Courtney's Surgery Updates!

Thank you again for all of your support!
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Thursday, August 22nd - 9:40pm

This week brought us news and a passing of the 65th day milestone!

Last week, we met with Courtney's neurosurgeon for her 2-month post-op follow-up appointment. This week, we were waiting on news from her recent MRI to show how things were going, and she had a quick call with the doctor to confirm the scan's findings.

Overall, the neurosurgeon is really encouraged and happy with how things are progressing. He did acknowledge that Courtney is likely dealing with some chemical meningitis (not bacterial), which is simply a natural consequence of such an intense surgery. He did share with us that her Chiari malformation was in the severe category with a significant abnormality, which further confirmed that this surgery was a great decision. 

The MRI showed great improvement on her CSF flow and good overall support of her brain. Apparently she did not get a titanium plate after all because the cranial opening was only a few centimeters by a few centimeters. The neurosurgeon noted that all of the swelling and such was to be expected and normal for this stage. 

One noticeable symptom that's continued since the surgery is that Courtney's voice often sounds hoarse or overly youthful (ha!), which is a byproduct of some minor damage during the intubation. The neurosurgeon thinks it'll likely resolve by the 6-month mark, especially if Courtney returns to the choir and will get voice lesson practice. 

Courtney is getting better every day, with only a few migraines sprinkled in. The swelling and voice should continue to improve, along with her stamina and energy levels as the weeks pass on. Our next appointment with the neurosurgeon isn't until November, so we're focusing on getting better every week. Thank you all for your support!

Thursday, August 8th - 8:30pm

Tuesday marked 50 DAYS post-op! It’s hard to believe that the surgery was that long ago now.

The going is still tough, but Courtney is showing signs of improvement. She’s going much, much longer without having to take pain medication now, and she’s been able to do much more around the house. She isn’t able to do any intense exercising, though, and she still finds it really hard to do anything involving a lot of brain work. She still fatigues pretty quickly.

This is all apparently still very expected. We have another follow-up with the neurosurgeon next Tuesday, so we’re hoping he can help shed some light on questions that we’ve had.

Though it’s still going slower than we’d like, we’re feeling extremely blessed that it’s gone as smoothly as it has. Out of the 50 days since the procedure, Courtney has only had migraine-like symptoms on 5 of them - a HUGE improvement.

She’s really pushing to be able to start taking on some client work again starting September 1st. Everyone’s prayers are still very much appreciated.

Tuesday, July 23rd - 10:45pm

Yesterday was 35 days (5 weeks) post-op.

Courtney has had a rough few days, unfortunately. She has had a few migraines the past few days, though thankfully, they haven’t been as bad as her migraines were pre-surgery. She’s still only had migraine symptoms 5 days out of the past 36, which is a vast improvement to where she was before.

We seem to be in a cycle of 1 good day, then 1 bad day at the moment. She’ll have a day where she has a decent amount of energy and seems closer to normal, and then the next day, she’ll barely be able to get out of bed. From what we’re seeing in some of the support groups that Courtney is in, this is apparently pretty normal.

We’re hoping that this continues to improve, and that there are fewer and fewer bad days. We’ve also thankfully avoided all the really bad complications that we’ve also heard about in her support groups - we seem to be out of the danger zone in that regard, so even though this is going slower than Courtney would like, we’re still extremely grateful to have come through this as smoothly as we have.

Thank you again to everyone who has helped us with meals, support, and prayer!

Monday, July 15th - 8:45pm

Today marks exactly 4 weeks post-op!

Courtney is still slowly-but-surely recovering. She’s able to move around pretty freely now, but she has to take lots of rest breaks because of her fatigue, and she’s still sleeping a lot. She’s experiencing a lot of localized pain in her neck, near the site of the surgery, so prayer for that would be very appreciated.

Garrett went back to work today, so we’re now trying to figure out the new mix of daily life, and how much Courtney can do before she gets over-exerted. We’re super grateful for the Meal Train that we’ve had, as it’s especially a life-saver now that Garrett is working again.

The surgeon has said that, statistically, this is around the time that his patients start seeing the glimmer of the hope of a life without their previous Chiari symptoms. Though Courtney is still pretty incapacitated, Garrett does feel like he’s seeing that glimmer start to come through - out of the last 28 days, Courtney has only experienced Chiari-like headaches on 2.5 of them. We’re hopeful that this is indicative of her new reality. 😊 

Thanks for everyone’s help, support, and prayers!

Thursday, July 11th - 11:30am

Thanks be to God, we’re still seeing steady improvement!

Courtney is still in a bit of pain and discomfort, but she’s been able to go much longer in between having to take pain meds, going most of the night without having to take anything!

