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.
