MENINGIOMA: A Brain Tumor
THE POST-SURGERY EXPERIENCE.
It was foreseen that I’ll be confined to the ICU for 4 days and then to my room for a week or longer. When I gained consciousness in the ICU, I knew I was alive! Drowsy under the influence of anesthesia, I decided I was going to focus on examining my mind: memory, pending assignments, setting myself recovery objectives, self-healing remedies, etc. My mind appeared more alert than pre-surgery. Every time I woke up, my memory reassured me. Since I recovered my life and my mind, I will now revive my body by sheer willpower than through medication — and in record time.
I was determined to move out of the ICU and into my room on the 2nd day, and I did it. I was so drugged with round-the-clock medication, I was determined to make it out of the hospital in less time than anticipated, to get off the medications. Confined to bed, I forced myself up daily to walk around my room and energize my mind. The neurosurgeon was not pleased fearful of bleeding. I nagged him daily about leaving until I packed my duffle bag on the 4th day and told him I was leaving. I had to sign an undertaking. He tried to prescribe medication, but I advised him not to write it because I was determined not to take it anymore.
Once I walked out, I felt a burden off my shoulder and in total control of my health and life. Below are my post-operational symptoms and remedies.
- I had no appetite for solid food. I only took the prescribed vitamin supplements, fresh fruits, fruit juices, and endless soups of mixed vegetables. Although I yearned for yogurt, I was advised against it because it may create mucus.
- I developed edema in both my legs with the left one in accentuation. I bought a rough hair brush and brushed my entire body 3 times daily, for 6 months, religiously.
- From the onset I had consistent numbness in my 3rd and 4th toes on both feet. The brushing alleviated it but not for long. It has now subsided considerably.
- Contrary to all claims, my libido increased rather than decreased.
- My head was swollen and my face was all puffed up. I suspect I was given Cortisone during and post-surgery in the hospital, without being informed — knowing I will reject it. After the 1st week, the puffiness subsided gradually. The swelling took a few more weeks.
- The huge protruding lateral ridge across the center of my head from ear to ear, with large stitches, eventually became a deep recess into my cranium. I could hardly wait for my hair to grow to conceal it. I used the same hard brush for my body, to brush my scalp daily and regularly, invigorating hair growth. Within 6 months, I restored my hair.
- My skin was as thin, dry, and flaky as a lizard’s skin due to all the post-surgery antibiotics, orally and intravenously. I rubbed myself vigorously after my daily baths, to stimulate the blood flow.
- My hand and toenails were as hard as cartilage and had ridges across the center. I kept cutting them to ensure they were growing out. I knew it was from the antibiotics.
- I was restricted to walking only indoors and under supervision. On my 3rd day, I ventured outdoors and made it a point to increase my walking mileage daily and consistently. Initially, I would feel a split-second spin in my head, but I got over that very quickly.
- I was forbidden to drive. After the 1st week, I was driving around also. I’m a nervous driver, so I decided to be more subdued.
- I was recommended maximum sleep and rest “for the brain and its circuitry to recover”. It was walking and driving that stimulated them to recover. I could not sleep more than one hour a night. At daybreak, I would sleep for another hour or two only.
It was probably due to being confined indoors pre-surgery and to bed in the hospital, my hyperactive body required a boost of movement, which I obligingly provided daily.
- I was advised against any exertion or physical activity. I managed to put an order in every nook and cranny in the house and got myself super busy with all my hobbies, compounded by my work.
Conclusions-come-advice:
- Had I continued with medication after leaving the hospital, I would have certainly had permanent dysfunctions in my body due to their side effects.
- Had I not taken healing into my own hands, I would have become dependent on medication for the rest of my life through lack of will to take charge.
- Had I not had a will of steel to recover and recover medication-free, I would have certainly been handicapped in many ways, physically.
I made it a point to visit my neurosurgeon every quarter for 12 months. I made it thrice instead of 4 times. When he withheld certain information on the 3rd visit, I never returned.
In any case, on the first 3 occasions, he examined me, he was amazed by my progress and suspected I was seeing another doctor who was assisting me in my recovery. I told him it was Dr. Hairbrush. He couldn’t believe it but insisted I continue.
- Had I not been regular and consistent in applying my natural remedies, as well as patient to persist all this while, I am certain that my recovery would have taken twice as long as the past 18 months.
Further research through the internet provided the following medical information. For those who wish to know more, I will strongly suggest that they conduct their own extensive research over the Internet. The most notable international hospitals are in the US, and they make all their information available online.