That said, she is still having trouble sleeping, but we’ve been told that is also pretty normal after this procedure. She’s doing more and more every day, but is still fatigued pretty easily.

Courtney seems to be the only one who is surprised that she can’t run around like she usually does. So, to sum it up, she’s still very much in recovery, but we’re seeing positive signs every day!

Monday, July 8th - 1:30pm

We’ve seen improvement over the last few days, thankfully!

Courtney is past the symptoms of having been weaned off the steroid. Now, she is mostly just dealing with headaches and overall fatigue.

She’s going longer stretches in between having to take pain medications, however, so we seem to be trending in a good direction there, too.

Overall, things are looking much better. She’s still very easily fatigued and not sleeping very well, so prayers for that are still appreciated. Thank you!

Friday, July 5th - 3:30pm

Courtney has had a rough last few days, sadly.

The good news is that she got the last of her staples out, and the incision is still healing nicely. However, she's been weaning off the steroid that was prescribed to her post-op, that had previously been keeping a lot of the brain swelling at bay.

Now that she's been weaned, she is unfortunately having quite a bit more pain. She had an especially rough night last night with pain and nausea, but she seems to have come through it and is doing a little better now.

Prayers for healing and comfort are very much still welcome as she continues in recovery. We are still so grateful for all the love and support we've received - thank you all!

Monday, July 1st - 2:30pm

We are 14 days post-op!

We had Courtney’s follow-up appointment with the surgeon’s staff last Friday, and as far as they were concerned, all was looking well.

The surgical scar was mostly healing nicely, but they left a couple of the 20+ staples in where they thought that it needed just a little more time. She’s getting the last of those staples out tomorrow morning.

The surgeon’s PA was clear that “there is no such thing as a small brain surgery”, and that we should expect that it will take quite a while to fully recover, but that her healing is happening as expected.

Courtney has had a lot of up-and-down days as far as her pain and energy levels, but we’re still incredibly grateful for all the help and love we’ve received, and that everything has gone as smoothly as we could hope for.

Wednesday, June 26th - 11:30am

Quick update: We're doing ok!

In some ways, things got a little harder being at home, since we don't have the same kind of supportive care here. Courtney is still in pain and pretty exhausted, and she's frustrated by not being able to do more.

On the good side of things, she is able to get up and move around more and more each day. It does seem like she is slowly improving, and her pain level and immobility aren't nearly as bad as we thought they might be post-surgery.

We have her follow-up appointment with the surgeon in a few days, where we should hopefully be able to take out her staples and find out more about how the healing is going.

Monday, June 24th - 9:30am

We are back at home now.

The trip home was uneventful, but it took a lot out of Courtney, so she's been slowly gaining her strength back. Now, we're just settling in to the long road to full recovery!

Courtney seems to be getting a little better every day. We have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon up in Denver on Friday, so we're hoping all looks good then.

We are SO grateful for all the love, food, prayers, and support we've received from our friends and family. We love you all - please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Saturday, June 22nd - 11:30am

WE'RE GOING HOME!

The surgeon's PA came by just now, and gave Courtney the all-clear!

We'll be hanging out for a little bit to eat lunch and let the pharmacy fill her prescriptions, and then we'll be heading back to Colorado Springs!

Thank God!

Saturday, June 22nd - 10:00am

Things are looking pretty good this morning!

Courtney does still have pain, but the dizziness seems to have pretty much gone away, and she's able to move around our room pretty well by herself.

Physical therapy has signed off on her, so we're basically just waiting on the doctor to sign off on her coming home!

Prayers for a today release would be awesome!

Friday, June 21st - 2:15pm

Huge good news!

After a disappointing session with the occupational therapist this morning, Courtney was able to sit, stand, and walk short distances on her own in the presence of her nurse!

Her dizziness seems to have dissipated and she was able to use the bathroom normally for the first time since the surgery! She says she feels like a new person. We are hugely encouraged.

Prayers are still welcomed for continued mobility and healing for her surgery site - but thank God!

Friday, June 21st - 10:30am

We're doing pretty well this morning! We got a good night sleep, Courtney's pain is mostly under control, and her labs are totally back to normal.

Even with the new dizziness med, she's still pretty dizzy, even while just sitting in bed. Courtney is pretty frustrated with the dizziness, because otherwise, she would be moving around a lot more, and able to get back to normal things (like a shower). It's the main thing keeping her here for the moment.

She's adjusting more quickly to the change from laying down to sitting up, though, so that's a small change in the right direction. We're going to work with the physical therapist and nurses to get standing and (hopefully!) walking today, since Courtney is anxious to get back home. 

Thursday, June 20th - 6:00pm

We've got better news this time!

