Preparing for brain surgery

(4 days before surgery)

This was a topic that I did find some information about online. However, I was not impressed. I think it's because I like to be as prepared as possible—I wanted it to be like climbing a mountain, where all your gear, all your food, everything you could ever need, could be laid out on your floor in an organized manner that you could take a photo of and post to Instagram.

So, in this post, I’m gonna tell you how I prepared for this. I’m gonna admit that some of it is absurd, and hopefully some of it is helpful. I will create a post-op follow-up and let you know which items were successful or necessary.

What to bring to the Hospital

Backpack or large bag for stuff

Long phone/electronic charger with block

Headphones for music/ebooks, etc

Slippers

Cardigan or light robe or similar that is easy to wear with a gown and wires for warmth and coverage

Small toiletries like toothbrush/ toothpaste. And necessary face products or wipes, chapstick, etc

Earplugs ( I have loop ones, but I also brought cheap ones because things easily fall out of my ears)

Keep all jewelry at home

Loose clothes/ sweats, wide-neck shirts, few pairs of underwear, socks

Front clasp bra

Small art supply kit

Community engagement:

We created a spreadsheet that could be used as a sign-up for family and people who are close to us to help with childcare for six weeks. In the spreadsheet, I wrote out my son’s daily routine in a great amount of detail that would probably not be read. I also wrote down each week how I anticipated I would be healing and what help I would need. I was given a six-week lifting restriction. This also included bending over.

My husband started a meal train, but was nervous to share it with others, and so a best friend promoted it over social media and got it some traction. I was also quite nervous and embarrassed for this to be happening. I didn’t really want donations, but we got those and a lot of delivery cards.

My main concern and what I wanted was the reassurance that my son could be eating healthy meals. So what I asked for was anyone willing to cook, bring over food, or bring over some frozen meal options that my family could use while they were helping me watch my son. This is much more inconvenient for people, so admittedly, most people signed up for cards or donations.

Meal Prep:

This is something that I could’ve been better at. My friend absolutely was a rockstar and helped me so much. My temporal muscle was going to be cut to access my right temporal lobe. I was going to have a lot of pain and struggle with chewing for several weeks. I wasn’t given a clear answer on how long this would take, but I was told to plan for liquid or soft food items.

I also didn’t really think about it until a few days before the surgery, but the sound of a blender or food processor was something that I was likely not going to appreciate. So I suggest making plenty of smoothies, frozen soups, or whatever you like that requires a blender or food processor beforehand.

We didn’t have a deep freezer, so I bought one of these at Walmart a week before the surgery. This is something we used their donations for; I felt like it was appropriate.

Went to Costco and bought easy frozen meals

Non-prescription comfort medication:

Tylenol and ibuprofen in bulk. I considered liquid medication, but I feel like I’m really tough, so I didn’t get this. I might have regrets.

Laxatives. I’m not gonna skirt around with them in the short term; these are fine. I will continue to take magnesium. I think reasonable options are Glycerine suppositories, Bisacodyl, Miralax, etc with MiraLAX being the safest because it’s not habit-forming.

Ice packs, things that are soft enough to put on your head, such as migraine wrap

Heating packs, probably for your neck, because it might be sore

Also not a medication, but we bought large packs of chewing gum. I was told that this can help stimulate digestion in recovery and then can also help strengthen the jaw. I also love gum.

Consider having symethicone because no one wants to deal with that.

Clothing etc:

Obviously comfy clothes. I read that you should consider button-up shirts. I cannot button up a shirt on a normal day to save my life, so this wasn’t gonna be an option for me. I chose a lot of wide-neck or boat-neck loose shirts. It was 1000° outside, but despite that, I got some similar sweatshirts.

I bought some silk pillowcases and also washable pillow covers in case there’s a lot of drainage.

I bought an upright pillow/wedge for my bed pockets for my trinkets. I was told it would be safe to lie down, but obviously I shouldn’t lie on the side of the incision. Lying down will increase swelling. I’ve had to use one of these pillows before for a shoulder surgery, so I knew I was capable of being comfortable on them.

I bought a silk sleeping cap. I have no idea if I’m going to use this. I figure I’m not gonna be doing a good job at brushing my hair it so I’m just trying to prevent it from being a huge mess. This might be unnecessary.

I thought about buying a shower cap, but my surgeon did not give any shower restrictions and encouraged me to shower and use baby shampoo. So I held off on this.

I already had some loop earplugs and made sure to find them and make them readily available in case I get overstimulated.

Probably the most ridiculous thing I purchased was the soft safety helmet that looks like a beanie that I could wear around my son. This made all my friends laugh, as I mentioned in an earlier post; he began to throw things in my head, pull my hair, and hit me when he’s angry. I wanna be close, but I also don’t wanna take chances, so helmet it is!

(Ribcap, I am not the model)

House preparation:

I insisted that our garage is clean so that we could store extra things. We set up a bed in my office for family to stay in if needed.

A few days before my surgery, we did a deep clean.

We planned to clear hallways and spaces, and create minimal obstacles for moving around and getting to and from the bathroom and other necessary spaces.

I moved all my comfy, easy clothes to the same area so family or I could easily find them.

Brain engagement:

I think this is very ambitious, so I have doubts that it’s actually going to happen. But I got out my art supplies and have set them up in my room, so I have access to them with minimal barriers.

I had a goal of doing a small painting, a piece of artwork every day while conscious. My right temporal lobe is where facial recognition, appreciation of tones, and emotional memory are housed. I wanted to see how they would change with my recovery, and also exercise is part of the brain; hopefully maintain something that I love to do, which is paint portraits.

To set this up, I got out my supplies. Gessoed some paper and canvases and organized everything so that it was accessible.

I downloaded a lot of audiobooks.

I set up my oil diffuser in my room. I’m not sure if this will be overwhelming or not.

Pet care:

We purchased all the pet supplies we would need for the next several weeks.

A family member offered to take care of our dog for several weeks. Our dog is loud and neurotic. We really appreciated this.

We took both of our pets to the vets to make sure they were up-to-date on everything and established, so there was a place to go to in case of an emergency. We started our neurotic dog on medication in case she was stressed with the transition.

Financial and worst-case scenario preparation

I submitted a living will to my state registry

I made sure my life insurance was up to date with beneficiaries

I confirmed my IRA and retirement had beneficiaries squared away

I set up a college account for my son and put savings into it

I set up a password app that could be accessed by my husband in the case of an emergency

I wrote a letter to my son and recorded a voice recording on his creative tonie, and a video message to him for my surgery