He Ditched Me

Today was, as I describe it, my 11 month "well baby" check-up.  Those appointments that aren't medically necessary, but are a touch point for the doctor and patient to talk about how things are going.

Apparently, all things considered, I rock.

Now, to put that firmly in perspective, there are things that will always challenge me: 

• I cannot turn quickly - not totally necessary unless the elevators in your building are like the ones in mine ... 
• I cannot walk backwards - it's amazing how often we actually do take a step backwards in our day-to-day lives
• I cannot pivot my right foot - again, a useful trick for getting in and out of cars. Now I do the Paris Hilton (or Brittney witthout panties) thing ..  sit, then swivel my legs into the car. One could argue it's more lady-like : )
• Stairs.  Up or down. Take your pick.
• I fall off bar stools - and that's before I start drinking

and there are things that I will never do again:

• I will never feel temperature or sharp pain in my left leg and hip again
• I will never have proprioception or sensation of touch in my right leg and hip again
• I will never run again
• I will never jump again
• I will never wear stilettos again

My neurosurgeon figures that this is it.  I will continue to function in day-to-day life at about 90%. I will continue to adapt and improve in small ways, but those improvements will be due to training and not actual "healing".  The goal is to get on with life enough so that the numbness and tingling/pain become white noise - something that is always there but my brain forgets to register.

Given that a year ago I was looking paralysis in the face ... I'll take 90%.  There are exceptions to every rule, but I am unlikely to be one of them .. I do not have youth on my side.

So that was the first 10 minutes of my appointment.  The rest of the appointment was spent chit-chatting.  I learned that he ran marathons too, until an unfortunate medical incident ended that hobby; that he wants to think about retiring, but loves surgery; that he has patients who he remembers fondly and I'm one of them.  I thank him for his skill, expertise and excellent care of me. Back in an early post I indicated that the jury was out on my neurosurgeon.  The jury is in ... he is fabulous - both in skill and manner.

And then he ditched me.  We're done here. The MRI showed complete resection and I had the kind of tumour that doesn't come back.  So unless I have some issue down the road that concerns me, I need not see him again.

At least he did it in person :)