Pete, Gina (my daughter, visiting from California for the holiday) and I arrived right on time to the surgery suite at 6:15 AM. Pete was quickly taken away and a short time later the nurse came and escorted me and Pete's father (my ex) into the pre-surgery area. Pete was all hooked up to the IV and the nurse was completing all the paperwork. First we were met with one anesthesiologist, and then a second joined him. They explained how the anesthesia would be administered and advised us of the risks. Pre-op preparation, they told us, would take about an hour and a half. (I guess I wasn't thinking at the time exactly what that meant and why it would take that long, but as soon as I saw Pete post-surgery I understood.)
A few minutes after they left, the surgeon (Dr. E) came in. He discussed the procedure, its risks and the basic plan of "attack", just as he had on Monday when Pete and I had met with him in his office. I asked about the length of the surgery and the doctor replied that it was a long one and should take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours.
By this time it was just about 7:20. Two men and a woman, who identified herself as one of Pete's surgical nurses, came in and offered to have us follow them down the hall as they wheeled Pete off to the operating room so we could wish him well and then go back into the waiting room.
We had no news until after 12:30 when the nurse came in to say that he was out of surgery and that the doctor would be in to speak with us soon. About 15-20 minutes later Dr. E came in and called us into a small private room, just big enough to hold the 4 chairs and one small end table that were crowded in there.
He said that the surgery went pretty much as he had expected, but I was disturbed by the feeling that I was getting from the tone of his voice and his general demeanor. He was concerned that the tumor was attached to the wall, I think he actually said "invaded" the wall, of the main blood vessel for the brain. He said that he could not take any wider margin in that area for fear of damaging that supply and that there may still be some cancer cells that were left behind.
I asked him about the directed radiation therapy he and the oncologist had mentioned to us and his reply was that those decisions were best left to the radiation oncologists.
We waited some time before we actually got to see Pete when they moved him from recovery to ICU. I mentioned earlier about the long time for the pre-op prep, but when I saw several small holes located very symmetrically around his skull it dawned on me that the doctor had explained that this surgery was computer guided by the 3D MRI done the day before. Obviously, they had to secure Pete's head so that it could not move even a hair's breadth so that the surgery could be as precise as possible.
We visited for a brief time. He was thirsty and was complaining of a very bad headache. They administered a shot of morphine, and then a short time later a second shot. We left, hopefully the pain began to subside some, and came home because there is a break in the visiting hours between 6:30 -8:30 PM.
It's just about 8 PM now, and it's 1/2 hr drive to the hospital. I'm leaving to go up with Bruce (my husband) to spend a few minutes with him this evening.
There will be another MRI of the brain tomorrow.
Showing posts with label brain surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brain surgery. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Immediate Surgery - December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21 - Pete's second round of chemo treatments were to resume this morning, so we were in the oncologists' office at 9 AM. Before they began, we met with one of the doctors, Dr. G, so she could share the findings of Friday's MRI report with us.
It seemed the "irregularities" were not just some minor irregularities. It was a spot located in the upper back, left side of his brain. She explained that this region contains the vision component and the headaches and what we thought were "optic" migraines were most likely the result of this mass pressing on the brain causing seizures. She spent quite some time explaining, examining, asking questions, but the recommendation was that we see a neurosurgeon as soon as possible.
When she finished, Pete went into the chemo "suite" and they started him off with IV fluids as normal. The nurse was on the phone and suddenly spoke to Pete. "You've got an appointment with the neurosurgeon. He wants to see you as soon as possible, and he wants you to bring the MRI films so he can look at them." I thought things were moving quickly before. Now they were moving at lightning speed.
This presents a bit of a dilemma. Here's Pete, hooked up to an IV, about to begin the chemo treatment that lasts 8 hrs. The MRI films are at the hospital 30 minutes away. The neurosurgeon's office is around the corner from the oncologist's office where we sit right now. Pete and I are discussing the logistics of getting the films up to the surgeon, when the doctors (oncologists & neurosurgeon) make the decision to not proceed with the chemo and get us on our way to the neurosurgeon.
