LA newbie. Scheduled surgery with Drs/ House and Schwartz. Mid-Fossa.

[cindyj]

Hi, Amy!  Hadn't "met" you yet, so wanted to stop in...though I didn't have Dr. House, I did have Dr. Schwartz along with Dr. Friedman at House for my surgery which was 11 months ago.  As Catherine said, they've seen it all out there, and know just what to do once inside your head.  This applies to the care you will receive in the hospital as well, which was very important to me also.  Those nurses and physical therapists on the "AN floor" at St. Vincents know what to expect, what to look for, what to do, etc with AN patients.  You will be in good hands!

We have folks here that were also new moms at the time of their surgery...hopefully some will come along and chat with you.  Wish you the best!

Cindy

[another NY postie]

Hi, Amy,
I know we have been pm'ing, but after my last ten incredible days in the hands of HEI, I wanted to chime in that I would not hesitate a moment to use them again, and again and again.  In terms of age, Dr. Brackmann was incredible.  He has boundless energy.  I did, too,  wonder at the beginning about the age thing but I had heard that he had an incredible steady hand and he was the one who always made me feel calm and safe.  These surgeons have seen EVERYTHING and are operating at high energy levels everyday.  I knew there would be no surprises for Dr. Brackmann with me. Now that I have been there and gone through HEI, I do not think any of of them would take on anything they could not handle.  They are an incredibely committed group of Drs and Dr. House was doing surgeries right along with the rest of them while I was there.  You are in good hands, period.  If he makes you feel calm and confident, you are in the right place.  I truly believe they would not be operating if they felt like they were not in the right position age-wise to do this.  It is a team of surgeons and they are well-suited for each other.  Dr. Schwarz is meticulous!  You will do great!
Cheryl

[newmommyLA]

Thank you all for your encouraging words and for offering to help me get through this emotionally challenging time in my life.  I have some days when I feel pretty confident about what lies ahead for me as I remind myself that I caught this tumor early, I'm young, and the risks are supposed to be small for me.  Other days, I feel like I'm in a bad dream and I imagine how uncomfortable, probably painful at times, my recovery is going to be.  I feel sure that House is the right place for me and I'm determined to get rid of this tumor and hopefully, all in one surgery with no complications.  Of course, there are a number of things that could go wrong, and I am hoping I will come out of this without any long term damage.  The balance issues after surgery sound very daunting and I'm really afraid I might wake up in the hospital and freak out.  I meant to ask my doctor about this.  If I'm really losing it, will they show me mercy and knock me out again?  After hearing many of your stories, the inability to sleep post surgery seems really unfortunate.  With the room spinning and all the possible pains post surgery we may suffer, why can't we sleep?  Like for two weeks?  I'm really upset about that one.

I'm sure I'll continue to contact you guys on this forum as my date approaches and my nerves get the best of me.

Thanks so much for being there!  I couldn't do this without you!

Amy

[Denise S]

We'll be going through this together too.  Even just searching things and reading on this forum is a great comfort. 

I think the reason most people mention not having good sleep all comes down to the steroids that you are on for a short time after the surgery. 

If you ever need to talk, I'll PM you my phone number.  My kids are not as tiny as yours right now, but 9 & 11, so I'm also have some of the mommy experience and my share of previous issues besides this upcoming surgery.

Best of luck to you!  I believe in the power of prayer, I'll keep you and the family in mine!!

Denise