New member seeks advice

[raj_06]

Hi Steph,

I am 25 yrs old and I had my surgery when I was only 22. I also had a translab and everything went well in my case. Actually, my doctors were very surprised to see fast recovery when I went to see them post-up three weeks after surgery. I believe it was due to my young age, so I am sure you too should have a pretty quick recovery. Also, I was driving on the road after a month and on the interstate after two months. So, don't get scared along the way and think the surgery is as some barrier you just need to pass through. 

I am in a Masters program now and contemplating on whether to go for a PhD program. I am rather unsure about my ability to teach classes due to my SSD. Would you please post about your teaching experience after surgery? I wish a very good luck for the whole surgery process.

Raj

[Larry]

Stef,

have you considered radiation treatment rather than surgery? Your recovery period from translab is a minimum of 6 weeks (providing there are no complications, recovery from radiation treatment is instant.

Some key negative points.

Surgery
no guarantee that they will get all the tumor so regrowth is a possibility.
possible facial nerve damage (seems to be a number of people on this forum who had translab and have had this issue
possible CF leak
mortality rate (shocking thing to put here) is a lot higher than radiation
long recovery time

Radiation
slim chance of AN turning malignant (1 in 100,000)
may not shrink the growth causing a problem for follow up treatment

have a look at the specific posts but do get a qualified opinion on radiation treatment - don't overlook it.


laz

[moe]

Hi Stef and welcome,
Laz has a good point, but don't know your specifics.
Depends on the location of the tumor.
I had translab. My post op was NOT normal so don't freak!
My surgeon put in the BAHA during the surgery which has its good and bad points.
The good point is that you don't have to go back for the procedure. BUT then I think it is also important to see how you deal with the SSD. Some people do OKAY without the BAHA.
My tinnitus got in the way  and the site kept getting irritated, so the doctor unscrewed the abutment part and said I can always try again later if I like.
Wishing you the best- yours is small -should be a breeze.
Let us know what other kinds of questions pop into your head, OK? Just begin ANYWHERE....
Maureen

[stef84]

Wow! I am so overwhelmed by all of the responses. Thank you everyone for your comments. I wish I could give advice rather than seek it!

Raj- I cannot believe you had surgery when you were 22. I only have about 10% hearing left in my right ear. Teaching has been fine. I was a 3rd grade teacher, but switched this year to Resource Room- I only have 3 students at a time (what a blessing this turned out to be!) and I do teach in a large classroom for two periods. I don't think SSD should keep you from teaching. My students know to talk on my "good side"... locating where sounds come from is a little funny. I often say "Who said that?" Absolutely go for your PhD...and good luck with it! I will keep you posted though!

My doctors said that they recommend surgery-they said being so young, they do not know the long term effects of radiation. I also unfortunately had a friend who had a bad reaction to the radiation. It was my first choice, but I am ready to just have it out in one shot. I have all summer to recoup.

Lori- My mom is Italian and spelled it phonetically..haha it's Stefani.

Sue and Sue- So nice to hear from teachers and veteran teachers!

[Kaybo]

Stef~
ABSOLUTELY, there is NO reason that you can not go back into the classroom just because you are SSD - I taught for 5 years AFTER my surgery and quite then only to be a Mommy, not because of the hearing issue!   

K   

[leapyrtwins]

Stef -

don't know if you found my other post, but basically I just said that Drs. Roland & Golfinos have a stellar reputation and you are in very good hands with them.

Also, I agree with Lori.  If you haven't already, you should call Kaybo.

Jan

[Darlene]

Stef,

I had surgery with Dr.Golfinos and Dr. Roland in July of this year and I have to tell you they are probably the nicest doctors I have ever met.  The staff at NYU are amazingly caring.  You are in excellent hands.

 I found out Dec 2009 and waited till summer to have my surgery because it was much easier for my family.  My An was 1.5cm and I was lucky enough to keep my hearing, I still have some facial paralysis, but  it has gotten much better and most of the time I don't even realize that i have it. Life is just too good, to dwell on it. 

 Looking back, trying to make a decision and waiting were probably more difficult than the recovery , so take heart, you will be back teaching your students before you know it and although you could possibly (remember the odds are on your side for a full recovery) be a little different. you will have accomplished surviving a brain tumor. 

I send you wishes for many blessings.   Take care, Darlene

[Kaybo]

I don't know how to do quotes but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what Darlene said:
"LIFE IS JUST TOO GOOD TO DWELL ON IT."


AMEN, SISTA!!

K   

[leapyrtwins]

Stef -

just remembered that Debbi Bifulco had surgery with Roland & Golfinos also.  I haven't seen her post on this thread yet, but her user name is "Debbi".

If you access her profile, you'll find a link to her blog which may be very helpful to you.

Best,

Jan

[Debbi]

Hi Stef-

I am a little late checking in, but wanted to say that I also had surgery with the A-Team of Golfinos/Roland.  Think they are both wonderful surgeons and wonderful people.  I still see Dr. Roland to follow up on some long term nerve issues with my face.  And, of course, I see Dr. G every year for an MRI.  If you haven't already done so, you can talk to Dr. G about Gamma Knife also - he heads up the brain gamma unit at NYU. 

If you want to chat, please PM me - I am always glad to share experiences and answer questions.

Debbi

[raj_06]

Hi Stef (sorry, I misspelled last time  )

Thank you for sharing your teaching experience. I might indeed pursue a career in academia. But, I still have time to decide whether to go to join work force or go to PhD school..lets see. And, yeah keep us updated about your doctor visits and surgery (if you choose to have it), and let us know how everything turns out. All the best..

-Raj