Two Year Anniversay

Since my successful Chiari Decompression!
10/11/12 - 10/11/14
I've come a long way in 2 years! I'm feeling healthy and so much more capable and positive. It's wonderful to not have all of the symptoms that I had a couple years ago as a result of Chiari Malformation. I'm grateful everyday to be living without the pain, feeling of pinched nerves, knotted muscles in my neck and shoulder, lack of balance, blurred vision, etc. Some of the symptoms I can hardly remember; most everything was relieved immediately after the surgery. I had an amazingly skilled surgeon, Dr. Rachana Tyagi at Robert Wood Johnson.

                                                      Ouch! This was me 2 years ago...
                                                    Yep...staples! I think there were 19

                                                   We took this one today on the way to
                                                  our Campus Sunday at church. Go R.U.!

So grateful for my husband Bob's patience, love, and support....he's amazing! Grateful for my family Bree, Ross, and Manami's love, prayers, and support through the hard times leading up to my surgery and during my recovery. I know I was always in the thoughts and prayers of our parents and family in New Jersey and Montana and felt their support. I'll never forget the support of my church family and friends during my recovery for all their acts of kindness and service; now that's love! I'm so grateful for "my home nurse", Manami who is now my daughter (in law)! Big YAY for that!!! Now there's a way to earn some brownie points....taking care of your future mother-in-law recovering from brain surgery. She's pretty special! Ross and Manami were married September 26th, 2013!

I am feeling great and have gotten myself in pretty good shape in this past year. Without all those aches and pains I am now able to be consistent with exercise and diet and have lost 55 lbs! I go to the gym 3 or more days a week and have been able to get back to doing some activities that had become very difficult or impossible for a few years. I went back to snow skiing just a couple months after my surgery, we kayak, and have enjoyed some very long strenuous hikes. A couple months ago we hiked in Glacier Park, Montana 10 miles to Ptagmigan Tunnel; no easy feat at that altitude! Cranial decompression surgery is no joke, I really wouldn't want to go through it again, but life is great (now) and I'm very grateful that it was such a success! I thank God for a life I love!

Oh...did I mention....Hurricane Sandy hit a week after I was home recovering? That was a bit of an adventure that you can read about if you scroll back in my blog.