Achmed's 12 Days of Sleep

Not to be confused with the 12 days of Christmas, where there is constant partying and celebration, the 12 days of sleep were just that, SLEEP.

The first day after surgery, I slept about 15 or 16 hours on and off, probably in 2 to 3 hour stints. As time went on, the sleep time became longer and the time asleep became shorter. Here I am now, realizing once again the hard way that my body is not yet ready for full-steam ahead. I still need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a day, although it seems that my afternoon naps are becoming less required if I sleep in for a bit in the morning.

This past weekend I did everything in my power to try to get myself on a ‘normal’ type of schedule. Friday night I was so bored that I went to a movie with my niece and my sister and her boyfriend… I never go to movies. In fact, the irony was not lost on me that I had spent two weeks lying on couches and beds, watching TV and movies (something that I hardly ever do anyway) and then, my first night out in civilization I went to a movie! It was good to get out of the house but I still wonder what I was thinking. I didn’t even get to see a good blood and guts movie, I saw a movie about a bunch of girls in a roller derby.

Anyway, today my intention had been to go back to work, even if it is only half days for a week or two… I am really starting to lose my mind doing nothing! It seems that between a movie on Friday night, doing odds and ends around the house on Saturday, popping into a friend’s house for a birthday party on Saturday night and going to the cabin for the day, with Mom and Dad on Sunday, I depleted my strength reserves. I went to bed at a half decent hour last night and never hauled my ass out of the rack until almost lunchtime today. And a continuing problem I still have nagging at me from the surgery is that the incisions on the back of my head are not healing as fast as the ones on the front of my head… this is leading to me waking up every morning with a driving headache from the pressure on the wounds while I sleep.

The pressure headache from the halo brace is almost gone, just some reserve tingling on the back of my head and directly on the scars on my forehead. The roaring in my ear has mellowed for the most part. It is still there, and most likely always will be, but the frequency seems to be more constant lately. The burning sensation in my jaw still comes and goes, but it also seems to be lessening and lasting for shorter periods of time when it pops up.

My finger numbness has lessoned and my facial numbness seems to be less severe than it was, although my right eye gets tired easily and looks like it is half closed when I start to fade. The headaches seem to be controlled for the most part, by advil and tylenol, although I am eating them like candy. Some of the lessening symptoms could be a side effect of the steroids, and now that they have probably cleared my system those symptoms may return again temporarily.

The two symptoms which concern me the most are the sudden dizziness I experience and what seems like chronic fatigue. The doc says that these will fade over the next few weeks; they are just residual effects from the radiation and not to worry. Well, a different doctor told me not to worry when he said I had a brain tumor, he words didn’t seem to help me much at that time either.

Between dizziness and tiredness I haven’t been able to update this venue like I had planned… although I originally told my boss I would be back in the office a few days after I got home. I am not sure if I am being overly ambitious in my return to life or just not realistic in the expectations that I have put on my recovery. I am healthy and strong, I really didn’t think I would be laid up for so long!

So, it seems that ultimately I should be able to get back to work this week… my productivity rate has still to be determined. And in case you are wondering right now, yes, I am going to take it easy for a few weeks. Afterall, I don’t want to be laid up for the Christmas party season:)

From Achmed and Me… Life Life!