Courtney got some more time with the physical therapist, and though she wasn't able to walk because of the dizziness, she was able to stand for a pretty good amount of time.

However, the fever she had yesterday is gone, her labs are pretty much normal now, she is now off oxygen, and the doctors have gotten her on a med for the dizziness that we're hoping is going to help her get over that more quickly.

She was also able to eat a much more substantial meal tonight for dinner.

We're trending in the right direction!

Thursday, June 20th - 11:45am

Less good news this time.

One of the surgeon's PAs just came by, and based on Courtney's current dizziness and lack of mobility, he thinks a Friday discharge (which we were hoping for) is unlikely.

He thinks Saturday or potentially Sunday is a more likely scenario. He still said that the dizziness is to be expected, but he gave the ok for increased mobility with some help.

We're going to be working on sitting at the edge of the bed, as well as potentially some walking with the help of the nurse later.

Please continue to pray for the dizziness and mobility!

Thursday, June 20th - 7:30am

Courtney got lots of sleep last night, thank God.

She is still very dizzy, even laying down, but she'll be seeing the physical therapist again today for more help walking.

She has gotten her voice back from being intubated for the surgery. She is also still on oxygen, and she may have to go home on it, but we aren't sure yet.

All in all, we're hoping for more progress on the standing/walking and dizziness today.

Wednesday, June 19th - 8:00pm

We had some good stuff toward the end of the day!

One of the PAs from the surgeon's office came by to check on Courtney, and she said that Courtney is looking really good overall, and that the dizziness, while not great, is still pretty normal, considering the severity of the surgery.

The PA was also going to adjust her meds schedule to help her better stay on top of the pain and stiffness.

To top it off, she ate her first full(ish) meal for dinner. We're still working on the dizziness, but we'll take the wins where we can!

Wednesday, June 19th - 2:30pm

Unfortunately things haven't really gotten much better for Courtney.

The pain has gotten back down to a mostly manageable level, but she's still really struggling with dizziness, even while laying down, so she still hasn't been able to get out of bed at all today.

Prayers for the dizziness would be greatly appreciated!

Wednesday, June 19th - 5:30am

The latest update is not so good.

Last night, Courtney started bleeding through the bandages holding her IV in place, so we had to remove it, and start more oral medications instead. That wouldn't be so bad, except that early this morning, Courtney's hair got caught in one of her staples, which severely irritated it and is now causing her a lot of extra pain.

We're trying to get on top of it, but she's struggling. Prayers are appreciated.

Tuesday, June 18th - 7:00pm

Courtney is out of the ICU! They've just gotten situated in their new room on the main neurology level.

Her main big symptoms are still dizziness and pain, but Courtney was able to sit up and get into her new bed by herself.

All in all, things are going well! We should be here until Courtney is discharged.

Tuesday, June 18th - 3:00pm

More good news!

Just met with the physical therapist, and with her help, Courtney was able to walk to the bathroom and back! She is still experiencing a lot of dizziness, but her heart rate and blood pressure stayed steady through the whole thing, so this is more progress!

The docs think that she's stable enough to be moved out of the ICU, so now we're just waiting for a bed in the step-down unit. 🙌

All good things, thank God!

Tuesday, June 18th - 11:30am

Courtney was able to (very) slowly sit up, and with the help of the occupational therapist, we got her up and taking a few steps. The physical therapist is coming by later today to try some more walking.

Courtney is still very dizzy, so she wasn't able to be up for very long, but she's making great progress! 

Tuesday, June 18th - 9:00am

New Update! Courtney is awake, eating a bagel, and drinking a coffee! Thank God, the nausea seems to have passed.

She's still in pain, but manageable. She has lost her voice from the breathing tube they used in the operation, but otherwise in good spirits.

Super grateful for all the support and prayers from everyone!

Tuesday, June 18th - 7:00am

Courtney is still in the neurology ICU. They have been able to get the pain and nausea mostly under control overnight, so she's been able to eat a little.

Courtney's nurses have been great! She's still in pain, but they've been able to stay on top of it enough to where she's been able to sleep quite a bit.

Monday, June 17th - 7:00pm

Quick update: Courtney is moving out of the recovery ward and being transferred to the neurological ICU for overnight. 

Monday, June 17th - 1:00pm

Courtney is out of surgery and the surgeon said everything went perfectly.

Courtney did not have any reactions to the anesthesia or drugs used, and the procedure went exactly according to plan.

She will be in post-op recovery for about an hour before being transferred to the neurological ICU.

Glory to God! 

Monday, June 17th

Courtney will be going to surgery first thing in the morning. Prayers are welcomed! The surgery should take approximately 4 hours.