Looks like another busy day for me. I need to get my August billing done today because on Monday we have safety training all day. Of course, I don't have all my information from the project manager and superintendent to complete the task at hand... and it doesn't look like either will be in today I guess I'll just have to make stuff up as I go ...
Buy, hey.... YAY! It's finally Friday!
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
Mema, how long does it take to know if the surgery is successful? Will she know as soon as she wakes up, or will it take a few days or more as she recovers?
The doctor visit went really well. Dr. Casey asked her a whole series of questions in addition to what is on the standard forms and looked over the MRI slides we brought along. He also had her do a little bit of sensory testing. He confirmed for her that she has Trigemnal Neuralgia Type 2. It is apparently harder to treat than Type 1, but still has options for significant improvement.
He basically said that surgery of some kind is her next step. He told her that severing the nerve is not an option since that will not actually stop the pain... kind of like how people who have amputated limbs can still "feel" that limb, and it actually introduces other undesireable conditions. He gave us 3 different options, but said that one is on the very edge of the table, but not off it. The two main options are the Micro-Vascular Decompression we came here to check into, or Motor Cortex Stimulation, which is a relatively newer option. We are researching that one now to try to figure out which she wants to do. He wants us to think it over for a while. Pambo wants to decide today before say 5PM so we can get this thing rocking.
The research continues....
Meanwhile, it looks like we are going to get the pleasure of my sister's company this evening. She lives quite a drive from here, so she reserved a room here at the hotel. Her boss had a free night stay pass, so she is only paying the $6.43 in tax for the room. YAY.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
After a bit of reading up on the new option and discussing the particulars, we have decided that it would be best to go with the MVD first as we initially thought. The MCS is still a possibility for later if the MVD doesn't work or if it quits working.
Oh yeah, I didn't mention it before but we REALLY like Dr. Casey. He has a good sense of humor and is very good about explaining things. He doesn't candy coat much, but does give a good perspective of the pros and cons of what these procedures are. Plus between himself and the guy he works most closely with, Dr. Janetta, they have done about 8000 of these surgeries.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
We are all pretty excited about it and actually did have some healthy debate on the surgical options. When we left the dr's office, Richard was really wanting the MCS option, but Pambo and I were more in favor of MVD. We had lunch then came back to the hotel and everybody hopped on their laptop and started researching. More discussions later, Richard decided MVD too.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.