Survived another one!

I came home from the hospital today and it feels SO good to have indulged in a large latte and a good hot shower, which, surprisingly, included washing my head. Seems as long as I don't soak my head, a little shampoo and water does no harm. I got my first good sleep last night because my nurse practiced proactive pain management and gave me the maximum dose of Percocet I'm allowed. I've had bad headaches since the surgery, especially if I do something thhat changes the pressure in my head, such as standing or sitting or lying down. Yesterday's on-call neuro doctor told me that was caused by the air that had taken the place of the removed cyst. Today, I woke up feeling generally more stable and clear-headed than I had felt since the operation. I sat in a chair to eat my breakfast and moved around the room a lot and later got in and out of bed to use the bathroom by myself. I saw the neuro on-call doctor at around 11:30 and he agreed that I could be discharged today. Imagine my supreme delight to read in the discharge instructions that I will be tapered off Decadron completely by a week from Tuesday followed closely, I hope, by the end of having to monitor my blood glucose and the end of having to take a sulfa drug called Septra as a prophylactic against pneumocystis pneumonia. (You see, Decadron does its work by destroying the immune system. My t-cell count has plummeted, but luckily my viral load is still undetectable.)

No improvement in the arm or leg, but I didn't get that until about the third day after the last surgery, so maybe tomorrow. Cross your fingers.

I continue to be utterly astonished at and grateful for the immensity of practical and emotional support I've received from a group of friends and family that anyone would be proud to be surrounded by. It spurs me on to recover so I can enjoy these relationships longer. My cheif occupation for the next few weeks is resting and napping between short strolls.