Today is our 6th anniversary and we thought instead of going to Germany, wed just spend it in Florida Hospital Neuro ICU with all of our friends here on staff. Danielle and I wished each other Happy Anniversary on Tuesday night since we werent sure if shed be comprehensive today, and we can celebrate later. Heck, I cant even bring her flowers here so shell just have to settle for kisses. We spent that night spooned up in her bed (except for the 2am MRI session so the doctor would have the latest info for surgery) and of course it crossed our minds that it could be our last night together, so we professed our love and how that will stay even when one of us is eventually left behind. Melodramatic stuff, but it needs to be said when you face a cliff like this. D-Day in WWII is referred to as The Longest Day but actually yesterday, July 9 2014 now holds the title. We were told to be ready to leave for prep at 8am and so I got Danielle changed into her gown for surgery and put on her slippy socks and we sat there on the edge of the bed holding each other and cried and laughed for an hour. Dr Grow, her oncologist, paid a good-luck visit and that made us cry, too; hes just the nicest guy. I kept reassuring her that she would come out the other side of this and tried to keep the fear at bay. At 9 oclock I got her to lie down, thinking that would surely bring the transport person, but still we waited. Danielles mom and sister arrived and distracted her with family stories for a while, then she wanted to sit up again, got tired and laid back down and finally got taken downstairs at 11:30. An hour of prep followed and she scrunched up her face to cry when she realized it was time to go to the operating room, but her mom and I petted her and reassured her as the anesthesia began to kick in. When they wheeled her away from us, she was calm and dopey. My old friend and musical collaborator Matt flew down Tuesday from Knoxville to help out and dog sit, and he was out in the waiting room with Rachel (also a music cohort) and he took us all to lunch and home for a shower and to see Molly. He tried to get me to nap, but I was too wired up and told him I really had to get back and be as close to Danielle as possible. The OR nurse called a couple of times during the afternoon and said Danielle was doing fine. A cool aspect of this facility is that there is an MRI machine in the operating room, so once Dr Rosen finishes up, the patient is given an MRI to check his work, and if anything was missed, he goes back in and tidies up. An MRI takes an hour, so luckily he was done the first time, and finally Danielles mom and I were called to a tiny consultation room close to 6pm. We sat there in nervous anticipation for maybe 5 minutes that seemed like the length of the SAT, but I heard Dr Rosens voice outside the door and he was laughing with someone and came in with a big smile on his face so I felt a wave of relief wash over me. He told us he felt good about the operation, that he felt he got all the tumor, and that Danielle did great. He sends a microscopic camera down to the tumor so he can get a visual, then a tiny blade to cut it out. The whole while another doctor monitors the nerve endings that were being pushed against (thus causing the right side symptoms) and lets him know if hes too close to them. The tumor was deep in her left hemisphere, and he said its size (like a peach pit or strawberry, he said) causes it to push against the other organs as it is being maneuvered out, so Danielle might be confused a bit as the brain settle back into its intended position. She was on a respirator during the procedure, but it was thankfully removed once she was in recovery. Dr Rosen reminded us that her right side may not recover, and there could be speech issues. He sends the tumor to the pathology lab, but he suspects they will just tell him its full of radiation. Its also a possibility microscopic traces were left behind, and if they begin to grow down the road, they would again try radiation as a first measure. Heres hoping thats the last of it; she has been through enough, thank you. Got to see her finally around 8:30pm. It takes a while to put the piece of her skull back in place, stitch her up, etc. So much for the hair appointment I set for her on Friday. The news was good: she was fully aware and understood what was being said or asked of her, and her speech seems to be fine. She can only mouth or whisper right now, but she was fully responsive when Dr Rosen checked on her before he left for the day. The post-op nurse told me that Dr Rosen spent 11 years in school post-grad and that hes the youngest (looks to be 38-40) surgeon in his group and is sort of a cowboy. Where the older surgeons balk, he steps up to the plate and takes a swing at it. She told me he sets very high standards for himself, and that 10 years ago, Danielles situation would have been hopeless, but hes a risk-taker. Hes passionate about what he does and that shows in his confidence. We are so lucky he happened to be on weekend duty last February when the tumor was first discovered and therefore became her neurosurgeon. He be my Main Man right now, for sure. Danielle was toast after that, and we were taken up to the 11th floor ICU around 9:30. She has an external drain for a few days to monitor her brain fluid drainage, because Dr Rosen took out her shunt for the operation. So far its not doing much, which means he may not have to put in a new shunt hopefully; the obstacle is gone so her body may drain normally. He dropped by a few minutes ago and checked her responses. He said well just have to wait and see about her right side limbs, and that she may not regain much use. I told him he could say that, but Danielle wont accept it. I know she will do whatever it takes to prove that wrong. So here we are, right next door to our room from last year. She will sleep most of the day, so no visitors today, please. Thanks to all the friends who dropped by throughout the day yesterday; I will tell Danielle all about it when shes not so loopy. Thanks to Viva, who alerted me to a Channel 6 story about Danielle that aired last night. Viva was contacted for the scoop, and it was very sweet of Julie Broughton to run the piece. And a million gazillion thanks to everyone who lifted Danielle up in love throughout the day; it is truly humbling. Thank you.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:18:48 +0000