Hi! This is Natalie's favorite sister. Here's the latest.
Surgery was considered a success. Twelve hours was on the low end of the estimate and that's exactly how long it was. Dr. Weber told the family she had more tumor than he had ever seen. He said it was tedious but that he got everything he could see. Best news we heard all day was that he spared the facial nerve!!!!! Dr. Gidley performed the mastoidectomy without a problem and Dr. Skoracki did the thigh flap.
She spent the night in recovery and was moved to a room yesterday. Morpine was her new best friend and the mean nurses took it away early this morning. She misses her old friend. Seriously, the day has been rough. She's in a lot of pain and is fighting nausea. She gets shots in the stomach to thin her blood in order to prevent blood clots and she's not fond of those.
She's been up for potty breaks and that's about all she can handle out of the bed. Her leg bothers her as much as her face and neck. The graft seems to be taking well and has great circulation. Although she hasn't seen it, I can tell you that her swelling has already begun to subside. As expected she has some paralysis on her right side which will resolve in the coming months.
Let the healing begin!