Green Light..........Yellow First though

So, today was a big day for me.  Today was my post op visit with Dr. Sen at NYU just three and a half weeks after brain surgery number 2.
While I was definitely optimistic going into the appointment I would say cautiously optimistic might be a better description.
Thus far my recovery has been pretty uneventful.  No pain meds since 3 weeks ago, yes that's right, no pain meds since 3 days post surgery.  I was up and walking quickly while at the hospital and since returning home I have continued to walk, averaging between 4-5 miles a day.  Basically, I've done everything that I promised I would, most importantly I'd listen to my body and know when to back off.
Despite feeling great, there was always the possibility that I would be told that I still had to wait to get back to life as I knew it.
First, I was seen by Mary, the nurse practitioner, who looked at my incisions before removing the stitches from my head.  Step 1 ✅
Next Dr. Sen came in.  After going over his post op notes with me and explaining the challenges that this surgery presented it was my turn to start asking questions.
I started with the easy ones, when can I use Vitamin E on the scar, when can I bend over, when can I stop wearing the bandage on my head when I go outside, etc.....
Then with palms starting to sweat and butterflies taking flight in my stomach I moved on......When can I start running? Biking? Swimming?
As i sat with baited breath he spoke......you can start now.....IN MODERATION OF COURSE.
The words I waited three and a half weeks to hear....."you can start now".
And so, after a 20 minute visit with the greatest neurosurgeon in the world I was given the green light to start or should I say get back to training.
The road to Half Ironman Maine 2018 starts now.  I can't wait to share this journey with all of you.
This is just the beginning.....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Beginning....

So, what is the real beginning here?  Was it when they found my original cyst as a young adult.   Was it when they assured me it was benign and not changing? I guess any of those would qualify, but to me the real beginning was August 25th, 2012 when the cyst ruptured!!! Hearing the surgeon say that there were 3 possible outcomes, stroke, seizure or chemical meningitis.  Apparently I had chosen wisely or someone else I should say chose wisely for me, chemical meningitis it was and clearly the least severe of the 3. I was told that the damage had been done and with my sister getting married in October there would be no harm in waiting,  so we waited.  The headaches were managed and I went on with my life, December 11,  2012 I underwent a right frontal craniotomy, fancy language for what the doctor would call "minor brain surgery".  For the record, my definition of minor was slightly different, it involved him doing it on someone else an me watching!!! I decided prior to my p
Read more

Here we go......again

 We are definitely living in strange times to say the least.  Being out in public and seeing all of the masked faces, trying to identify friends by the way they walk, their body language or even their eyes, it is all very surreal yet it seems to be the new normal.  A lot has changed in a year in all facets of my life.  When races and life in general seemed to get canceled and the world seemed darkest is when I started to shift my focus.  After the initial disappointment I realized that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  A chance to spend more time with my family, more father son time on the golf course, watching Jordan develop a love and passion for a game that was and still is a big part of who I am.  Today with me working from home and Jordan’s hybrid schedule we get to go for a walk everyday at lunchtime, more family dinners on weekends, these are the things that I am thankful for in a time of uncertainty.  Last week also brought back a sense of normalcy for me, my first fu
Read more