Craniotomy, Not That Bad

I'm still sitting here playing the waiting game, which has its ups and downs. On the bright side, I get to spend the weekend with family and friends relaxing, and contemplating what a killer life I have (no pun intended). On the down side I just want them to saw open my head and dig this puppy out so that I can start recuperating.

With all the extra time on my hands I decided to start a fun new game...

Craniotomy, Not That Bad

#1. I have a very close friend whose son was born with Congenital Scoliosis. He's now almost four years old. His case is so severe that in the next 6 months to a year he will begin a series of surgeries on his spine that will occur every 6 months until he's around 16 years old. In the initial surgery he will have a rod placed at his spine, and then with every reoccurring surgery they will slightly extend the length of the rod until he's done growing. This poor little blond fella that looks like he fell off the Jerry Maquire movie case has no idea what's in store for him. His process is going to take over a decade just of surgery, let alone all of the other complications. Therefore, Craniotomy, not that bad.

#2. Another friend, Heather, has a daughter (Hayden) who survived a dresser and television falling on her skull. She was taken to the neurosurgery dept at Harborview Medical Center where a team of doctors had to brace her head, and do surgery by braille to locate a pea sized place in the dead center of Hayden's brain to relieve pressure so that she didn't die. Craniotomy, not that bad,

#3. My uncle Michael (not really an uncle, but one of my dad's best friends) shattered his femur in over 50 places back in the 70's in a mid-west snowmobiling accident. To repair his leg they placed him in traction (hooked up to a bunch of pulleys and wires, with screws placed in the bones once the pieces had been reattached) immobilized him in a hospital bed, and had his leg raised for three months while the bones fused. Wanting to be closer to his wife, they placed him in a full body cast and transferred him via hearse for 28 hours to get back to Seattle. Once in Seattle they immobilized him for another full month. Bedridden for four months. Craniotomy, not that bad.

#4. Another of my friends, Kristen, is trying to support her mother as one of her mother's best friends deals with the tragic news of a malignant brain tumor (almost certainly a death sentence, she was told). The woman is beginning to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. They don't know if she'll live. Craniotomy, not that bad.


Thanks to my friends and family for sharing their stories. There are so many situations that are much scarier, more painful, less hopeful, and more physically and emotionally taxing. We're a huge team of people on this Earth and we get through each challenge together.