I have spent many years observing the pet world and would like to share some of the wisdom that I’ve picked up. (Please note all quotations are from the pets)
Live for the moment
“What’s up? Wanna lay down for a while? Okay,” followed by nestling into the blankets as if for a lifetime.
“What? You moved? Let me jump up just in case you wanted to go somewhere – the next room counts as going somewhere.”
Allow yourself to grieve because there is a new you. It may be pretty darn close to the old one, or possibly quite different. But then you have to get up.
There are many people who have brain surgery to remove an Acoustic Neuroma and return to life as they knew it. Not everyone is significantly altered. However, many of us are changed forever. It’s ok to be sad about the loss of our previous selves and lives. I found that it was helpful to recognize those differences, to grieve the change prior to accepting the new me. Then it was time to get to know the new me and move forward once again with life.
Be optimistic, but don’t discount possible outcomes just because they don’t sound fun.
I did extensive research prior to my brain surgery. What I learned was helpful, fascinating, and terrifying. It was very helpful to have information tucked away in my mind to retrieve as I experienced things when waking up. However, I did discount all scary outcomes just because I didn’t want to experience them, didn’t have time, and couldn’t conceive of those things happening to me.
Topics that were helpful were facial “weakness”, which I learned was actually paralysis; dry eye and gold weight implants in eyelids; single sided deafness; spinal fluid leak; taste changes after surgery that angers facial nerves.
Stay in the hospital overnight if possible to care for the patient. I found something almost always came up AFTER the nurse left.
I was confused, even though I didn’t think I was. Having Kayla there overnight helped immensely. Hospitals are very accommodating to make caregivers as comfortable as possible. Kayla had a cot set up for her. It help them too so that they can focus on medical care.
Years before, Kayla was in the hospital as a pre-teen. She had her appendix out. In the middle of the night she was itchy from a drug interaction. She became agitated and needed red jello. The only jello that they had on the floor was green. In hindsight it is a funny story that we laugh about, but I was able to help her get what she needed.