Hi Calee,

Where and what type of pain is Tommy experieincing?

My brother had both sides done a week apart at Stanford by Dr. Steinberg in May of 2005.  He said the only pain he recalls is at the incision site which he expected and he said he had a slight headache but nothing alarming or anything more than what he expected after having two brain surgeries. He did mention that he thought he felt the pain only after the anesthesia wore off a couple of days later so that may be the same for Tommy.  My brother also mentioned that he thought that some people simply have different thresholds to pain meaning some will feel little or no pain while others feel more intense pain.

I hope this is of some help to you and hopefully others will share their experiences too.

Let us know what Dr. Steinberg says on Thursday.

Hugs,

Lore

Hi Calee,
The first surgery (right side) was a slam dunk for me. The second (left side) the following week was no problem until after I left the hospital, then I had some mild speech trouble,  momentary difficulty with swallowing and then tingling and numbness in my right hand. Like you, I called Teresa. I went back to the hospital for another MRI/MRA which proved that everything was due to the brain adjusting to the increased blood flow. I remember that I was so exhausted that my folks had to push me about the hospital in a wheelchair - and I was willing to let them. Other than that, I didn't experience a great deal of pain, other than a slight headache from time to time. I took no more Vicodin than was prescribed, but did take it as soon as I felt the slightest discomfort. It seemed to effectively keep the pain under control.
Every one responds differently, so I wouldn't put too much store in any one person's post-surgery experiences. I know that I was worried enough though that I rescheduled my flight home so that I was near to Stanford over the weekend. The extra few days gave me and my family a great deal of peace of mind. In retrospect, I know that it wasn't necessary to stay the extra days as by Monday, I was feeling great and was more than ready to cut the strings with Stanford and return home to my friends and family.
I'm sure Tommy too will perk up in in the next few days. Best wishes to all of you,
Kim

Tommy had just the right side done last Wednesday and says that the pain is mostly right in or near the incision.  Dr. Steinberg says that since he has no disease on the left side he probably won’t need surgery for his other side.  Out of 200 people with no disease on one side only 1 person developed disease.

Just read your responses to Tommy and he said to mention that it's not so much the headaches that are keeping him from not wanting to move it's more the nauseous feeling.  His headache is the worst after sleeping all night and then gets better during the day.  Seems laying down is the worst, he’s sleeping with six pillows to prop himself up.  He has the nauseous feeling when walking around and it’s the worst while riding in the car.  He says it feels like being carsick. 

Margaret – Tommy’s appointment is 11am.

Thank you all for being there for us!
Carol

PS:  His sense of humor seems to be returning, he’s talking about the zipper on the side of his head opening and losing his marbles!