Hey all. Here's a brief Molly & Chiari update. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this.
Molly had surgery 1 1/2 weeks ago (Friday, 9.26...so 12 days post-op). Her first two days in the hospital were unbelievably good. She had energy, recovered quickly, and was happy. So they sent her home. Her last several days at home have been just miserable. She lies down most of the time but isn't getting much sleep. If she tries to stand up and do anything, or sit up and read or watch TV or whatever, she feels terribly nauseous and has to lie back down. That makes her one very frustrated woman. Add to that she has numbness in her feet and hands, regular headaches, and other symptoms of Chiari. She also has some swelling near the incision. Maybe the worst thing is that Molly has a strong appetite for foods that are difficult for me to find. :)
Molly and I have both talked to Dr. Frim's nurse a time or two, and have kept them abreast of how Molly is doing. The accepted explanation is that when you put a foreign body into a human body stuff like this is how you feel for a while. I told you while still at the hospital that this is what they thought would happen after she stopped taking steroids.
Yesterday Molly woke up with some painful spots on her torso. It's as if she feels like she has several bruises on her upper torso and arms. Weird. A call to the nurse led to Molly going to our local family doctor to seek a blood test to check for infection. Our family doctor wanted to meet with Molly to check on her himself and gave us the "ok" on the incision (doesn't look infected from the incision point) and her vital signs. He sent her to get a blood test and the results will be sent to Dr. Frim.
Dr. Frim called in another short round of steroids, including an initial big dose. Molly took the big dose last night and will be taking more the next 2-3 days. This morning she is feeling great! Happy, chatty (too chatty), energized. We know it's probably short lived once she stops taking them again, but it should help her recover a bit faster and at least feel better for a day or two. I should also add that her torso pain is gone as of this morning.
This has been a really difficult time for us. We are all exhausted and concerned about whether or not Chiari symptoms will go away. At least Molly's energy today gives me a chance to do some work on my church. It's been very difficult to find time for that lately. For some context, here's my post 12 days post-op from last year's surgery. Things were much, much better last time around.
We appreciate all of you and your prayers for Molly. Please keep praying.