I hope this finds you all well!
I can't quite believe it but it's now been a year since the operation!
The year has definitely had it's ups and downs. Including what can only be described as a type of post-traumatic stress following the operation for me, the ongoing wait for the return of Owen's driving licence, but also the marvelous recovery that Owen has made!
At Easter Owen had follow up scans and tests to see how he was recovering from the operation, and also to check that they had managed to remove the whole tumour.
The scan that he had immediately after the operation showed a white patch around where they had removed the tumour. At this stage they didn't know whether it was scar tissue showing up or whether it was a small bit of tumour they hadn't managed to remove.
The scan he had at Easter showed that this was now completely clear! Praise the Lord!! All that you could see on the scan image was a hole in Owen's brain where the tumour used to be. Very odd looking!
After the operation Owen had been having some side effects which meant that he struggled a bit with communication and remembering the right words for what he wanted to say. In those few months after the operation I had been quite concerned about it, especially as the surgeon had told us about another teacher he had operated on who had to leave teaching because he could no longer communicate effectively to teach.
As we got closer to Easter these side effects in Owen were getting better and better. He went back to work full time and started to play cricket!
When we told the surgeon all of these things he seemed surprised!
The nature of removing a brain tumour is that tumour and brain look exactly the same, there is no visual difference between the two. They remove the tumour purely by using the scan images on computer screens around the room and through Owen's responses while they ask him questions through out the 6 hour operation. If Owen couldn't answer a question or responded strangely they knew they were starting to touch on brain rather than tumour and needed to pull back. Basically it is an unbelievably delicate operation. But the fact that Owen's side effects seemed to be getting better led the surgeon to say, "Do you know, I think you might make a full recovery from this?!"
Oof! What a miracle!!
I can't explain to you the relief and thankfulness I feel. Praise the Lord I am blessed to keep my husband and for him to be making a full recovery with no lasting side effects.
I am praying for those of you for whom the situation is very different.
For me, I am glad to be past the anniversaries of a year since the seizures, and a year since the operation. These have both certainly brought back some extremely tough memories, even to the point of suffering with a couple of panic attacks, which I have never experienced before, and also physical and emotional effects of the stress of it all. I received a couple of sessions of counselling this year, after all that's happened, and I can't recommend it highly enough after such a traumatic time.
And yet here we are, a year later. Owen is doing well, back in to the swing of things at work, and hopefully driving again in the next couple of months (if you pray pleeeeaaaaase pray for this!). The kids are doing great and have come through the last year so well and even, I pray, come to see God at work in our family through it all.
We'd also love to share with you the news that we will be welcoming little baby Joyce No.3 in April 2018! God is good!! Maybe we should name the baby miracle...?!
He is good! And His love endures forever!
Please do ask us more about it and our trust in our God if it all sounds a bit crazy to you!
Praying His Blessings on you all.
Thank you for walking with us through this.
Much Love
Rachael xx
