"Keep sailin ', Bob!"

Today has brought another small victory: I took a solo walk! The physical therapist put on this little safety strap, and was holding onto it (anyone seen that skit from Saturday Night Live where Mike Myers plays the hyperactive-hypoglycemic named Phillip?), and I was able to walk independently for a brief circuit around the ward. Granted, sitting up in bed to get to my feet is HELL (I lost my shit in front of Carol the physical therapist because it hurt so badly), and every step I took on the tile I can feel all the way up through my spine-- but I'm walking nonetheless!

Dr. T spoke to my dad earlier and continues to be pleasantly surprised with my progress...my balance is on point, my dexterity hasn't faltered (except for my right hand), my color is normal, my incision is pink and dry, I can walk at a normal-albeit-uncomfortable gait...apparently I am ahead of curve. Boo-yah. He kept reiterating to me and my family the degree of seriousness (serosity?) of the surgery, as though we weren't aware. "You are removing a potentially cancerous tumor from my daughter lest it cause paraplegia and/or brain damage from a build-up of cerebral spinal fluid...yes, I think we get that it's not extraction of some wisdom teeth, assface." But, now that it's over, and he sees my family and friends on a constant circuit of visiting, and sees that I'm am not messing around with getting better-- I think Dr. T. is getting a better picture.

So, there've been some other little victories today...I'm not on the push-button pain meds anymore, there's -ahem- one less tube coming out of my body for fluid-adjustment purposes, and I've gotten better at the maneuver to get from a horizontal position, to sitting to standing. Again, this is absolute f-ing torure but I'm getting good at it. I had a follow-up MRI earlier this evening, so tomorrow we should have further information about what's left in the cord if anything. The tumor specialist, Dr. A., came in tonight to discuss with us the different possibilities 0f what exactly it is that was extracted...and apparently there were two actual bodies that had to come out.

Sorry that this is a little convoluted...typing with 7 functioning fingers and several narcotics in my bloodstream yields subpar writing. Come visit me-- I'm pretty coherent in person, and this hospital is very visitor-friendly. (Christ Hospital, 2-south wing, room 2031)

Thansk for reading-- I can't believe the surgery is over! What a relief.