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.