Well, it's wasn't a true "MVD", but I did have my surgery on Monday the March 11th, and I am so surprised and proud of myself how well I am doing almost 2 weeks later! My neurosurgeon knew from the MRI that there wasn't an artery to be the culprit, so the plan was to splice the nerves to provide temporary or maybe even more permanent numbness to the right side of my face. That was accomplished along with removing a large vein that was pressing against the nerve. The surgery went well besides the fact that I had a reaction to something ? and broke out in hives and started to have breathing problems. Of course this is incredibly scary, so they stopped and handled that, but I continued to have hives and breakouts the rest of my hospital stay. With everything you get exposed to in a hospital, it's impossible to say what I was allergic to! Having to add Benadryl to everything else they had me on was an exciting experience. ;)
Anyway, when I was in ICU, I remember a nurse moving blanket and it brushing against my face, (my body braced in it's normal reaction for the incredible pain to follow that would probably even make me lose bladder control) and it felt like a little pressure and awkwardness, but no pain! I let out a yelp without knowing it and my husband just apolligized as normal, but I began to sob happy tears! I still cry when I touch my face, when can wash it, and when my 5 year old daughter can kiss my cheek. I does feel achey when I touch it a lot, but I won't go crazy. Surgery was a complete SUCCESS.
Sure, my eye is still achey and droopy, my nose gets the shooting pains, my jaw hurts almost as much as before, but I have had some moments in these last 2 weeks that have made my weep in happiness and have made a brain surgery feel worthwhile! That has got to mean something! As I write, I have tears running down my cheeks and they aren't killing me.
Recovery hasn't been too bad! The scar is teeny tiny compared to others that I have seen, my Dr did a fantastic job, it's about 2 ins long. (I added a pic) The biggest issue I have is with balance, I am still using a walker around the house and hope to use a cane soon, but too shakey as of now.
Thank you all for the support and advise. I am so grateful that we have each other. I never once had a moment that I shouldn't do this surgery and I am so glad that I did it. Recovery is so not what I though it would be, pretty easy-peasy. Just a lot of being pretty tired, hard to not push myself once I start to feel a little more like myself. And of course, I hate not being able to take a full shower for 2 weeks. 2 more days.... :)
-Aimee
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