Only ONE more surgery to go...

...and it's gonna be on Tuesday! Yes, blogger friends the neurosurgeon was very impressed with my work and HIS on my recovery. Turns out we don't have to wait any lengthy time to have my skull flap taken out of my abdomen and placed quite nicely back where it belongs covering my left brain!! I was worried he was going to make me wait a couple of more months but he put me on next weeks schedule. This is great news to Mike and I for several reasons! For me getting this done now means that we can be done and over with all this aneurysm stuff finally and get both girls back home with us! We are one step closer to getting back to "normal" around here! I am hoping to go back to work by the very end of this month and should be cleared for a part time return to work as soon as this surgery is a success. I will be easing back into work as fatigue is still an issue I'm overcoming. I'm hoping that I will ease back in and slowly work my way back into my forty hour work week.

I've also been cleared by the neuro to drive again although I've not put myself behind the wheel yet. It's been since July that I've been behind the wheel so I'm sure that will feel weird. I'm no longer on doctor's order to be monitored 24/7 and that will also be weird as I'm not used to being totally alone anymore either. Mike is driving a quick airport run this evening and I've already called aunt KK to come over and "hang out" as I'm still nervous and quirky about every eye twitch or head pain. I know I HAVE to get over this and I'm working on it or will be getting help with it very soon. It's just part of the post traumatic aneurysm stress that now plagues me. However, so many people tell me a year from now this will all seem like a "bump in the road" and I can't wait for that feeling!

For those of you who know me well and are waiting to find out, I did ask the neurosurgeon the part about the roller coasters! Let me just say first that he didn't even flinch! He simply said "yes, that would be fine there are no issues with doing all the things I have done in the past". OF course I lumped roller coasters in with riding on airplanes etc., etc., but he knew we had been joking about it since Mike and Pat couldn't resist giggling when I brought it up! So should I decide that I'm not going to stay paranoid about dying or almost dying at every sneeze I may decide to go back to my old roller coaster ways and it will be OKAY! HA! We'll see what happens next chance I get but for now I think I'll put riding the ultimate roller coaster a little lower on the "Bucket List" and heal a little more.

So that is my big update for today! We're gearing up for Brooke's baptism this weekend. I absolutely can't wait to see her in her precious gown getting Baptized as her sister did by Father Frank. Mike and I have been looking forward to this day since I was in ICU crying over missing her first scheduled date. It's a major milestone day for us!! Don't worry there will be tons of pics on the blog come Sunday!

In closing tonight I have to ask you all once again for the big prayer chain on Tuesday morning! Please pray that this next surgery goes well and there are no issues with my recovery. I'm freaked about the idea of getting put "under" again just a week after the gall bladder surgery. I know there are plenty of people who get more anesthesia than this and are fine. Once I get through this last one I'll finally be done and GOD WILLING there will be no more surgeries for me or anyone else in my family this year! Lindsay had 1, Mike had 2, I will have had 8 and if you count Brooke's birth she technically had 1 this year too! HA! Hey, it counts if we have to pay for it, right? Thanks again for all your prayers, comments and emails...you guys are the best!