We’re home.

This is a catch-all update for the last couple of days but the main update is - we’re home! Caroline was discharged on Tuesday afternoon. Even though we befriended the nurses and made our hospital room extra cozy, none of us were sad to leave MGH.

Just as we were leaving MGH (literally pulling the car around), Caroline got a call from Dr. McGraw. He had lots of great news regarding the SEEG and the surgical conference. Caroline will tell you more about this in the next update! (Sorry for the cliff-hanger but it feels only right that she shares it with you!)

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It’s been one hell of a week and we are so excited/relieved to be home. The last couple of days have consisted of major Oakley snuggles, relaxing on our new couch, and re-watching The Mindy Project.

We also took on the major task of finally washing Caroline’s hair when we got home. As you can imagine, it was a slow (and gentle) process. Between the depth electrodes and the scalp electrodes, there was a looooooot of glue. Shout-out to Lindsay for suggesting a magic hair goo-gone spray that saved us.

Caroline did have hopes of writing this update but is (understandably) super exhausted. These first days home have been a transition and we’re still working on managing Caroline’s pain. Even though her appetite is back (yay!), Caroline’s body has some major catching up to do before she’s back to “normal”. The simplest of things takes her extra effort and she’s easily winded. She is still experiencing site pain on her scalp and has the occasional headache. I continue to remind her that she did, in fact, just have brain surgery. Nonetheless, she is experiencing some frustration and feeling somewhat discouraged.

That being said, we went on our first walk today! A one-block loop of fresh air did wonders and Oakley was happy to be back with the whole gang. Slow and steady!

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We continue to be eternally grateful for everyone’s love and support. Special shout-out to our Home Team for all of their help! My Mom brought over homemade meals (including quiche), stocked our fridge with groceries, and picked up Caroline’s medication for us. My Grammy left us fresh flowers and joyful Get Well Soon balloons. Bob keeps the driveway salted and clear of snow. Everyone took turns bringing in all of our packages and mail.

Mary and Alan grabbed Caroline new contacts (glasses hurt her head) and returned our fresh laundry today. We’ve received happy snail mail cards, Doordash gift cards, and little gifts.

It really does take a village and we’re so lucky to have this many people in our corner.

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Once Caroline is feeling up to it, she promises to write her first update! We also both promise to respond to everyone’s emails and texts soon. With such an amazing network of people who care about us, comes lots of messages! Please bear with us as we get settled back in at home.

Sending my love from NH.

Love, Nat

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