Monday, June 1

Brooks had an early start…checking in at 6 AM.  He slept most of the night, which surprised me.  I thought he would toss and turn all night….guess that was just for me to do!

Lots of pre-op activity….vitals, MRI, EEG, etc.  Brooks was clearly nervous, but was being very brave.  He even had Kelsy and I laughing as he played around in his wheelchair while awaiting transport to the pre-op area. The surgery was planned for 8:30 AM, but they didn't actually begin the procedure until 10:30.  We were told that the surgery would take 4-5 hours with about 1-2 hours of recovery.  I was surprised when we got a call only 2 1/2 hours later that he was out of surgery and headed for recovery.  We met with his surgeon (Dr. Van Gompel) who reported that all had gone very well.

Those of you with queasy stomachs may want to skip this next paragraph!  During surgery, they removed a 3-4 inch in diameter part of his skull, took a small biopsy of the tumor and placed an electrode grid directly on the surface of his brain.  They sewed up most of the skin flap, leaving open a window to allow for the wires that connect to the grid to extend out to the machinery he is plugged into.  They will monitor his brainwaves and video monitor him as well for the next few days while they lower his anti-seizure medication.  The hope is that he will have one of his typical seizures in the next couple of days.  That will give them the information they need to determine the next step….another surgery  So, now we wait.  Until then, he is without a significant bone flap on his left side.  Surreal!

As for how he is feeling….well, not great.  As with most surgeries, the first few days are pretty rough….and I imagine it will be that way for Brooks.  The nursing staff here are fantastic and are really trying to help keep him ahead of the pain.  Thankfully, he is sleeping a lot and only wakes for short periods to feel and complain about the pain.  Poor guy!!  

I think he is wondering why he ever started this snowball rolling!  But, I am confident that in the end, he will be so happy he did!  His quality of life will improve dramatically and the freedom from this burden will be lifted!  And, the satisfaction of knowing he conquered this will give him the confidence to succeed in anything he wants to!

Thank you to all the family and friends who have been saying prayers and sending hugs and love to him!  Your support for us is pricelessWe are forever grateful!!

For now….

Mary