Friday, July 9, 2010

A Change of Mind

It's Friday night, I'm out of surgery and in recovery in the ICU.  The doctors had more extensive plans than we'd expected and I ended up having a 6 hour procedure called a craniotomy.  They removed part of my skull, removed the lesion from the surface of my brain and then placed electrical probes on my brain to measure and look for unusual brain activity.  They found a couple places under the lesion where this unusual activity was apparent and so removed part of the temporal lobe in that area.  But its okay, I wasn't using that part anyway.  They then replaced the portion of the skull they removed and attached it with titanium screws, covered the hole with titanium mesh and sewed me back up.  We're hopeful that this testing and procedure will put an end to the symptoms I've been having for the last several months.  Sometime tomorrow I'll be moving to a regular room and I'll be here until Monday or Tuesday.  So that's it for now.  Thanks again for all the love and support from so many of you kind people.  I will never forget it and this whole experience has changed my life in significant ways.

14 comments:

  1. Cool... you'll give the metal detectors at airports absolute fits from now on! Best to you... MsMartha

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  2. Yes, I see lots of fun teasing the TSA folks in your future.

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  3. I love the titles...., I can relate. Glad to hear that it went well and you're doing great. Sounds like you are ready to get outa' there!

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  4. Whew! Glad you're still on this side of life! We worried all day over you. Will your dear daughter be taking head shots with her "new" birthday gift? Rest up & get totally well soon.

    ooo

    R & A

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  5. Kerik, Carl Weese told me about your surgery today. He is giving a workshop at Center for Alternative Photography in NYC (which, is where I met you). We are both thinking of you. Get well soon.....

    ...lyle

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  6. ...so now we can compare scars! I'll bet you win, but then I didn't have a partial frontal lobotomy, now did I? (...well, maybe I did, I just can't remember.) Cheers, Amigo. - Dave

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  7. I'm glad to see you writing and some humor there. Good deal, keep at it and we are happy.

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  8. You don't know me, just an alt process novice, but I'm so pleased to read that your surgery went well yesterday. I thought about you all day and how frightening the day must be for you and your family! Keep getting well, and hopefully some day I'll get to take a class from you!

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  9. You are truly amazing and inspirational. -Angelina

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  10. Kerik - I just found out of your ordeal from Angelina yesterday. We were up in the North Cascades -- me with my 'little 11x14', as you would call it :-). Your post-surgery note made it sound like 'just a little brain surgery'. I can see from the sequence of posts, your attitude through the whole ordeal has been amazing. Please keep it up, and get better -- you still have a lot to teach us. Best Wishes, Craig

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  11. Wow... glad it's all working out for you Kerik. Keep up on the pain meds... Better living through modern chemistry.

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  12. Kerik, sending good thoughts your way from New Zealand. best wishes john

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  13. Hello Kerik:
    I don't know which profile fits me...if any...don't feel like anonymous anyway.
    I wish you a prompt recoverey and I hope our ways will cross again soon.
    Cheers
    Lou

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  14. Kerik,
    How the heck are you able to blog while you are in ICU?? Truely amazing story. Wishing you and your family the best!
    Rob-CVEI

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