Long Story Short

Hey Babes! 

Bless me babes, for I have sinned. It has been about 3 months since my last post and these are my sins. Okay, I don’t actually have any sins to confess, but I have been away for quite some time and today I wanted to share where I have been. 

July was a pretty draining month. I mean physically, mentally and emotionally. On July 19th, my mom had brain surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. The medical term for the surgery she had done is a craniotomy and the condition she has is referred to as a Chiari Malformation. Basically, what that means is that my mom’s brain was sagging out of her skull onto her spine which blocked the spinal fluid from flowing correctly, which causes an insane amount of pressure in her head and neck. The neurosurgeon cut the back of her head open and removed a bone to make more room. 

Basically, that bitch’s brain is so big, they had to make more space for it. 

All jokes aside, it is a scary surgery, especially when you take my mom’s medical history into account. My mom is in her mid 50’s, she was a heavy smoker and has a history of migraines. She also had a hole in her heart which was surgically closed last year. And now, they wanna crack her skull open? Are you fucking kidding me?!

Just the phrase, “you need to have brain surgery” is terrifying. Diane is not only my mom, but she is also my very best friend and I can’t imagine my life without her. It’s a surreal moment when you have to discuss whether or not to pull the plug on your parent in case something goes wrong during the operation. It is not exactly an easy conversation to digest. 

Thankfully, the surgery was as successful as it could be and it went even better than the surgeon expected. After the surgery, my mom developed pneumonia from the anesthesia, which kept her in the PAC-U for another couple of days. Imagine coughing after brain surgery? Big Yikes! 

Emotionally, I was not well bitch. I’m pretty sure I cried for a week straight while she was in the hospital. Actually, I probably cried at least twice a day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even stress eat, because Penn’s cafeteria was filled with healthy options and diet Pepsi products. Blah!

Despite everything above, there has also been some good sprinkled in on the shit sundae we have been served. First of all, my mom is at home healing and making excellent progress. She graduated from her at home Occupational Therapist and is now able to walk with a cane instead of a walker. We like to do super short walks to the corner, so she can increase her endurance and stability. The scar from her incision looks great and her hair is growing back in at such a fast pace! 

I’m beyond thankful that my mom is recovering well and is mentally sharper than she has been in years. I am thankful that she made it through the surgery with minimal complications. I am so fucking thankful that she’s still here and that I didn’t lose my best friend. I am grateful for the pain management specialist who saw the Chiari and told my mom to go see a Neurosurgeon. I’m grateful for the Penn surgeons, specialists and nurses that took great care of my mom while she was in the hospital. I’m also thankful for the at home nurses, physical therapist and occupational therapist that have all come to our house to help my mom recover. 

This experience has just reinforced how much I love my small family. I don’t know if I have the words to express how fortunate I am for my parents and the bond we share. 

We are overwhelmed by the love, support and prayers we have received from family members and friends. Thank you to everyone that has texted, called, prayed and sent flowers. Any token of kindness was greatly appreciated!

xoxo, 

Kelly