3 Month Post Op Results

When we left New York in March we left with 3-month post-op appointments scheduled for the end of June. The plan was for Henley to have her imaging in Texas and then for us to fly up there and meet with Dr. Greenfield to go over everything. At the same time, I would also have my 3-month post-op MRI scans and meet with my doctor as well. We had every intention of simply high-fiving both doctors and saying "Peace out" to New York when we left. One of my best friends and I talked about making the June trip a "Girls Trip" and leaving Adam & Zane at home. I honestly thought it would be a great way to end this long saga and finish it out with a super fun trip where we could hopefully replace some hard memories with great ones. 

We already had these plans in motion. Plane tickets and hotel room booked when things started going wrong with me, so it wasn't mid-June that we realized these plans were all about to change. Regardless, we went ahead with the plans to make this a surprise girl trip and I felt good at least knowing that if something went "wrong" with me, I would be in the best place to get the care I needed. 

We saw Dr. Greenfield on the last day of our trip and these were the pictures he handed me when he came in the room. We had already seen the images because we have the capability to "read" these at home. So before we went, we knew how awesome everything looked. We have also seen some really great improvements in Henley since surgery. It's hard to explain but her brain seems to actually be functioning better. As in, before when you asked her a question, she might respond with one line or a yes or no. She lacked in detail and that was even reflected in her writing. We had her write in a journal before she went in for surgery and then every day after the surgery. You can clearly see how much her writing has changed. Her handwriting while messier, is FULL of details and thoughts. We see the same thing in her speech. It's like now her brain is processing so fast that she has so many detail and things she wants to say. So we sit and listen....and listen....and listen to ALLLLLLLL of the many details in her stories. We are so thankful for that. In addition to that, she has maybe had ONE headache since we have been home. O.N.E.!!! That is a huge praise. She has also been so much more stable on her feet. Even last week I caught her standing on a paddle board in the water and she was actually stable. I could hardly believe it. She hasn't been tripping and falling like she was and her speech seems to even be a bit clearer, although she will still need speech to fix some problems that have just become a habit at this point.

Also, a side note in case you are wondering. When we met with Dr. G we talked about so many different things but one, in particular, was the story of what happened to Henley during her surgery. He sat back in his chair and said "I want to hear all about it." I told him about her recollection and how she told us specifics about the surgery and how she said that God was there with her. After I was done with the story he said "I have never heard a story like that, that is pretty incredible." 

All in all, we are very happy with the results of this surgery and feel like if we see this much progress at 3 months, we can't wait to see what 1 year post op brings. I am beyond thankful that I followed my momma gut instinct here and we went to New York to see Dr. Greenfield.