fusion

Medical Journey: Part 5 The surgeon

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

I wrote this a few days before surgery but never got it posted so here it is, part 5:

I have to say the hospital is quite efficient here. In a matter of a hour I had 5 X-rays, blood, urine, covid, and cat scan done. We then went to a different clinic where we did a MRV scan. It is a 3D mapping of my arteries, and veins. We did see how things had moved with my instability. We gained valuable information through this scan. Turns out my right jugular doesn’t have blood flow basically at all. We hope that the fusion will be enough to unpinch this so I can avoid a jugular decompression.

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Mothers Day

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”

– Jill Churchill

Mothers Day. It’s a day of reflection for me. It wasn’t always that way. Traumatic experiences seem to change us as a person. For worse, or the better.

As I reflected this year I just was surprised at how far I’ve come as a mother. Through every child I’ve been molded, I’m sure mothers everywhere can relate to that one.

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Sunday Journal Ramblings

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

I should be struggling to sleep right now. Full of nerves and excitement for the morning. I  suspect there’d be butterflies in my stomach as I thought about the beginning of my new adventure. 

Or maybe I’d continue to feel that overwhelming peace I’ve felt from the beginning and be calm about being rolled back for surgery in just a matter of hours.  Continue reading →

Even Super Woman Needs a Sidekick

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

Sometimes I just feel that words bubbling up. Needing to try and escape this cage. Sometimes it’s hard to find words for what I’m feeling and going through. But I have to try because I need to break the Silence. 

There’s so much they don’t tell you about postpartum. I wish people prepared for postpartum like they do packing for the hospital.  Continue reading →

Invisible Pain

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

Much like listening to the same song over and over I feel like I can get stuck on repeat in recovery. Finding the same issue resurfacing again and again. It can hurt. It can be frustrating and it most definitely has made me feel defeated at times. 

I’ve started to compare my mental recovery to healing from a surgery (appropriate, I know.)  It’s really painful in the beginning than slowly the pain comes down as you do things to help it. After that as you heal from the outside people no longer think of your recovery but you still feel the incisions brushing against your clothing, irritated and sometimes painful but most definitely uncomfortable.  Continue reading →

The Next Adventure

Posted on by Brooke Andersen

I’ve been a little absent more than usual. I have so much going on at home it’s been hard for me to focus.

I’ve mentioned briefly in previous blogs I have been having some health problems. I’ve avoided saying much details about them till we had more answers, well we have those.

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