My Experience

I had a craniotomy for a meningioma; there was the possibility that the tumor would grow and interrupt the blood flow through an artery in my brain. A craniotomy is cutting into the skull to access the brain. I was told to come to the hospital two hours ahead of my 7 a.m. time, but as soon as my husband, son and best friend and I arrived, we were told that the reception area did not open until 7 a.m., so we had to wait elsewhere. For two hours we chatted and waited to be called into the prep room. Things proceeded much better from there. We met my anesthesiologist and he was familiar with the stress reduction and healing program I was using (Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster from Peggy Huddleston), and he agreed to all I asked for— music, blessings and a gentle touch. My surgeon came to say hello and sweetly comforted me. He took my CDs from my healing program so that they could play during my surgery. My son held my hand, my husband rubbed my feet and then they all sang a song that my rabbi had composed for the occasion: “Angels are watching you, loving and surrounding you everywhere you go.” I was feeling calm and protected.

After the surgery I was very thirsty (I had used the healing program’s suggestion about visualizing waking up wanting to drink plenty of water) but unfortunately they would only give me ice chips in intensive care. After the change of shift about six hours later, the nurses finally gave me water. Other than that I felt fairly OK, given the circumstances. The intensive care staff was fabulous. Then I was transferred to a deluxe room for which I paid a lot of money. That turned out to be the worst part of my stay: poor care, lots of noise, and lack of privacy. My surgeon had said to expect to be in the hospital for 3-5 days. After less than 48 hours from being admitted, my surgeon said I was recovering so well I could be discharged. My husband and I turned our home into a sanctuary where I could heal in peace.