EK here:
Sareana had a successful surgery yesterday evening and is recovering well. The neurosurgery team first removed her old mesh and associated hardware, then removed some cement and plaster-type stuff that was in there for form and to hold mesh in place. They reported no obvious signs of infection, which is good. The various items/materials that were removed were swabbed and/or sent to Infections Diseases for analysis. {My understanding is that they take a culture and then allow it to grow into a bacteria (which can take a few days) which will then be identified and specifically targeted with the most appropriate antibiotics.} Then the area was cleaned and irrigated, followed by application of an antibiotic. Then the Plastic team closed the incision. The surgeon (who everyone seems to think of pretty highly) determined that there was sufficient healthy tissue to close the wound "conventionally", i.e. no skin graft or flap required. However, being a plastic surgeon, he did it with a different method and type of suture such that there is less tension on the incision itself and a greater portion of the load is carried by adjacent healthy tissue, thus allowing a better healing process.
Meanwhile, standard first night in the hospital: lots of interruptions, and it has taken awhile to get the meds figured out to get Sareana's pain under control. Looks like we're getting that squared away and she is currently getting some much needed sleep. She is lucid and already able to walk without assistance, so overall in pretty good shape under the circumstances. Although she has quite a bit of pain, it's less than her last surgery and over a smaller area of her head and neck. Looks like we may be in hospital a few days until they get the culture and resultant antibiotic plan figured out. That's all for now. Best,
Erin
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Health Update 8-8-17
Hello friends,
It's possible that you'll be left with questions after reading this post. Please know when I'm feeling better your questions will get answered. For now here's the latest...
On the upside we made our way to Oregon in mid-July to a beautiful, empty house awaiting our boxes and voices to fill the rooms. It has been an overwhelming experience to move in such short order, but we did it! Everyone is happy:)
So, it was no surprise to me that one morning about two weeks ago that I woke up feeling really lousy. I spent the day in bed and blamed it on exhaustion and over-doing it. The only problem was that one day in bed turned into another and another. And now I basically feel really lousy all the time. I'm constantly tired, I do not have much of an appetite, my stamina is really low, I experience vertigo, and a lot of pain in back of my head and at times feel nauseous. This definitely doesn't describe me at my norm, this feels way different and it's not much fun. So, I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) this past Friday to determine what might be going on. He agreed with wound specialists who have been trying to heal my wound that I have a mild infection. The infection stems from two wound openings in the back of my head. They are along the incision of my three previous brain surgeries; the tissue is not as strong as it once was and therefore my skin did not heal optimally, leaving two small, yet significant openings. The openings have been well covered, but since this is not a "closed" system- meaning tissue connected to tissue, it's entirely possible bacteria has found its way in there and is causing my malaise. Interestingly enough, air has also had a chance to seep through these openings, which could be cause of my vertigo. Airhead for sure!
The solution to the above problem is to go in for surgery. This surgery has come about quickly, but that is intentional. It's really important the doctors get any bad stuff gets out before things get worse (i.e. meningitis). It sounds like they will go in and replace the titanium mesh that one can see through the hole in my head and then use a skin graft to seal the openings.
Though the thought of going in for surgery today depletes me, I'm happy to get this over with if it means I will get back to my norm, which is how I felt even one month ago. The same kind of recovery will be required from May, but I'm hopeful I'll bounce back quickly.
My sister will update you after my surgery on this blog. Please keep in mind with an evening surgery (4p) that may get "bumped" to the next day, you may not hear anything until tomorrow.
Thank you for circling me once again with love and prayers. I wish I didn't have to go through this again, but I'm trying hard to keep my chin up, taking a deep breath and doing what I have to do. My sweet boys, loyal husband, loving family and friends need their mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.
love,
Sareana
It's possible that you'll be left with questions after reading this post. Please know when I'm feeling better your questions will get answered. For now here's the latest...
On the upside we made our way to Oregon in mid-July to a beautiful, empty house awaiting our boxes and voices to fill the rooms. It has been an overwhelming experience to move in such short order, but we did it! Everyone is happy:)
So, it was no surprise to me that one morning about two weeks ago that I woke up feeling really lousy. I spent the day in bed and blamed it on exhaustion and over-doing it. The only problem was that one day in bed turned into another and another. And now I basically feel really lousy all the time. I'm constantly tired, I do not have much of an appetite, my stamina is really low, I experience vertigo, and a lot of pain in back of my head and at times feel nauseous. This definitely doesn't describe me at my norm, this feels way different and it's not much fun. So, I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) this past Friday to determine what might be going on. He agreed with wound specialists who have been trying to heal my wound that I have a mild infection. The infection stems from two wound openings in the back of my head. They are along the incision of my three previous brain surgeries; the tissue is not as strong as it once was and therefore my skin did not heal optimally, leaving two small, yet significant openings. The openings have been well covered, but since this is not a "closed" system- meaning tissue connected to tissue, it's entirely possible bacteria has found its way in there and is causing my malaise. Interestingly enough, air has also had a chance to seep through these openings, which could be cause of my vertigo. Airhead for sure!
The solution to the above problem is to go in for surgery. This surgery has come about quickly, but that is intentional. It's really important the doctors get any bad stuff gets out before things get worse (i.e. meningitis). It sounds like they will go in and replace the titanium mesh that one can see through the hole in my head and then use a skin graft to seal the openings.
Though the thought of going in for surgery today depletes me, I'm happy to get this over with if it means I will get back to my norm, which is how I felt even one month ago. The same kind of recovery will be required from May, but I'm hopeful I'll bounce back quickly.
My sister will update you after my surgery on this blog. Please keep in mind with an evening surgery (4p) that may get "bumped" to the next day, you may not hear anything until tomorrow.
Thank you for circling me once again with love and prayers. I wish I didn't have to go through this again, but I'm trying hard to keep my chin up, taking a deep breath and doing what I have to do. My sweet boys, loyal husband, loving family and friends need their mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.
love,
Sareana
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