Acceptance does not mean resignation. It means understanding something is what it is, and there has got to be a way through it. -Michael J. Fox
Personally, it does not mean dealing with the TN has been easy, but I am determined to not let it win. It does not mean, I have allowed myself to be treated like shit by doctors, and have fired a neurologist. It means that I have to be accepted as part of the team when it comes to my medical care, and will not let someone with MD after their name act like gods. Acceptance for me means remembering it is what it is, and keeping my sense of humor about it. When I had my first MVD done, it was learned due to a birth defect, I have very thick skull plates, and bone at the base of my skull was crushing the nerve. I tell people I am thick headed, and I have a neurosurgeon that will confirm that. ;) Thing is though, that birth defect also caused a CSF leak to come out my nose, and when I was placed in ICU, and on a lumbar drain, I accepted no one was happy with what was happening, and strove to keep my sense of humor. When I called the neurosurgery resident a sadistic son of a bitch, when he was putting the lumbar drain in my back, and hit a nerve, I felt bad, but when I apologized he laughed, and said not to worry about it, he has been called worse. The general surgery resident, weeks later, told me everyone was amazed how nice I was considering all they were doing to me. My response? " Just be grateful my thoughts could not talk, or you all would have realized you were being swore at on a on going basis."