Neurosurgeon's Progress Report

GRAY, ASHLYN

4-5-83:

“This lady returns today for her first checkup following a craniectomy and removal of a meningioma in the left frontal parietal area. Since going home, she has shown a great deal of improvement and walks in to the office unassisted. She is speaking better and using the right hand better, but does so when she is rested and not excited than she does otherwise, according to her husband. This is expected. She is getting physical therapy and speech therapy at this time. She has no headache, nausea or vomiting and except for the frustrations with speech and decreased strength in the arm, has been doing well.

EXAMINATION: The scalp is well healed. The craniectomy site is obvious and is soft and pulsating. The patient is alert, oriented, with a significant aphasia at this time. She can communicate to some degree. Speech is in short phrases and words, however, She appears to receive without difficulty.

SENSORY: Sensory testing over the trunk and extremities reveals some deceased sensory perception over the right side.

MOTOR: Motor testing reveals a right hemiparesis, with the right arm much more involved than the leg. She can ambulate fairly well without assistance but still has marked decreased use of the arm. This is improving according to her husband. She can elevate the arm and hand above her head and has fairly good flexion and extension. She has a very poor handgrip. Reflexes are increased on the right side when compared to the left.

COMMENT: Mrs. Gray is doing well. She still has some obvious neurologic deficit, but has improved a lot since her discharge from the hospital. I think she should continue working with her physical therapy and speech therapy, and is encouraged to do as much as she can at home. She has not had any seizure activity, but is to continue her anti-convulsant medication.”

B. Daniel Passenger, M.D.

BDP/Cm

This was my first follow-up appointment with Dr. Paysinger and I had been able to walk into his office unassisted. I had been taking long walks and getting my strength back. I could now elevate my right arm above my head and use my fingers well enough to pick up cough drops by the paper wrappings. I was beginning to comprehend if spoken to very slowly and able to use short phrases. I was making very good progress and I was proud of myself. But I was totally unprepared for what was to happen next.

Pre-Senile or Brain Tumor

On Saturday May 25, 1974, a neurologist, Dr. Taber, was called to the Baptist Hospital to examine me. He wrote in a report about the examination, “In my opinion Mrs. Gray could have an organic disorder”.

Saturday night, May 25, in Orangeburg, my family was at a just-family (because of my condition)-bridal-supper given for Eleanor by friends at their home. Jack had been calling Columbia all day trying to get in touch with somebody who could give him a report on the neurologist’s examination. Finally Dr. Taber called Jack at our friends’ home and reported to Jack that, at this point, it was thought that I was either pre-senile or had a brain tumor!

O-O-O-O-Oh! Either would be terrible! We, our whole family, had known senility first-hand with Mother! …Or a brain tumor! O-O-Oh… No!! Either prognosis was awful!

(This was in 1974 and brain tumors weren’t prevalent like they seem to be today. We had never known anybody to have brain tumor! It was foreign to us… and very scary!)

These two possibilities faced my family this Saturday night… just one week before Eleanor’s wedding. She broke out in hives.