CLEVELAND — Two months after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor, our Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins has posted a video update on her social media accounts.
First and foremost, Monica wanted to give a shout out to everyone who has reached out with well wishes. "I really want to thank each and every one of you who thought of me for a couple of seconds, sent up a prayer, sent me some healing energy and good vibes, believe me that I needed it this time."
While Monica says her December surgery went well, the healing has been a bit rocky. She and her doctor believe that the scar from her surgery pulled up her right eyelid, making it hard for her to close her eye all the way. Monica has also dealt with severe dry spots in her eye, which have been made worse by the inability to completely close it. In addition, Monica says she's dealing with painful nerve damage around her eye.
"It was like knives sticking in my eye all the time. And there's no medication you can take to make the pain go away," Monica explained. "These dry spots are so bad that I have to tape my eye down at night and put some goo in it to fix it."
Monica says she will find out later this week if she will need to undergo a second surgery. "It's not a big surprise. I kinda knew I was going to have to deal with this. I have to see an ocular plastic surgeon. There are a couple of things they might want to do, including maybe put weights in my right eyelid to maybe hold it down or make it easier to close my eye."
Other options for Monica could be cutting the scar to release some tension. "Or I'm hoping I get an insurance-covered eye-lift," she added.
Despite all of the frustration and uncertainty, Monica is a trooper. She's been walking on the treadmill, stretching, and doing yoga as much as she can. And she's hoping to be back to work with us at 3News in the very near future. "I'm supposed to back to work in March, I'm hoping to be back sooner. It will depend on what happens on Friday," Monica said.
We can't wait.
You can watch Monica's complete video message below
More from Monica Robins:
- "Every day, hour or minute is a brand new slate to start again. Just don't quit"; 3News' Monica Robins shares a post-brain surgery update
- Show your support for 3News' Monica Robins: How you can get a #MonicaRocks wristband as she shares update after surgery
- Monica Robins: "There's a lesson here: You don't know what anybody's dealing with"