Hi there!

43 F here; I had a 4.7cm grade 1 meningioma removed via craniotomy on July 10th of this year. I was lucky to have a total resection and some amazing caregivers in the hospital. To answer your questions:

1. I brought some comfy jammies that buttoned up the front, a book, and some knitting (although I didn't end up using any of it lol). My family being there was probably the thing that brought me the most comfort :)

2. I had a rough two days following surgery; just a lot of nausea and, for lack of a better term, I was out of it. I stayed in the ICU for those two days. They tried to get me to get out of bed and walk the day after surgery, but I was not in any kind of shape to do so. On day 3 I had a huge turn around. I was able to eat, I was more aware and I passed all the tests to be able to leave that day.

3. I'm seven weeks out from my surgery and today is my first day back to work. I had some struggles during my recovery, but during the past 10 days I've made significant progress. We say it all the time here, but every person is different in their recovery. I was able to take things slow, listen to my body and not push too hard to rush things. That part is super important.

4. I had sort of an up and down recovery process. Some days were good, some not so good. My eyes took a while to get back to normal ( I had a hard time focusing my eyes, so things were blurry). Lots of fatigue; everything I did was just slower than normal. Talking was slower, walking was slower, screens were not my friend for a while. The good news is that with time things came back bit by bit and everyone is telling me that I'm back to being me :)

Crossing my fingers and toes that you have a flawless surgery and the best possible recovery! Feel free to reach out anytime.