Jenny's Home Page

Hello and welcome to my web page.  My husband originally created this page for me and I have taken over it's design and maintenance.   This all began April 2005 when we were living in Oregon.  We have since moved to Texas (2006).  My first diagnosis was a Grade II Oligodendroglioma.  After moving to Texas, a pathologist who specializes in brain tumors took another look and determined that it was a Grade II Astrocytoma.

I try to get this updated as often as possible, but with a busy schedule am not always able to keep it as up to date as I'd like.  Please bear with me.

  <<<  This was taken the night before surgery.  (It was taken via camera phone.)  If it looks like I have funny things on my head that is because I do.  They looked like green lifesavers from up close, but they were squishy.  They had been put on for my stealth MRI two days earlier.  They were used to map the surgery.

 <<< This picture was taken a couple of days after surgery.  Dr. Kokkino had just removed my bandages and we were able to see the scar for the first time.  It looks pretty icky.   There were 29 staples.  There was also a soft spot on my head that pulsated immediately after the bandages were removed.  The pressure that the bandages were keeping on my head (to keep swelling down) had been removed and the cerebrospinal fluid in my head was moving around.  Gross!

 <<<  This picture was taking 10 days after surgery.  I had already been out of the hospital for about a week at this point.  The swelling had gone down quite a bit and I was about to have the staples removed.  Oh, and just a note...it didn't hurt a bit to have them removed.  In fact, I didn't even know the Physician's Assistant had begun removing them!  When they cut my head open for surgery, they also cut through all of my nerves, so I had no feeling in my head.  I probably won't have feeling for many months.

 <<< This picture was taken three weeks after surgery.  At this point, my hair was growing back and the scar was healing fairly well (except for one stubborn area). The swelling in my face had gone down and my black eye was almost completely gone.  I had also stopped taking the steroids by then.

  <<< These were taken five weeks post surgery.  As you can see, my hair was growing back nicely, the scar was healing quite well and my black eye was gone.  I was also getting ready to come back to work on a part-time basis by the time these were taken.

<<< These were taken six weeks after surgery.  I was starting to get some energy back at this point.  My hair was growing back very nicely.  I started back to work this week, part-time.  I began by mostly working from home. 

  <<<  These were taken seven weeks after surgery.  As you can see, my hair has grown quite a bit more and is starting to cover up my scar.  This was my first full week of work, sort of.  I went into the office a few days that week.  It was surprising how exhausting it was.

<<<  These were taken eight weeks after surgery.  At this point I was almost ready for a haircut.  My hair was really starting to fill in and get thick again.  The flash of the camera makes my new healthy hair look very shiny.

<<<  Well I'm actually starting to have a hairstyle.  I was finally able to have my hair colored today, which was very relaxing.  It may not look a whole lot longer than it does in some of the other pictures, but it has grown quite a bit. I get it trimmed once a month so it doesn't get wild.  (8/23/05)

<<<  (9/22/05)  Yes, I've had my hair cut again and it's growing quite a bit.  You absolutely cannot see the scar now.  It's filling in so well around the scar that it's hardly trying to part around it.  I can't wait to see what it's going to look like next month! 

***One year anniversary picture!***

I've written up a little something so that you can better understand what my experience has been like.  This also gives those of you a chance who want to know more, but don't want to ask, my story.     Click here to view my story.