No visits tonight please

Gilly's feeling rather dizzy this evening. This is apparently casued by the new anti-seizure medication he is taking, according to Dr. Mohr. He prefers to have no visitors this evening.

He will find out at about 11:00 A.M. if he's going home tomorrow or Thursday. It all depends on his balance. He is still not walking very confidently.

Homecoming imminent

The doctor was in this afternoon. He said that at this moment, the tumour does not seem to be malignant. We still have to wait some time, but for now it is still 'unspecific.' The CT scan showed that he took thr tissue from the expected location, and still it does not show malignancy. He says this is good news.

It is important to note that the cells are not evenly distributed in the tumour, so as they told us before, it may not indicate a malignancy even if there really is one.

The plan is not to treat it at all at this point, because treatment for a benign tumour would do more harm than good. Instead, they watch it very closely, charting it's growth (and if benign, the growth is expected to be very slow, according to the neurosurgical nurse).

Dr. Mohr is discharging Gilly tomorrow if no complications arise; if his condition remains as is (which is what is expected). He will slowly be taken off of the steroid, and will remain on anti-seizure medication for now. He of course is unable to drive for at least 8 or 9 weeks (until he sees Dr. Mohr) becase of the anti-seizure medication. I won't repeat what Gilly said to that.
The physiotherapist had him up and walking today. He was off balance, but able to manage to some degree. He still needs 2 people to walk with him until the balance returns (which it is expected to).

It's important for us all to remember that 2 surgeries of this nature so close together requires a fair bit of recovery time. He's not encouraged to push it.

The steroids depress his immunities somewhat (maybe incorrectly put), so he should not be with people who have colds, etc.

Gilly is scheduled for an MRI in 8 weeks, and then a follow-up appointment with Dr. Mohr. We'll know more at that point in terms of it's pattern of growth.

Hunger pangs

Well, Gilly's back in his room, hungry as usual. So far, only allowed liquids, but his appetite is there. He's rather groggy, and his vision is not great at the moment, but this should improve with time, says our resdent Dr. Evan (Gilly's nephew. He says we're lucky to have Evan on our side!).

We assume he'll be in the hospital until at least the end of the week. He may become an outpatient once treatment befgins, but we don't know what the treatment will be nor when it will begin. I'll keep you posted when information surfaces.

He is up to phone calls, but I'd hold off on visiting today for sure unless a very very close friend or family. He needs his rest. He's a trooper, as you know, so it won't be lonhg before he's up to more than this.

As his wife and personal secretary, nurse and whatever else, I would like to ask you all to feel free to send me personal emails, but not to call in the evenings. I find it hard to get to sleep. I know you all care, and I appreciate it more than you know, but I am up at around 6:00 and leave my house by 7:30 or 8:00 so that's a better time if you need to speak to me. I am going back to work this week, but Gilly is well covered at all times by loving people close to him.

I will include an evening report if at all possible.

Biopsy went well / evening report

Gilly is now out of surgery. He was awake and responding soon after. The doctor said he was already grinning as usual.

He said that the results at first 'scratch' did not indicate a tumour (meaning it could not be confirmed as to its malignancy), but he did not expect otherwise. Dr. Mohr claims it will take 2 to 3 days to know the results, but that everything for now went as well as could be expected.

We will see him around noon. Seeing is believing, right??

Captain Cindy's log: Stardate (whatever; never did like Startrek, but Gilly loves that show)

Evening report:

Noon came and went. It is now 7:21, and I plan to go in one more time to check in on him before turning in for the night. He will spend the night in the recovery room (standard procedure for neurosurgery, I'm told), and will return to his same room tomorrow. I will alert people via blog as to when his phone should start ringing. For now, he needs rest in a big way.

He had a series of short visits from close family members every hour or so all day long, since noon. I ate up the little bits of news each person came to share with us upon return. Everyone reported that his smile hasn't faded, and he still has a sense of humour. He's doing just fine. He's quite lucid, and even conversational to some degree, but very sleepy. He deserves a rest after all this, I'd say. All those who know Gilly well would agree that if he rarely rests, so now's his chance. He says he has no pain, and for this I am thankful.

Goodnight all. Remember to believe in this man's determination; he told Auntie Ruth, not moments ago, "Don't worry, I'll beat this." He assured her quite definitely that he would handle it. No wonder everyone felt safest living with Gilly during the ice storm!

Shower of affection

February 26, 2006.

Gilly had a busy day today, with many calls from around the world and lots of visitors. He continues to shine wth his positive attitude, and all who have encountered his voice and / or smile over the last few days would attest to this. I also heard him tell a patient that he has to think positively. He also, in true Gilly form, insisted on carrying a case of Coke to his room (silly guy!), and is always first to jump up ad help someone in need, whether it be a fellow patient, a nurse or one of us.

Gilly has a huge appetite these days. He devoured the shnitzel and mashed potatoes from Edna and Mark. He has always been a meat and potato man, and he hasn't changed in that regard. He also has his figs from Keren and maple candies from Max, so he's content. When he can eat again, we'll add Marocs to the fare.

He tires for the night by around 7:00, and simply dismisses the gang and puts himself to bed. Tonight, I may ask that a block be put on his phone if the nurse wants him not to be disturbed. I'll check before I leave.

The Melnicks have lent him a DVD player with earphones, so he's all set to watch Seinfeld episodes tonight while he tries to calm downand get to sleep. He's been told to take it easy this evening and get a good night's sleep, because tomorrow is a big day.

He's off to have his first shower right now, so I'm sure I can hear him saying, "Oy, what a machaya!" right through the wall to the family room I am sitting in right now.

I will post the news tomorrow of his recovery status from the biopsy as soon as I know the score.

All of us Schwagers appreciate the showering of affection and good wishes, so please keep reflecting Gilly's positive spirit right back at him.

No further developments today.

Gilly enjoys phone calls, and chatting with friends and family. His spirits remain high and he has a positive attitude altogether. He's determined to get back to work as soon as possible. He's an amazing force, my Gilly!

The biopsy is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Monday. The results should be available anytime from 24hours later and onwards. The analysis may take some time, depending on how many consultations need to be made in the process. It's hard to get into the tumour since it's so deep, so they will not necessarily gather enough to analyse as well as they'd like. We were told that they may not be able to identify the type of tumour in the end (for this reason), but are hoping they can.

He will need a few days to recuperate from the biopsy, and they will need to watch carefully for complications. I will let you readers know after the biopsy is done when he can have visitors.

I will teach this week starting Tuesday if all goes well, but we have Gilly covered.

So many have offered help and best wishes. All are warmly received (appreciated) by the whole clan. We know we can count on all of you to be there as needed. It's hard to know what we need right now, except good news. We'll surely ask when we know. Gilly needs distraction, unquestionably, I need sleep, the kids need to be given a meal here or there and lifts now and again to and from the hospital. That way they can remain healthy, strong and available to see their dad as much as possible.

I believe that Gilly's sunny attitude will get us through this ordeal.

More news only after the biopsy,

Cindy

Gorilla's shaving grace

Randee bought Gilly a gorilla that whistles at you when you squeeze it. Debbie suggests we shave the gorilla to look just like Gilly.