Still Superman

A week post surgery and the fog is lifting . . . 

Immediately after surgery Harold was sharp – his ability to reason and speak restored. We rejoiced. The tumor had been removed with no permanent side effects and immediate positive results.

But by day two things were subtly changing. The very process of doing surgery to remove a source of inflammation (the tumor) caused additional inflammation. You can't open a four inch incision in the skull, no matter how delicately, without the body's defense system rushing in. It's a natural response anytime we get cut or injured. In the brain that swelling is trapped within the skull, potentially putting pressure on areas that control one's ability to talk, reason, or even move. By day three Harold was overwhelmed with pain and lost in a cognitive fog.

The doctors were not surprised by the swelling, especially since Harold can't take steroids to reduce it. We just needed to wait it out. Harold was released from the hospital with drugs to manage pain and to prevent seizures. I was charged with watching his progress and reporting concerns.

The days passed with little improvement. Reason told me Harold was fine. There was a logical explanation for his unsteady walk and broken speech. But how long was it fine. One day? Two days? Five days? I watched intently.

It was hard to watch Harold cover his face in frustration when he couldn't fight through the stupor of thought. It was hard to see him grimace in pain or waver precariously as he stood up to walk. It was hard to see our superman weak and vulnerable. Finally on Thursday I reported my concerns and learned about what I couldn’t see:

Harold is being hammered by a number of forces and any one of them is enough to put most of us under. He’s just undergone brain surgery. He had inflammation before the surgery and now has additional post operative swelling, yet I was told he is doing as well as many who are on steroids. His anti seizure medication is contributing to the confusion and unsteadiness. Even his pain medication could add to the fog. No, they were not worried. Give him a few days.  

It was reassuring to get some perspective. Though it didn't look like it, Harold was actually doing great.

Thursday night Darren and Preston gave their father a blessing and he immediately started feeling better. The next morning he greeted me with a joke and a big smile. Today he started talking in paragraphs. Harold still tires easily and often has to give his "overheated" brain a rest but he is making real progress and as far as I can tell, he's still superman.