We saw the surgeon for a follow-up appointment yesterday, and he was very pleased with how the incision looks and with my progress generally. What was a little less wonderful was the news that I’m likely to keep having headaches for up to a year or more. Putting this in the best possible light, at least it means that I’m not being a total hypochondriac about recent headaches, which seemed to the “drug free” (see last post) me to be excessive this far out from surgery. It turns out, they’re to be expected. Oh well. The next check-up isn’t for another three months, and that one will probably involve another MRI. That will be about six months after surgery, which is when we’ll find out how much the brain tissue has refilled the tumor void, because by that point, that’s as refilled as it’s ever going to get. After that, I think we switch to once-a-year scans, to watch for recurrence of the tumor, as it is not uncommon for mengiomas to recur. Since mine was benign and was totally removed, that puts me in the very lowest risk category, however. At the same time, women who have menigiomas after 40 (me) have a higher incidence of breast cancer. I guess I’ll pull that reminder to get my mammogram out of the pile and get to it. When it arrived, it felt like too much medical stuff on top what was already going on, but this frames the choice a little differently.
For no particular reason that is apparent, I was awake in the night, so finally figured I might as well get up and work. The good news is, it was really productive time, all except for not being able to find a folder in which I’m keeping the successive drafts of one of my current writing projects. Without question, the folder must have gotten moved in the general cleanup that always precedes end-of-the-semester grading. (One class down, one to go!) I surely put it someplace on purpose. Despite extensive searching, though, it hasn’t resurfaced and I am mightily puzzled. Also, vexed. This is the kind of thing that happens these days that just drives me crazy, although the answer for what I did (and why) is likely to float back, just not soon enough. Soon enough in this respect would have been three hours ago.
After mentioning that I was reading John Adams, E suggested Trollope’s Pallister novels, so I’m now onto Phineas Finn. I don’t know how I missed these before and I’m enchanted.
Today brings seeing my 6th grade pal for lunch. J uses the term “protégé,” liking that better than the official term “mentee,” but I haven’t ever really warmed up to either term. I do like her, though, whatever word defines our relationship. More PT, more strength training, and a meeting or two. For me, that’s a full day of out in the world, to be balanced with working at home on the grading and the writing. Yesterday was much the same (OT instead of PT, though) except that the out-in-the-world part used a little more energy than I had—by the end, I was dragging. The surgeon pointed out that the best way to look at these things is on a week-to-week basis, not daily, as he reminded us that there are going to be good days and bad days. Yesterday wasn’t a bad day, it just wasn’t stellar. That’s still pretty good!
Have a great Friday. Does anyone have any movie recommendations to share for a good weekend watch with Shea?
The HBO "John Adams" mini-series might be a good choice, unless she wants to read the book first. Or for something a bit less educational (and marginally less gruesome in some ways--the 18th century was not for sissies), you might try the Joss Whedon extremely short-lived "Firefly" series--just 13 episodes, so really maybe either a "lost weekend" viewing project or one to be spread out over a few weeks. If it's a hit with Shea, you can then watch the capstone movie "Serenity" that was a theatrical release a couple of years ago. Or go for "Bones"--it has a smart, geeky but cute, female lead that plays a forensic anthropologist solving crime with the help of a beefcake FBI agent. Again, it's another series, with a couple of seasons on DVD and still in production, so lots to watch if it scores well with your teenage girl (it does with mine). Finally, try "Supernatural"--there are three seasons on DVD now; the two male actors are quite talented (and cute to boot) and the writing for this creepy but winsome show makes it the heir apparent to the hole left by the demise of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." (Yes, I know all this makes me sound like a teenage girl myself, and maybe I still am, somewhere under this "just started its 50th year on the planet" exterior.)
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