Corin's Surgery: Refresh Page For Updates

corin has a great physical therapist.  she has indicated that her recovery symptoms are considered normal for someone who has had a craniotomy.  the top 3 symptoms are exhaustion, headaches, and handling a wide variety of emotions as the brain heals itself. corin is moving around the house pretty good, can take short walks, but it is still easy for her to overdo it.  overstimulation triggers dizziness and headaches.   it is a slower recovery than she anticipated.  according to her PT, her progress is relatively better than others who have had this operation.

lots of friends and family sent greeting cards and we keep them nice and tidy in a little basket in the kitchen.  its a wonderful reminder of all the love and support that helped (and is helping) get us through each phase of this process.  her physical therapist has taken a keen interest in her healing and has actually reached out to her on her own time with helpful information.  so thats good.  

met with physical therapy for the first time.  kind of exhausting and overwhelming getting out of the house for the first time.  set up weekly visits. 

the meal train is absolutely wonderful and we are immensely grateful.  it already feels like surgery was forever ago, but in reality its only been 4 weeks since her 12.12 craniotomy.  corin is making excellent progress but is still far from 100%.  the meals really help lift her spirits and it helps her household caregivers too from a time perspective.  just wanted to thank all of our wonderful friends again!  here is the schedule:  https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/27rnmm

got the staples removed from the incision.  35 total.  quick and relatively painless procedure at the office visit.  doctor explained why the procedure took 12 hours.  not for the faint of heart to know exactly what was done and how it was done.  next check up is in 3 months.  another scan occurs in approx 12 months.

cruising the neighborhood. enjoying the partly sunny 55 degree cincinnati december weather. healing well.  still a bit of swelling which is par for the course. getting staples out in 2 days. the meal train of amazing food from friends and neighbors is a wonderful blessing as she contiues this phase of recovery

corin visited dr robinson today.  also got some flowers from a friend in chicago.  dr said staples come out next monday 12.30.  aneurysm is fixed but she will get a CTA scan in 1 year. then every 5.  corin has a unique sensation (mild pain) in her upper left arm.  dr said it may be paresthesia caused by disturbing the brain.  said it will work itself out.  chest pain is reducing too.  laying for 9 days in a hospital bed caused that pain and its subsiding.   the meal train is fantastic and the family is enjoying lots of great food provided by friends.  thanks everyone! this will likely be the last update before christmas

  got the results and they are negative.  yay!  answers to common questions: why did it take so long to know?  it just takes that much time, 5 to 7 days.  thats just how it is. did corin get proper treatment? yes. they proactively gave her a course of meds intended to treat shingles. if its not shingles, what is it?  doctors just dont know.  i cant emphasize that enough.  they just dont know.   it was an immune system reaction.  thats all i know.  spoke to many doctors and asked many questions.  they just dont know.   what is plan for healing?  going to monitor the area.  if it shows signs of not improving they will do a biopsy.  it looks ok now

she got 7 hours of uninterupted sleep last night.  in the hospital she was lucky to get 2 hours of straight sleep.  so great to be out of there.  we are grateful for the high quality of care though. and thanks sally and ryan for the comfy recliner!

 home today. per corin, no visitors until sunday evening at the earliest.  she is exhausted.  she just needs rest now

CT scan did not show any issues.   working on getting discharged today.  

just now getting the iv put back in.   not sure when CT scan will be

developed a rash on her chest.  developed discomfort when breathing.  giving her a CT scan within next couple of hours.   all of her iv lines were out and now they need to put one back in because of CT scan. pain is at a 2 so thats a good trend at least.  morning was rough though.  probably wont be discharged tonite.  depends on scan results and symptom status.

thurs 12.19.   might be discharged today.  not certain of time. 

the frosty was hand-delivered by corin's father-in-law!  in a special transport case and everything.

in recovery mode.  pain level 4.  breakfast. rest. meds.  corin welcomes visitors.  lunchtime is kind of hectic and the room is cozy, so arriving after 1pm is a good idea.  why is lunchtime hectic you ask?  it seems that the room fills up with nurses and docs right as lunch is brought in.  no complaints because she is getting great care, but its usually grand central station between 11 and 1.

dr robinson visited.  she is healing nicely he said.  he did recommend that she stay at least another full day but that the choice is up to her.  since she is getting good care and since the shingles test results are not back yet, she has opted to stay wednesday and then reevaluate things thursday.  no sightings yet on the salted caramel frosty.

