Post Brain Surgery, What to Expect

Even now, over a month after my surgery on Oct 10 2018, I still struggle to focus – which is why I haven’t posted anything.  But, I think I’ve been on radio silence for too long.

First, if you haven’t guessed, I survived the surgery.
Second, none of my brain goo came out, and the tumor is gone.

All good news, but I know you are wondering what happened to me after.
And more so, what you could expect to endure if you are going through the same thing.
Cushing’s Syndrome has a few possible treatments, one of which is the removal of the tumor.

1. Expect to be in Pain

Hydrocodone only helps so much.
Admittedly, I was terrified of getting addicted to Opium, so I tried to wean off early. Don’t. Take the pills as directed to avoid being in immobilizing pain. No taking other medications or changing the dose without approval.

2. Expect to be Exhausted

Sleeping is good, but movement is necessary.
Your body heals through sleep; however, you still need to move. So, make sure you have someone watching over you who will take you on a short walk a couple of times a day. No long walks – short distances left me out of breath. No lifting over 5 lbs – I got released to 10 lbs after begging.

3. Expect to be Over-Sensitive

I equated my pain to that of a migraine.
Light and sound left me in agony, even if it wasn’t that bright or that loud. I didn’t want to look at my cell phone and avoided it like the plague. No music – especially not earbuds/headphones. No loud talking – God forbid yelling. No car headlights – I was not allowed to drive for 4 months. No handheld electronics – having a screen that close is a bad idea, trust me.

4. Expect to be Bloated

Earlier bloating has nothing on this.
You were already bloated, but now it seems worse because you can’t fight off the weight gain like you could before by working out. Plus, your hormones are all wack-a-doodle, and your food intake is now extra limited to avoid putting pressure on your head. No chewy foods. No sucking – forbidden to use straws.

5. Expect to lose Taste and Smell

Oh, speaking of limited food intake, it actually doesn’t matter what you eat/drink because it all tastes/smells the same. The only difference is texture… it starts coming back, but extremely slowly. And BE CAREFUL what you have because you may end up with an aversion to it. Meaning that I had a mocha almost every day after surgery – caffeine helped the headache – and now, I mentally associate the taste/smell to being in pain which makes me nauseous.

I’m sure there’s more, but once again, I’ve hit my limit.

One thing I will say, don’t try to take a master’s level college class during this process. I admit, I didn’t realize I would be doing this so soon, but I should’ve found a way to stop taking my class. As it is, I’m passing the class, but I think it’s only because I understand the foundation behind writing computer code.