This last Tuesday, my mom and Colby were able to meet with his surgeon, the wonderful Dr. Muhuonen, to talk more about the surgery and recovery. It was 2 weeks post brain surgery that day. It was a very informative and emotional appointment all at once. He had lots of good things to say about how well the surgery went as well as the progress Colby has had since. With all the possible scenarios they went into the surgery with, he came out with the best case one, which is truly a miracle and a blessing from all the many prayers and fasting on his behalf.
After the Dr. asked Colby quite a few questions and assessed where he was at, Colby started firing questions away at him. He is still so concerned about getting back into school and sports, as any active teenage kid would be. Dr. Muhounen finally stopped Colby short when he told him, "Frankly, you almost died. You were a very sick boy. You need to take it easy for a while." It was a good thing for Colby to hear it first hand from the Dr. It was the first time it finally clicked with him how serious of a surgery and situation he had just gone through! He is finally at a point to understand that and how truly important it is to let his body and especially his mind heal without trying to jump back into regular life. He is very lucky and blessed to not only be alive, but that he will continue to be just fine, as long as he really takes his time in his recovery now.
Emotionally it was a little difficult for my parents to receive all the reports back from the hospital and from the surgery. It was hard to hear just how sick their son was as well as how truly close to dying he came. The cavernous angioma in his brain had been growing for many years and had even had some bleeds previously from what the Dr.'s could tell once they got in there. It is amazing that he made it so long, with the mass being so large, without any symptoms. It wasn't until it started to hemorrhage that day he went into the ER that anyone had any idea something was wrong. It was almost an aneurism and they almost didn't find it in time. That is not something easy to digest as a parent about your son, especially your youngest and only one left at home! Life is very fragile and as we have learned, not in our hands, but the Lord's. That is why putting our trust in Him is so important to us!
So the plan is still for Colby to take it easy for a little while yet. He is able to add a little more stimulation in his day to day routine, but still needs lots of rest and to be careful to not overdo it. He will continue to have speech therapy and a little physical therapy for a few months and will slowly start back at school after Thanksgiving. He will most likely start with half days and gradually add more to his day each week as he is able to handle it. The Dr. did say that they are hoping to take him off the anti-seizure medication at the end of this month. Being off of that should help him have more energy through the day as well as better balance physically. He won't be completely out of the woods for his risk of having seizures, but he should be just fine as long as he doesn't push it too hard. All in all, the Dr. is hopeful for a full recovery in 3 months post surgery. Though the days may seem to drag on to Colby, 3 months is a very short time for all of us who were expecting a lot worse in the beginning. His moto for the next few months comes from the Book of Mosiah in The Book of Mormon:
"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." (Mosiah 4:27).
It is still so amazing how fast life can change in an instant. Sometimes it ends with heartbreak and sometimes it ends with a miracle. No matter how your trials in life go, we hope everyone can find those big and small tender mercies to be grateful for during this thanksgiving season. We as a family are truly grateful for all of you! We would not have been able to do this without so many wonderful friends and family, from near and far. We continue to be overwhelmed by all the love and support and hope to be able to spread those acts of kindness to others in need as we head into the holiday seasons.
One theme through this whole experience has been that we have seen many tender mercies from the Lord on Colby's behalf. You can read more about tender mercies and our belief in them HERE.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Some pictures from the past week:
Trip to Irvine Park
His scar is looking better and better the longer his hair grows! The stitches are dissolvable, so he won't need to ever go in to get them out.
He is always looking for new ways to keep himself entertained. This last week my dad and Colby found one of my dad's old skateboards. Together they made this new little board using the old trucks and wheels. They were both pretty excited and proud of the outcome!
Once again.... sorry about the poor picture quality. Do we ever use real camera's anymore these days??
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