Brains on the brain

Brain surgery is hilarious, y’all. Keep the humor coming!

As the date of my upcoming brain surgery creeps closer (December 5) I find myself vacillating between two moods. Mostly I’m in the mood of “everything is fine, this is a well established procedure with a high likelihood of success and it will improve my day to day quality of life.” The other is “holy shit, they’re gonna drill holes in my head and my brain will be connected to a battery for the rest of my life.” And then the Talking Heads set up shop in my head with a rousing chorus of “well, how did we get here?”

But those of you who know me know that there is no situation so dire that it can’t also be hilarious. Because honestly, some of the shit life throws at us is downright absurd, and laughing is way more fun than crying. Which is not to say that crying isn’t also important - trust me I’ve shed plenty of tears over the decades. It’s just - life puts us in ridiculous situations that are comedy gold when viewed from a certain angle.

Which is why I was thrilled to receive my “Brains” care package from a good friend. It includes a soft stuffed brain, a coffee mug (Never underestimate a woman who’s had brain surgery!) filled with lifesavers, a comical baseball cap (look closely at the photo), a Brain Christmas tree ornament, a Brain garland for my hospital room, and a tiny Brain lapel pin.

This strategy has already paid off. A co-worker shared this sketch about brain surgeons. I’m thrilled to report that my surgeon, Dr. Shervin Rohimpour at University of Utah Clinical Neurosciences Center in Salt Lake City is not at all like the surgeon in the skit. He and his office have been easy to work with, informative, and patient with my constant questions. Of course, we’ll have to hold off on final judgment once the surgery is complete.

In the meantime, I’ll be trying to figure out how I got here and collecting as many brain surgery jokes as possible.