The Tumor That Changed My Life

Home

Being home was different. I wasn't really home. Let me explain:

I live in a duplex, which is owned by family. On one side, we live, and the other was vacant. We thought it would be better if I had a more peaceful environment, so when I can home I went to the other side.

Because the side we came to was vacant, there was no furniture. I needed a place to sleep that night, so my mom went out and bought a used couch. A few hours later when she brought it home, I discovered it was the deepest couch I had ever seen. When I sit on it with my back against its back, only my feet hang off the end.

We had also gotten the couch second hand from St.Vincent, so it didn't have any cushions in the back. I assume they had the cushions removed, but I don't know why. It's really weird to sit on, but because it's so deep, it makes a great bed.

The first night home was great. We put the couch as deep as the ocean in the living room, and we blew up an air mattress for my dad to sleep on. I don't remember having any trouble getting to sleep that night, but at that point in time I was always sleepy due to issues with my hormones being off balance.

I don't remember much of the next day. What I do remember is my dad bringing over a TV from the 80s,  connecting a roku, and using wizardry to make it all work.

That entire week was very blurry. I remember starting Physical Therapy with my outpatient therapist, Lindsay. I also remember talking to my siblings for one of the first times since before surgery.

While at home I had many great and daring adventures. Most of them involved making tea, but others were more out of the ordinary. One day I went with my dad to vote at the school down the street. On another day I made Raman noodles in the microwave all by myself, which is very impressive for a person recovering from brain surgery.

One of the experiences that really stuck with me was when I went to the store with my dad. It was a really quick trip, we just had to get some water, but in the water isle a woman just stopped and stared at me. She had a look that was saying 'You discussing child. Why aren't you at school?'. At the time I was wearing slightly dirty, but warm, pajamas, a knitted hat, and a tired look. I was angry about that interaction for quite a while. Why would she judge a stranger like that? More recently I've realised, I probably looked like a sick drug addict to her. If I had seen me at the store I probably would have stared.

During this home time, I had very frequent MRIs. At one point I was having two a week. During one of my neurosurgery appointments, It was reveled that what was left of my tumor was dispensing fluid and putting pressure on the rest of my brain. They would have to operate soon, to prevent further damage to my brain.

We scheduled surgery for November 28, 2017. Which was a full two weeks earlier than we were expecting. The only upside to this was that it was unlikely I would be in the hospital at Christmas.

It was time to prepare, again.