- There may be complications during and after surgery which are potentially serious and may include the temporary accumulation of fluid in the brain a cerebral edema (swelling). It is particularly common after surgery for meningiomas.
https://www.uptodate.com › contents.
Ø I had edema in my legs, with the left leg swelling more than the right. I had to have blood tests and a heart scan to ensure that it was neither the heart nor dysfunction of the liver or the kidneys. All tests were reassuring. It could only be concluded that as the body was restoring itself, it was the post-operative release of cerebrospinal fluid.
Ø To accelerate the elimination of the edema, I bought a rough brush, and developed the routine of brushing my entire body daily, when I woke up, after lunch, and before going to bed to stimulate the lymphatic system in my body.
- During surgery, dexamethasone is given to the patient to reduce the risk of nausea and vomiting after surgery, to relieve pain, and to make the patient feel better.
Ø This was the information my neurosurgeon withheld and I did not return to him.
- The bone heals in place over the next few months (like any other broken bone). Complications specific to the craniotomy may include pulsating or pounding headaches, jaw stiffness, cerebrospinal fluid leak, blood clots, nerve damage injury from the head device, and a dent where the bone flap was removed (craniotomy). This removal might be necessary to reduce pressure on the brain from conditions that cause swelling.
- https://www.aaroncohen-gadol.com ›
Ø Part of my surgery included the fixing of titanium screws to avoid any apparent dent. Eventually, an inobtrusive little dent appeared in the center of my forehead, But I did not suffer from any of the aforementioned setbacks.
- The perioperative use of steroids is applied for the reduction of facial swelling. Steroid use cannot be stopped abruptly; tapering the drug gives the adrenal glands time to return to their normal patterns of secretion. Withdrawal symptoms and signs are weakness, fatigue, decreased appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea & abdominal pain, which can mimic many other medical problems.
Immune system suppression after steroid intake ranges from 3 weeks to 2 months.
Ø I had facial and cranial swelling, and a bruise under the eye operated above. Within a week or two, all subsided.
- A full recovery can take anywhere from a week to several months. Contact your doctor if you experience Prednisone withdrawal symptoms as you are tapering off the drug.
https://www.mayoclinic.org › faq.
Ø I can boast of full recovery after 18 months, although after 6 months no one ever knew I had undergone surgery.
- You might feel more anxious and emotional than usual when you take steroids. Many people enjoy the benefits of corticosteroids like Prednisone, because they elevate the mood, creating a sense of euphoria and excessive energy. Just as you may also feel tired and sad for a while after you stop taking them.
Ø Although I abruptly interrupted all medication after my departure from the hospital. I mentally felt like a 22-year-old. It was as if an overcast cloud had been cleared.
- Taking Prednisone can cause your body to eliminate calcium from your bones, which can put you at increased risk for injuries such as bone fractures. Incorporate additional servings of dairy products into your daily diet. This includes milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Ø Although I had a natural urge, I was advised to avoid dairy due to mucous formation.
- Prednisone and other steroids may disrupt your body’s absorption and use of sodium, calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamins C and D, according to National Jewish Health. It recommends including foods rich in potassium in your diet, such as orange juice, bananas, etc.
Ø I had a particular desire for oranges, and pomegranates (blood-enriching).
- The side effects of corticosteroids depend on the dose of medication prescribed and may include fluid retention, causing swelling in your lower legs and arms, and numbness or tingling in the arms or legs.
- Avoid stimulants, such as caffeine, because these can worsen insomnia, and the side effects of steroids.
Ø I could not avoid good Brazilian coffee. It actually did worsen my insomnia. What is life without a little vice?
- Some people who have had a brain tumor can develop side effects of treatment months or years later, such as tumors developing elsewhere, numbness, pain, cataracts, and weakness of vision. A stroke, or the loss of vision resulting from nerve damage, is rare.
Ø Nothing, 18 months later.
- Problems caused by a brain tumor do not always resolve as soon as the tumor is removed or treated. Some people continue having persistent weakness, epileptic fits (seizures), etc.
Ø All problems are gone!
- Periodic MRI scans are recommended after surgery to monitor if there exists residual parts of the tumor and if there is any growth.
Ø Now that I know the symptoms, if I feel anything I will have one done immediately. Otherwise, I am keeping away, come what may.
This is the 2nd part of my article:
1- MENINGIOMA: A Brain Tumor… The pre-surgery experience.
2- MENINGIOMA: A Brain Tumor… The post-surgery experience.
Sammy RNAJ — sammy.rnaj.writer@gmail.com — WhatsApp +96170499352