We get in the car and plan on heading south to pick up the films, and then come back to the surgeon. We're not 2 minutes in the car when my son gets a call from the neurosurgeon. He will need the actual films eventually, but he can view the images online, so come right over to his office.
Considering Pete was an unexpected addition to the doctor's appointment schedule, we only waited about 1/2 hour before we were called into his office. Dr. E asked a series of questions, did a series of manual tests and some physical examination, and then called both of us over to see the MRI images on his computer. The white, quarter-sized spot was clearly visible against the dark background of the brain.
I can't even begin to remember all he said, but he was clear, confident and efficient. When we finished, we were taken to his scheduling assistant. She called in prescriptions for anti-seizure meds and pain meds because he believed that the "optic" migraines were not that at all, but actually seizures triggered by the mass in his brain. She also scheduled a sterotopic MRI (also known as “stealth” or "3D") and pre-op testing for Tuesday, moved one of his surgeries scheduled for Wednesday to a later date and put Pete in that slot.
So here's the plan. Today, Tuesday, December 22: Sometime today we pick up his MRI films shot on Friday. We go up to Monmouth Medical Center (where Dr. W-2 will be performing the surgery) around 9 AM to register for the 3D MRI scheduled for 10 AM, and then head to pre-admission testing. Brain surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM, Wednesday, December 23.
The hospital stay should be 2-4 days so he could be coming home as early as Christmas day.
It will all go very well. It has to.
It seemed the "irregularities" were not just some minor irregularities. It was a spot located in the upper back, left side of his brain. She explained that this region contains the vision component and the headaches and what we thought were "optic" migraines were most likely the result of this mass pressing on the brain causing seizures. She spent quite some time explaining, examining, asking questions, but the recommendation was that we see a neurosurgeon as soon as possible.
When she finished, Pete went into the chemo "suite" and they started him off with IV fluids as normal. The nurse was on the phone and suddenly spoke to Pete. "You've got an appointment with the neurosurgeon. He wants to see you as soon as possible, and he wants you to bring the MRI films so he can look at them." I thought things were moving quickly before. Now they were moving at lightning speed.
This presents a bit of a dilemma. Here's Pete, hooked up to an IV, about to begin the chemo treatment that lasts 8 hrs. The MRI films are at the hospital 30 minutes away. The neurosurgeon's office is around the corner from the oncologist's office where we sit right now. Pete and I are discussing the logistics of getting the films up to the surgeon, when the doctors (oncologists & neurosurgeon) make the decision to not proceed with the chemo and get us on our way to the neurosurgeon.
We get in the car and plan on heading south to pick up the films, and then come back to the surgeon. We're not 2 minutes in the car when my son gets a call from the neurosurgeon. He will need the actual films eventually, but he can view the images online, so come right over to his office.
Considering Pete was an unexpected addition to the doctor's appointment schedule, we only waited about 1/2 hour before we were called into his office. Dr. E asked a series of questions, did a series of manual tests and some physical examination, and then called both of us over to see the MRI images on his computer. The white, quarter-sized spot was clearly visible against the dark background of the brain.
I can't even begin to remember all he said, but he was clear, confident and efficient. When we finished, we were taken to his scheduling assistant. She called in prescriptions for anti-seizure meds and pain meds because he believed that the "optic" migraines were not that at all, but actually seizures triggered by the mass in his brain. She also scheduled a sterotopic MRI (also known as “stealth” or "3D") and pre-op testing for Tuesday, moved one of his surgeries scheduled for Wednesday to a later date and put Pete in that slot.
So here's the plan. Today, Tuesday, December 22: Sometime today we pick up his MRI films shot on Friday. We go up to Monmouth Medical Center (where Dr. W-2 will be performing the surgery) around 9 AM to register for the 3D MRI scheduled for 10 AM, and then head to pre-admission testing. Brain surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM, Wednesday, December 23.
The hospital stay should be 2-4 days so he could be coming home as early as Christmas day.
It will all go very well. It has to.
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