The Big Scar

Craniotomy Scar Here is the craniotomy scar in all it’s glory. I actually don’t find it too horrible to look at. The staples will come out on Friday, and I’m just a little bit worried about that part, but hear that it doesn’t really hurt, so yay.

So the first time I coughed post surgery was on Monday, and it really freaked me out. I swear I felt the bone flap lift up, and like an idiot, I went to show it off to all the boys in the house. Watch! Put your hand here and feel it when I cough! I showed Chris, Scott and then Frank, and then promptly started to feel really weird and basically put myself into a panic attack.

I have gotten pretty good at what I need in that situation, and after a xanax, Frank putting me into bed with an ice pack, turning on Pandora, I got myself to sleep and calmed down, and learned something to never do again! No more showing all the boys neat tricks with bone flaps. Gotcha.

So, I want to document that big scar on my head. The zig zag scar isn’t actually where Dr. Glazier entered the brain. Instead, after making that incision, he pulled that part of the scalp back and removed a small rectangle of bone. You can sort of see the four dots that make up that square, right above the split between the hemispheres of the brain. Then he was able to go down that route to the tumor, without needing the harm or damage actual brain tissue. Amazing.

The reason for the zig-zag scar is so that the hair will fall more naturally as it grows out. How cool is that?!

5 thoughts on “The Big Scar”

  1. Bloody hell – you’re a little hair raiser, even without your own hair 🙂 I thought you’d write first, but “wham” there was the big scar straight up. I knew from the title, but still a bit of a shock. Definitely getting back to your old self, haha! Keep up the good work and keep the blog headings preparing us for what’s to come 🙂 (but honestly, after what you’ve been through, me feeling a bit queasy at the photo is NOTHING). I have nothing but joy for your success and recovery, and respect for the grace and honesty with which you have faced these scariest of times. Big hug and a virtual bright and beautiful dress for you to dance in soon, when you’re up to it xxx

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  2. Getting staples out feels a little bit like having a hair plucked, and sometimes not even that. It’s not bad at all. How long is it supposed to take for the bone itself to knit?

    What amazes me is the relatively tiny hole they made in the skull to get the tumor out. You’d think they’d need more maneuvering room, but hey, smaller is better in this case, so yay for modern surgical techniques!

    Please don’t go standing under any coconut trees, or any trees for that matter for a while, OK?

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  3. I am so delighted to ‘read’ your own words again — and can see your sense of humour didn’t take a hit (grinning)

    AND I learned something new — Steve and I were both wondering why the zig-zag ..now we know 🙂

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