My surgery is scheduled for May 13th @ MGH w/Dr Barker & Dr McKenna

[LMd511]

This is my first time posting and I see all these different faces I can choose....but honestly I feel them all-if thats understandable???
I am a 39 yr old female and went to a local ENT dr because I thought I had Head Congestion-that just wouldnt go away.  I dont need to explain the steps beyond that visit because I am sure you all know how it goes-hearing test, MRI, consultations,etc. 
I have 3 wonderful children and twin grandsons.  My children are: 19, 18, 15 and grandsons are 18 months.  They are everything to me!  My oldest daughter had the twins  the summer she graduated from high school-Everything happens for a reason!  I see their cute little smiles everyday-it helps when I am feeling sad.  My daughter is in college although she commutes.  My 18 yr old daughter is graduating from high school this June and has applied to 9 colleges.  Thus far, every letter she received has been an acceptance letter!  And my son is a sophmore in high school-loves musical instruments and history.  IM SCARED!!!!  I do not want to miss out on anything-I want to be healthy, I want to hear the grandkids laugh, cry, play, scream-I want to be the mom I could always be and joke, laugh, be silly- I want to see them all graduate from college-I have read many of the postings and have read many articles about AN-but I haven't heard about any fatalities during surgery.  Should I be worrying???  Because I already had a will, life insurance and health proxy drawn up. All I do is think...has anyone else done this? 
I only have 43% of hearing in my left ear-my AN has damaged the rest.  My right ear does have 100% useful hearing.  My surgeons have decided on the translabrythine approach for me because of the loss of hearing in my left ear.  My surgery is scheduled for May 13th.  I read and read on the AN and I have learned a lot-But I am afraid of how I will feel when I come out of surgery-and how long it will take to recover-and if I will have any complications???  Sometimes I am okay with all of this and then other times I find myself crying.  Thank goodness this is always benign!  My tumor is 11mmx7mm.  It is small, but it is protruding outside the auditory canal.

What should I expect coming out of surgery? 
Thank you all who have read and listened to me -It just feels good to let it out.  And for the first time I could let it out to people who have an AN like me.  Good Night

[CHD63]

Hi LMd511 .....

Welcome to this Forum of caring, supportive, new friends!  First of all, the chances of you dying from your AN is something like way less than 1% and then it is only when it is a huge one that is growing around the brain stem (you would have to ignore some rather significant symptoms before it reached that point).

With a tumor as small as yours, you are most likely to have excellent results with treatment.  Did anyone ever suggest the possibility of having radiation treatment instead of surgery?

You WILL be able to hear your grandkids laugh, cry, etc.  Trust me, I have 3 (ages 6, 4, & 2)  ..... and actually, many of us rather enjoy being able to put our good ears down on the pillow at night to sleep ..... it is so peaceful and quiet, that way.

As for what you should expect coming out of surgery ..... it is, of course, somewhat individual ..... depending upon how well you do with general anesthesia (for any surgical procedure).  Most of us, unless our brains had already compensated, experience wobbliness on our first walking attempts, because the vestibular function on that side is gone.  I had double vision for a few days.  Some have headaches ..... I did not.  I was in the hospital 6 days (had retrosigmoid approach), stayed locally another few days, then my husband drove us the 6 hours home less than two weeks after surgery.  My daughter-in-law and granddaughter stayed with me for a week (husband had to go back to work) and then I was on my own.  All of this varies from person to person.

What symptoms are you currently experiencing besides the hearing loss?

Ask away with any more specific questions and someone will be along to answer.

Just take a deep breath, you are going to be fine, and all of us will be here for moral support on this journey.

Many thoughts and prayers.  Clarice

[moe]

Hi and Welcome
Many people on the forum have had Dr. Barker and McKenna. Hopefully they will chime in..

Your concerns are valid and we are here to help ease your fears Clarice said your tumor is small? I didn't see the size.

Translab approach (I had that) does mean you will lose our hearing, but there is always the BAHA down the road for the deafness (bone anchored hearing apparatus). Many people do fine with the deafness.."Come talk on my good side." The trans lab approach has low incidence of post op headaches. I only had headache for 6 weeks, and have no headaches since the surgery.

The first few days after surgery are sort of a blur, and not a lot of fun, but it gets better.... Everyone's story is a bit different. Sleep through what you can and ask for pain, anti nausea medicine.

Once you are home, it is so important to just rest, sleep, walk, drink fluids, and keep  repeating that cycle! I enjoyed CD music with headphones, and even books on tape. Just let your body heal, and listen to your body's cues.

It really will be OK, you'll see. Just don't rush the recovery and make sure you are well pampered! Also watch the complete bending over when you get home, which may cause headaches....

We've been in  your shoes. Keep posting
Maureen

[Mickey]

Hi! You have come to the right place to dicuss what your feeling with many others in the same boat. I am W+W with a AN around the same size as yours but older than you (62).  I do agree with your course of action being only (39) and AN which is considered very small.  From all my AN meetings and experience on line it does seem to me your going to nip this in the bud and move on and enjoy your family. We are all here for you along with your AN meetings in your area going into the future.  Prayers are with you, stay positive, everythings going to be fine! Best wishes, Mickey

[Jim Scott]

Hi ~

Welcome to the ANA website Discussion Forums, although I'm sorry you have the AN diagnosis to deal with at this important time in your life.  As she often does, Clarice covered all the salient points.  The odds of the surgery ending in a fatality are minuscule and, in my opinion, not worth thinking about.  I didn't - and my AN was large (4.5 cm).  At the time of my surgery I was almost 25 years older than you are now - and I did just fine.  By the way, being scared at this point is quite rational.  AN surgery patients all go through this stage...radiation patients, too, I assume.  It passes. 

