16.5 Weeks Post-Op (The Second Mile)

Some awesome things I did in the last week / week and a half:

-took Brodie to Target with me, alone! I didn't brave having both kids, but I did it with the baby! I remember the first time we went to Target post-op, I was so overwhelmed and dizzy I thought if I didn't get hit by a car in the parking lot I would probably fall over in the aisle and start puking everywhere. So, it's a big improvement. No longer crashing shopping carts into everything, either. It's still disorienting to be in less-often-visited busy stores (Ikea), even without kids, but with our weekly trips to Target for eye drops, I've got that one down.

-Took myself to the grocery store and did all the shopping. Didn't do it with kids, but didn't have Matt their with me, either. It's nice to know that when he's sick and can't go out with me we won't have to just starve to death.

-Drove the bigger car (the one I don't like to drive) on roads I'm not really familiar with and in a busy parking lot, successfully.

-Ran a mile. Ran! A mile! I haven't done that since... 5th grade? And haven't done it willingly probably ever. I am not a runner, but I'm making a 5k one of my goals. Being afraid I was going to die made me realize a little bit that it would be a shame for a perfectly good body to die off without having ever really been 'used'. I've never been overweight, but I'm not really 'fit', either. Now I work out (Wii Fit or yoga tape or boot camp tape or something) 1/2 hour to an hour about 6 times a week.
Unfortunately we've had some colds going through the house in the last week (it's been COLD here), so I haven't gone to my parent's to run on the treadmill 3x this week like I wanted to.
Hopefully this all helps to increase my endurance for going back to night shift!


Some not so great things about this week:

-I'm pretty much giving up on short-term disability. I'm making phone calls every day and not getting anywhere with scheduling appointments. I can't even get in contact with my general practitioner to see if she's talked to Dr T. And I've been working at making a second-opinion neurosurgeon visit for almost a month now. Every bit of working with the healthcare system from home has been a disaster from day one, the monday after the ER visit. I can't express enough just how angry I am over it all and just how DONE I am. I'm sad for other people in similar situations, because if a NURSE who is somewhat okay (at least not terminal) can't figure out case managing herself through this mess, how is the everyday really sick guy supposed to do it?

-Headaches. They're baaaaackk! Well, they've never really been gone, but they've been becoming more and more intolerable. Not so much this week. I even gave up and took one of my post-op pain pills the other day. It worked, thank goodness, but I can't take those and drive, or work. Yesterday I just sucked it up and dealt with it since I thought I might have to driev at some point in the day. Today is starting out the same. Hopefully I can get into the new neurosurgeon soon, and I can get some answers. I can't help but be scared of another tumor, though rationally I know it's unlikely.


Next week I have my follow-up testing with SLP to look forward to. I'm really hoping I test better, since I'm finally feeling better (at least cognitively), and want to get back to work.