Time vs Thyme

It's been a little while since I posted something.  I've kind of had my head into brain tumour research.  From a survivors perspective, that's "Google" research.  What I'm finding is there really is not a whole lot of research  for benign brain tumours.  I'm finding heaps of information about cancerous ones which is fantastic and I've learned a lot.  Some of the information can certainly be crossed referenced.  However, what seems to be misunderstood is how benign brain tumours can be as serious as cancerous ones depending on their location.  Can even mimic symptoms.  I've joined this great website called It's Just Benign founded by Beth Rosenthal who had a benign brain tumour and still suffers the effects.  She started the website because she too was having trouble finding information that wasn't cancer related.  It's a great site with lots of information and a great place to connect with others who are living with lingering side effects.

I've been attending my physio which is working wonders but have to ask myself if there something I'm missing.  Is there something I can be doing for my own health.  Something I could be eating, a supplement I could be taking?  Some sort of alternative medicine. I've seen a wonderful massage therapist named Mary Steckle for years.  She works out of Active Approach in Halifax and specializes in Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Myofasical Release.  She has been working on my "head and body" for years but like anyone who has treated me in the past for my multiple medical complaints, never suspected a brain tumour.  I've seen her once since my surgery and think it's time to go back.  

Sadly, because of my balance issues I've hurt my knee.  I've tweaked it catching myself off balance I think, however, physio is telling me to get an x-ray as it's been hurting quit badly for 4 weeks.  I wonder if Mary could fix that?

My eyes have improved once again, great way to end a blog post, with good news.  I'm now sporting the lowest prism possible, a number 1.  Am I a number 1?  No, I'm actually a 2, however, like always they give me the option to push my brain and eyes to work together.  So of course, I choose to push it.  It's a bit of an adjustment but I knew something had changed as my eye was hurting with the glasses on and with them off, I knew it was time to see the eye clinic once again.  They retested everything which was great.  My right eye is still not in line with the left but has improved.  She did tell me that they are not able to fix all of my visual problems with prisms and once again time is the only way to tell if my brain and eyes will once again work together.  Time, Time Time...  Maybe my alternative medicine is to start cooking with Thyme?  My perfect anniversary present from T Jay...Thyme in a can, open, water and once again wait for things to happen.  At least this "time" I get "thyme"

I've Come a Long Way Baby!!

I started a blog post late last night called "Never Say Never"  It was about all the things I never thought would be part of my life, prisms, balance, owning a car and no driving etc!!!  I was feeling a bit ho hum about today being my 6 month post op day and here I am still recovering.  Then I got a txt from my friend Jen this morning that said "Celebrate all your accomplishments!!!  You've come a long way in 6 months."  My first reaction was yup that sure is crazy...the 6 month part.  Then I starting thinking I'm focusing way to much on the the post op number and not on what I have accomplished.  I said a while back that on the 1 year mark (Jan 11th) I was going to celebrate it as a birthday, that must have been on one of my "up"days.  Today I certainly wasn't feeling any "celebration" for my half year mark.  Well, thanks to Jen I've been thinking about all that I have been through in the last 6 months and there certainly is a heap of bad but some truly amazing accomplishments that have come along the way.  For example:

I can always find my mouth now when inserting a fork or spoon.  Since I can't feel the right side of my face, there was always the potential for "fork/face injury"

Drinks only sometimes drool out the right side of my mouth.  Yup it's like being at the dentist everyday for me but I've figured out that all liquids need to go instantly to the left of my mouth, helps to avoid the dribble.

I only tip over in public sometimes, I figured out that a cart is a great stabilizer.

My eyes have been improving, still rooting for them to make a full recovery.

I can climb up and down my stairs without them seeming like a mountain.  Not to say that they don't tired me out but I no longer look up and think "are you kidding me"

I'm alive.  I've survived brain surgery, I'm walking around with a brain tumour and I'm alive, really nothing more needs to be said there, that's pretty awesome.

Can she do it? Yes She Can..

The things you find out when you have brain surgery, a balance and dizziness centre, right here in Dartmouth, NS.  I had no clue until my Occupational Therapist and family Dr recommended that I go see them.  Ok, I thought, I'm willing to try anything.  I didn't really know what to expect, and like everything so far I thought that maybe this was for other people, I don't really have this problem.  It became apparent that I was in the right place when I started filling out the paper work.  Every question on their questionnaire was surprisingly aimed at my symptoms.

In I go and my physiotherapist starts her assessments, yup I have some balance issues.  The great news is that exercises can be started at home to push my eyesight and retrain the brain. Concentrating on keeping my head and neck straight is a must and now that I have my new glasses with the prisms, (that we picked up today) this should become easier with practice.  The cool thing I noticed this afternoon with my new glasses is I can lean back and look up and not see double anymore.  This is a seriously cool realization, it means I can now lay back in bed and read. I can lay on the couch and watch a movie, instead of having to sit up straight.  These babies are hopefully my ticket to driving again in the coming months. I'm loving my new glasses, even loving the headache they are giving me right now cause I'm thinking, "that's right brain, fix yourself, you can do it"

And with all of this excitement today I'm now exhausted at 730 and that's with an afternoon nap.  So I just might crawl into bed early and watch a movie, just me and my spectacles, ahhh the thought makes me giddy.