Happy 2013 Everyone! I hope 2013 is a year of health and happiness - or a year of recovery and strength if that is what's required...
I had a very good question put to me by Shaun on the "Schwannoma Survivors & Schwannoma Fighters" Facebook page; he asked how long it took before you felt normal, or much like yourself, after Schwannoma surgery. Obviously this is a very good question but a very fraught one at the same time. People have a HUGE range of results from their schwannoma surgeries. I have found that my results were probably better than average - so I try hard not to let myself up on any high horse or take too much credit for a fortunate, or better than average, result. Also where your schwannoma was located in your body, or is, has a great deal to do with it. Mine was in the center of my back, inside my spinal cord - just below my shoulder blades.
As I told Shaun, it was probably a year before I felt fully functional. I was able to walk, with difficulty, within a week or two after surgery. I was able to help take care of our infant son after about 2 weeks. I did have to use small amounts of medication, and still do occasionally. About 2 and a half years after surgery, I got up the courage to try jogging and found that I could do it. I still do struggle with back pain but I have to live with the fact that I have permanent softening of my spinal cord in the area where the tumor was...and that has resulted in pain and discomfort, and some numbness around my stomach. But I try to keep a positive attitude, with the knowledge that a wheelchair and a very different life could have been waiting for me if I had not had surgery.
I actually just visited my regular doctor this past week and he told me that when people have major surgery they frequently get impatient with themselves, and that they should expect a recovery period of a year or longer. I found that this was quite true in my case.
Truth be known, if you find that you are in recovery from a schwannoma, you simply can't know exactly how long the recovery will be, and how much function you will recover afterwards. But keep the lines of communication open with your doctor. Talk to others on the FB page for feedback and ask around a bit. The main lesson I learned was to be patient with my body. It is all too easy just to get angry, frustrated, or dismissive of a body that doesn't behave exactly as it should. Patience really is a virtue with a long recovery. Do whatever you can do in the way of healthy living - eat well and get whatever exercise you can. But most of all be patient. We all know mountains are conquered one step at a time.
(Disclaimer: advice shared on this
blog or on our related Facebook page cannot be a replacement for proper
medical treatment by a trained physician. Speak with a Doctor before
making any medical decisions.)
