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Kelly Stafford, wife of Lions QB Matthew Stafford, returns to hospital after brain surgery

Kelly Stafford posted a series of updates on Instagram as she recovers after having a brain tumor removed.
/ Source: TODAY

Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, has gone back to the hospital and been placed on steroids and pain medication again as she recovers from brain surgery.

She posted an update Wednesday on Instagram about the pain she’s now enduring after recently undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor.

“A little update: I thought I could do it,” she began. “They told me tapering off the steroids was going to be very difficult.”

She then went on to describe how much more difficult the road to recovery has been than she anticipated.

“The first picture was yesterday when I was on what I thought was my last day of steroids,” she wrote. “I thought I could power through the pain and massive headaches that were challenging me throughout the day. I figured i could pull my strength from one of the strongest people I know, matthew. I told myself the pain would succumb to me, I wouldn’t succumb to it. I was so wrong.”

The mom of three said she was in so much agony that she had to return to the hospital, where she resumed a schedule of steroids and pain medication.

“The pain got so far ahead of me I couldn’t keep anything down, including meds,” she wrote. “I ended up in the ER very early this morning, back on steroids and pain medication. At first, I felt like I had failed, like I couldn’t handle it.. but what I really failed at was listening to my own body. A lesson I feel like I am going to have to keep reminding myself of. Thank you again for everything. I just wanted to give a little update. They will keep me here overnight just to monitor in hopes of going home in the morning.”

Kelly and Matthew Stafford are parents to 2-year-old twins Chandler and Sawyer, and daughter Hunter, who was born last August. Early Thursday morning, she posted a series of photos of the kids.

“Can’t sleep. Sitting here, listening to these hospital beeps, wide eyed... and I’m MISSING my people. I’ve seen them once since surgery and it was hard,” she wrote.

“I was so excited to see them, but the amount of energy it took to even just yell out their names with excitement, was too much energy. I can’t pick them up, they can’t climb on me, we can’t go on adventures, but what’s worse is I can’t be the mom I want to be for them right now.. Not physically, not mentally, not emotionally ... really to get back to myself, so I can get back to them.”

She admitted the scope of this medical procedure has surprised her.

“I thought this would be like every other surgery I had.. no idea why the hell I thought that. You have a couple tough days and then you turn the corner. Mind over matter..Well this is mind over mind and honestly I’m terrible at this.. so if you have any advice, please, please don’t hesitate to share."

Though she could take a moment to joke, she let anyone dealing with health issues know she’s thinking about them.

“Serious side note: my prayers are to anyone fighting something medical and out of their control right now,” she wrote. “There are things far, far, far worse than I am going through and the people getting through their everyday life while battling through those things.. y’all are true heroes, all my prayers are with y’all. Gonna try and get some rest.”

Since revealing she had a brain tumor, she’s been open about her process, posting updates on Instagram, including one after she underwent the procedure.

“The prayers for my family, I’m beyond thankful for,” she wrote. “A six hour surgery went to 12 hours and although they were anxious and scared, your prayers got them through. Thank you. Thank you so much. Now I am home and learning my new norm.”