will sleep better tonight!

Patience

… a trait I am trying to learn! I guess it is no coincidence that patience is so close in structure to patient. I tried to look up a bit of history on Google and learned little beyond the fact that the two words are commonly confused by English language learners!

How am I feeling? I have made great progress since I first arrived home. I am walking with more certainty and fewer balance issues. I am even walking outside twice a day and occasionally taking Ellie out. We cooked dinner last night. I took three times longer to chop vegetables and there were a few tears, but Dave stepped in at the end and made a beautiful meal out of my mess! It is challenging to write, type, do anything that involves fine control of my right side, but I am working on it. My right eye dries out very quickly and was at least partly responsible for the one-sided tears last night. My very last complaint is about the nights. I cannot get comfortable and currently I cannot sleep for longer than three-hour stretches. Overall, I feel very lucky. These are small problems to have, I could barely walk one week ago.

Healing

We’ve been back home in Deerfield for four days now, and yesterday, we celebrated the one-week anniversary of Mandy’s second surgery. The recovery continues to move along positively, but slowly. Mandy has been battling some vertigo and her vision is blurry in her right eye. She will start physical therapy on Thursday, which should help with her balance.  Mandy knows that she will get back to feeling like herself again, but it seems far away right now.

Despite the long road ahead, we remain so thankful that the surgeries are behind us, and that we can now fully focus on Mandy’s recovery. May the healing continue.

Seek the Joy

Home

We are back at the Dewey apartment!

Home Tomorrow!

More good news! Mandy has been cleared by the speech pathologist, occupational therapist, and Dr. Martuza. She only needs to see the physical therapist in the morning, and then the hope is to be out of the hospital tomorrow and back home to Deerfield.

She had the weight put into her eyelid and that procedure was fairly painless. The stitches will dissolve on their own, but for now, her eye is pretty swollen from the procedure as well as the aggravated facial nerve on the right side.

Keep up the positive thinking, prayers, and good energy. It is still a very long road ahead, but we are thankful for the opportunity to be out of the hospital sooner than expected.