Staples R Us

Just to keep everything straight this is Alisa updating Ryan's blog. The good news is the biopsy is over. They took 4 needle samples of the tumor and he has 11 staples in his head. I wish I could say it was a piece of cake but the last two days have been pretty rough and stressful. The surgery went well but shortly after Ryan was moved to a recovery room he had 3 minor seizures which were very scary for both of us. We were then moved to Neuro ICU to be watched a little closer. He did alright on Tuesday night but when he woke up Wednesday morning he started to have extreme stomach pain. This is the first time Ryan has ever had surgery or anesthesia of any sort. He had a severe reaction to the anesthesia in combination with all the pain meds and anti-seizure drugs he was on. So yesterday he spent most of the day in extreme pain and discomfort. The pain was so severe it caused vomiting. He also had 2 very minor seizures yesterday morning. They are getting less and less in severity which is good but still a little stressful for us. They seem to occur when he is concentrating or emotionally excited. However we are pretty sure that they related to the recent surgery and will go away shortly.

It's Thursday morning and so far no seizures today and the pain has subsided substantially. We are hoping to be discharged today. He also spoke with his Neuro oncologist and we should have the pathology reports back tomorrow and have some concrete information as to what this tumor is.

Ryan hasn't had any pain medication in almost 24 hours so he is feeling good and sounding like himself. He just needs to rest. His Dr. is not alarmed by the seizures he says it is to be expected when an area of the brain that caused his initial seizure gets aggravated. He's had two CT scans since the surgery and nothing on them has been alarming. He has a little blood by the area that was operated on which is not normal but not to be unexpected and that could also be putting some pressure on the tumor and related to the occurrence of the seizures.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We've received so many phone calls and texts and we apologize for not being able to respond to everyone. But know that it's all appreciated and needed.

This is Ryan, aka Frankenstein Head- I love you guys and appreciate the prayers and thoughts for me and Alisa. My brother Joel, friend Jason, caring Mom, and amazing Wife have been by my side in shifts through most of the past few days and I want to let you and them know how awesome their comfort and support has been.

Several side notes- I have been helped by nurses, nurse practitioners, and OR Attendings- 7 of them have been named Laura Or Laurie. Weird huh. I also had a Nikki, Kelli, Casey. If you know a medtronic sales rep slap them. Appearantly there are three of them for this hospital, and my surgery was delayed one hour for each of them because they could not get a part. Not the most stressful three hours of my life, but close. I am no longer afraid of IVs, and I don't have visible veins. First attempt took five tries in five different locations. ORs are very cold, take the blanket if offered. I would estimate that I am 60% of normal right now. Just a warning. I will get better and better over the coming days.