Post Surgery Peek a Boo

Four weeks ago, I underwent surgery to remove a benign tumour in my head. The subsequent weeks have been both the fastest and slowest passing of time, as I experience the ups and downs of post-surgery recovery. The major down being the resulting fluctuations to my body’s hormones. At present, I still have my nose splints in my nasal passageway, which are ensuring my breathing corridor remain open while the surgery point heals.

In these four weeks, I’ve managed to read 2 books and listen to 3 audiobook memoirs. Perhaps it’s been a whiplash to the months of being unable to read or focus in the months leading up to my diagnosis and surgery. I truly missed the experience of reading someones words to experience life from their perspective. In many ways, I’m lucky that my worsening (and often spotty) vision was an alarm for the eventual discovery of the tumour.

In my readings about Pituitary Tumours, it’s estimated that a whopping 20% of people may have them, and many never realise that they do. In part because in many people, these small growths often cause no issues or disturbance to the body’s natural functioning. They are regularly found in postmortem’s as small micro-adenomas (<1cm in diameter). I was lucky enough to have mine grow to almost 3cm, and press against my pituitary gland and my optic nerves. Surgery was the only suitable option to ensure that it didn’t permanently destroy my vision and my fertility.

As I sit here and navigate the throbbing headaches and dehydration I’ve been experiencing since the surgery, it all melts away when think about my family and friends. I get emotional thinking about the people that have shown up for me in the last few weeks and taken care of me physically and emotionally.

I hope I can take this second wind to live a life full of authenticity and purpose.