To echo Clarice (I do that a lot) the post-op experience is a bit different for each patient.  Nausea is quite common but can be alleviated with medication.  Headaches can occur, again, typically controlled with medication in the hospital and later, at home, if necessary.  However, some AN surgery patients don't have these issues.  I didn't.  That is why it's impossible to state exactly what will happen post-op, what issues you'll have, if any, and so on.  All I can offer is my experience, which, if not exactly the best time of my life, was pretty good, considering - and I was 63 years old at the time (in good health - but no athlete). I believe you'll do O.K. and certainly live to see your beautiful grandchildren grow up.  You'll laugh and live, just as all AN patients do.  Sometimes it takes awhile to get to that point but we usually get there.  You will too. 

Jim            

[LMd511]

   Thank you ALL for your posts!  They were all very kind and greatly appreciated!  I do have a very supportive family and I am sure they will do all they can for me after the surgery.  It will be summer when I recover so I will have the beautiful outside to relax in.   I will definitely keep reminding myself to take time and heal/recover-I am one who can't sit still   

Someone asked what my symptoms were:  mainly feeling like my head is congested and ears are blocked.  That is why I originally went to the ENT specialist.  I have headaches daily and I do not have any useful hearing out of my left ear, which is why the surgeons have choose to go with the Translabrythine Approach.  It gives them basically direct access to the facial nerve which is a better result in not having any facial paralysis. 

Thank You all again!  I hope the weather co operates so I can get my yard work done and plant my flowers before my surgery.  Then I can just relax in the gazebo in enjoy the summer! 

[LisaP]

Hi,

I am W&W and it sounds like your tumor is around the same as mine (12 by 7 by 7 mm).  I too see Dr. McKenna, he is suppose to be the best. I have not had treatment yet, my next MRI is in Oct.

Best wishes and do as much reading about your AN as you can.  Everyone I have been told has a different experience.  Hang in there and this forum is a wonderful support system too.

LisaP

[BostonBill]

Hello,
I am also scheduled to have surgery at MGH with Dr Barker (and Dr Lee). I received my happy news on December 22nd. I have two sons graduating this May, 1 high school and 1 college. That and a trip in late May.
I would really like to keep in touch and share our experiences as relates to the Dr Team and MGH.
How did you come about choosing Dr Barker and MGH? Mine was based on a recommendation from a nurse friend who also had AN surgery and a good experience with Dr Barker and McKenna.
Another gentlemen Rich is also scheduled for surgery with the Dr Team this month. I just responded to his request tonight.
You can see his reply to my "Tweak under the hood" posting, in Microsurgicial Options.
Be well,
Bill

[lori67]

Hi and welcome!! 

It sounds to me like you have a whole lot of incentive to get better quickly after your surgery!  And a whole lot of incentive to take a rest, too!     

I know my family, especially my kids, were a huge motivator for me.  At the time of my surgery, I had one in college, one in high school, one in pre-school and a 10 month old.  (yes, I needed a rest too!).  I didn't want to miss out on anything and didn't want my kids to be upset if I couldn't do the things I used to do.  I did have to learn to pace myself a bit, as I've never been one to sit stlll for more than 5 minutes at a time, but I was able to get back to my regularly scheduled life pretty quickly.  Sometimes I had to modify some stuff, but I haven't really come across anything I couldn't do if I wanted to.

You'll be able to enjoy your children and grandchildren - maybe even more than usual, since you'll have to actually sit and relax while you recuperate - you can just enjoy their company without thinking about all the other things you'd usually be doing.  I hope the weather does cooperate because relaxing in a gazebo watching the flowers bloom sounds like a perfect way to let yourself heal.  And maybe you can get those grandkids to do the weeding for you!   

Take a deep breath and relax - you'll get through this - there are lots of us here that have!   
Lori

[Lynn Mc]

Hi and Welcome,

I think Clarice has said it all.  My surgery (translab) was a little over a year ago with Dr. Barker and Dr. Mckenna.  Clarice is right about the first days after surgery.  Sleep through as much as you can and it does get better.  Everybody has a different experience but REST is really important for the brain to heal.  I was back on my horse after 4 months, which was  my goal.  There are still some days that get the better of me (probably because I am not 16 anymore) but all & all "LIFE is GREAT"!

Lynn

[krbonner]

I had translab surgery with Barker/McKenna. It'll be 5 years ago this fall. (Really? How is that possible?) And I can tell you that at this point, I rarely think about my AN and my surgery.

The first few weeks post-op are rough, no question about it. I was a stay-at-home mom with 2 boys (ages 4 and 18 months) at the time. I was in the hospital for 5 days, and then basically didn't leave my bed for the first 3 days I was at home. But I took it easy and listened carefully to what my body was telling me about what I needed for sleep, food, sunlight, etc. By three weeks out I was feeling okay interacting with the world again. And at 4 weeks out, I was spending short amounts of time taking care of my children by myself. At 6 weeks out I was back to doing the normal stay-at-home mom stuff, but would go to bed early.

My boys are now 9 and 6, and my daughter is 2. I am completely deaf on the AN side, but that's the only side effect left from the surgery. And it's a side effect we knew would be permanent going into the surgery. Honestly, we've all adjusted and it's rarely a problem.

I'm one of the success stories you don't read about much on the forum. Not because we're hiding away, but because we recover and move on and don't always have the time to stick around here. I really should be better about coming back around...

Try to relax during recovery. That makes it shorter in the long run. As many people have said, everyone experiences symptoms and recovery differently so no one can make promises about what the summer will be like for you. But most get back to life pretty okay.

Good luck!
Katie