she is resting.  generally feels yucky.  loud noises and too much stimulation makes her headache worse.   visitors need to use their library voice.   if you want to become corin's extra super favorite person, bring her the new salted caramel frosty from wendys.  this is easier said than done because not every wendys has them yet.  call around and find the one that does.  she just had a craniotomy...lets get her whatever she wants.

i believe corin will be discharged tomorrow, weds 12.18.  lets plan for home care. she needs a shower chair and walker.  please drop one off at the house today 12.17 if you have one.   leave on porch and we will get it.  she only needs one of each, so if you already see the item there, just take yours back.  she also needs visitors today to cheer her up. text me and i will tell you the room number.  she needs ankle rubs, sips of water, and help eating.  please dont bring gifts to hospital now because that is more items we need to bring back.   i need to go home for a few hours to final prep the house. i will be at the house from approx 1030 to 230.  

moved out of ICU.  now in a nicely remodeled room.  floor is a lot quieter. her pain is at a 4.  going to work on her lung capacity tomorrow.  could be home as soon as wednesday. 

she is tired.  doing ok.  in pain.   infectious disease doc stopped by. asked questions but labs are still not in yet.  asked about her right eye.  any redness in the eye is not a good sign.  but its fine now.   she got transfer authorization and will be moving rooms today when a room opens up

pt is here. lots going on.  pain and swelling is elevated. not terrible.  pt is walking her thru hallway

it's 11:30pm on day 4, december 15th.  this will likely be the last day in the ICU because her condition has improved dramatically.   the incision bleeding issue was resolved.  seemed to be a combination of luck and skill because it stopped bleeding right before or perhaps while the doctor looked at it. at least, that's what he indicated.  just glad she didn't need to get an extra suture or something.  she continues to get her intravenous lines removed.  she started with 5 lines (including catheter) and is now down to one basic IV line. don't ask me all the medical details, but "getting unhooked" seems like a really good indicator.  i anticipate she will be moved out of the ICU tomorrow to a regular room.  it's possible she could be home before the end of the week.  her incision staples will be removed in about 2 weeks as an outpatient visit.   she's still on an upswing and i remain vigilant.

the shower cleaned up the incision area and the bleeding has stopped.  her pain level is a 3.  eye swelling is down.  other facial swelling though which is normal.  the shower was exhausting for her and she is resting.  

the incision bleeding has stopped.  course of action is for her to take a shower and clean the area.

they cant get the incision bleeding stopped and she will be staying another night in icu.  its not as dire as it sounds.  it is however a concern because a solution is not yet clear.  dr robinson visiting soon before lunchtime.  some good news is that she can see out of both eyes.  no official word yet on shingles diagnosis.  she is however getting the medicine and treatment as if it is shingles, so the diagnosis will just be confirmation.  had a chest x ray.  she cant quite take deep breaths.  super precautious here.  they havent shared reults yet.  pain is in control.   this will be her 4th night in intensive care.

her incisions were flowing blood all evening.  at 4am it looked particularly awful.   flowing into her right eye and ear canal.   and covered the right side of her face.   a large non stick pressure dressing was applied until dr robinson can visit today approx 945.  this is a very real reminder that corin is not out of the woods yet.

everything stable.  pain level at 7.  got meds.  sleeping now.  they have hospital grade bleach wipes and i went to town on all the knobs, nooks, and crannies.

no major updates.  some reduction in eye swelling which is good.  ate a good portion of grilled cheese.  mobility is good to get to bathroom.  some bleeding from scalp which they say is to be expected.  sitting up in chair and getting ready to lay back down in bed.

corin is at pain level 5.  getting the right meds.  she is coherent and speaking well. color is good.  normal body functions are good.  bp is good.  she is getting the arterial bp monitor in her arm removed.  she is grateful for that.  both eyes are still swollen shut.  now that we have the right ice packs i hope it will improve. this all sounds good, but just know she is tremendously uncomfortable due to the intense itching from shingles and from the surgery itself.  its wonderful to see how well she is doing under the circumstances.  she got to brush her teeth which was a glorious feeling she said.  dr robinson just visited.  he is pleased with the neurological aspects and has indicated she is in the clear from the bad stuff that could happen, namely bleeding and strokes.  she will be in the ICU one more night.  then transferred to a regular room for a few more overnight stays.  her eyes will open in 4 or 5 days and that is the healing that will indicate she is closer to her release....