This post has been overdue now. Back in Sep 2013, I wrote a post about my mother’s brain tumor (meningioma) and her surgery. I have been meaning to write a post with an update about her health but kept on delaying it. After I posted the initial message, one of the bloggers, itiskatrina, wrote back to me and shared the experience about her husband whom she lost to a brain tumor. To know that there were other people who had gone through what our family was going through gave me a sense of support. Thank you, itiskatrina, for your message of support for a complete stranger (i.e. me). It meant a lot!
I am happy to share that my mom’s meningioma turned out to be benign. It was quite big, in the front right side of her brain. She underwent the surgery two days after her initial visit to ER. The hours spent at the hospital’s waiting room while she was in surgery felt like eons. Thankfully, her surgery was successful but resulted in a lot of muscle weakness especially in the left side of her body (the side controlled by the right side of the brain). She ended up being bed-bound and all of us, especially my mom, were under a lot of stress. This is because we did not expect her left side to not move post surgery. There was no indication, from the surgeon and his team, of such a possibility. All of us were scared that her condition might be permanent. I did a lot of online research and found out that this was not unexpected after such a surgery. Knowing that there was reason to be hopeful gave us hope. I wish the surgeon and his team had been more forthcoming and had explained the situation to us instead of just telling us that everything was OK. Instead of the 3 to 5 days’ estimated stay, my mother was in hospital for 12 days. She had physiotherapy at the hospital before moving back to home. Overall, the morale at home was quite low and all of us were scared and under a lot of stress. Back then, our friends and long-time neighbors proved to be a major source of support. Our neighbor’s kids helped bring everyone’s morale up. Daily home-based physiotherapy sessions followed and the therapist was extremely helpful and understanding. He engaged my mother in conversations when she had gone quiet. We also hired 24×7 nursing assistants who encouraged my mom to take small steps to her recovery. Even lifting a finger or grasping a spoon became a huge task for my mom. But, with the help from the professional team, my mother was able to stand on her feet and walk with support 10 days after returning from the hospital. A month after the surgery, she was walking without any support and the nursing assistants were not needed anymore. After another month’s physiotherapy, and by the grace of God, she is able to continue with the activities of daily life without any support, just as she did before the surgery. This includes walking down a couple of flights of stairs and going to the market for groceries. She now has a house help whom she supervises instead of doing all the household chores herself.
We can’t thank the Lord enough for His blessings. Thanks are due also to all the family members and friends who came forward in time of need. The situation also taught us that running a house is like running a business. You need to put systems in place instead of making everything dependent on one person (my mom, in this case). Hiring professional help (nursing assistants and physiotherapist) was another good decision. It ensured that my mom had the best possible care which resulted in her early recovery and avoided any post-surgery complications, while enabling us to resume our professional commitments and have the time and space to recharge on a daily basis. Without that, some of us would have had a breakdown! My experience also gave my an insight into the challenges facing those in need who do not have the financial resource and/or access to quality healthcare services. How do we help these individuals? Since my work involves working with such poor, differently abled, and vulnerable individuals, this insight has given me a better and personal understanding of these issues.
I end this post with a prayer for all the people who made this experience bearable for our family. Also, a prayer for all those who are currently undergoing a similar situation. May God help you and your loved ones in these trying times (amen).
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Oblivion - Resurrected 