Dan:
At this writing, (February 6th) you are a week away from surgery so I wanted to jump in here and add my voice to the chorus of well-wishers who will be praying for you, before, during and after your surgery. Most of the gang here know what it's like to be pre-op, and waiting. Today, I'm where I hoped to be while I waited for my surgery date, which, due to my tumor's large size, was scheduled very quickly, following my diagnosis.
Like you, Dan, back in the late spring of '06, I was anxious to get the surgery (retrosigmoid) and hospitalization past me, move on to recuperation and then back to my 'real' life. I was able to do so in a reasonable length of time. I'm genetically impatient but I kept looking to the 'end of the tunnel', as it were, and it finally arrived, late last autumn, when I finished my FSR treatments (26 over 5 weeks) which were painless but tedious and involved a 5-day-a-week, 60-mile round trip. No fun.
Oh, I have a few lingering reminders of my AN experience. I deal with them and I'm just thankful that they're relatively minor and most will likely resolve themselves in time. Most of my friends are apparently beginning to forget I ever had a brain tumor and have stopped telling me how "good I look" and/or how 'great I seem to be doing". Actually, I do 'look good' and I am 'doing great'. I'm pretty much back to my former (pre-AN diagnosis) routine and except for getting tired a bit more quickly than I used to and avoiding heavy lifting - which carries the benefit of having no one asking me to help them move, anymore- I'm fine - and happy to be so.
I certainly wish you the same positive outcome, Dan. Stay strong and focused on that 'light' at the end of the 'tunnel'. It worked for me.
Jim
