3 months and counting

General Blog
1

It's just been over 3 months since my surgery and I still am amazed at what I went through. My whole adventure was so easy in comparison to others I've read but it stilled scared the mess out of me. I was one of the lucky ones, my AVM was found before it ruptured, amazingly I had just gotten off of blood thinners before it was found.

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday and I have to admit, there was a time in March and April that I wasn't really sure I was going to see this one. While my AVM was located where it was easy to remove, it still was brain surgery and that whole concept of someone opening my skull and poking around well you know what I felt.

There have been so many changes in my life since this, some good some not so great. I've learned how blessed I am with friends, both virtual and physical (ok my virtual friends are physical too but they couldn't give me touchy feely hugs). I've learned that with good comes bad, I lost my job it had nothing to do with my AVM, just a crappy economy.

While I hate the whole looking for a job thing (resumes, cover letters, interviewing) the worst part is trying to cover my scar so I don't have to explain it. In my foolish wisdom, I had my hair cut short prior to the surgery not really understanding how much shaving would be needed (I could have left it long) and with the short cut sometimes the hair won't behave and shows the scar. I'm sure none of the interviewers have noticed I'm just self conscious.

Well, I've babbled and vented enough. Thank you for taking the time to read.

2

Wow! It's good to hear from someone who has just come out from under the knife. I was operated on back in 1989. And there's still some scars left behind. While they did good on getting rid of the AVM, it took me awhile to figure out that things were still messed up. I've recently been seeing psychologists and I wish I had started doing that a long time ago. The way my brain worked was always screwed up due to having this AVM and the surgery just changed the problems. But, it's good to have fixed that problem.

Now, some of us are going bald, so your hair problem could be worse. Just let it grow.

3

Armand, it's great to hear that you're doing better. I'm learning recovery takes time. I do joke with friends and family that they have to give me some slack when I get forgetful or clumsy because I had brain surgery.

The best part of the whole experience is the friends I've made here. I really helped after the surgery.

I've adjusted to the short hair for now, but am slowly letting it grow out.

4

Great to hear you are dong well. I consider the scars badges of honor. Of course I do still try to hide them as best I can. My hair is very short now and sometimes part of the scar is visible. But really, do you notice people out in public with visible scars? It's no big deal, right?

5

Congrats, and happy belated birthday! What a great gift and attitude you have.