Thought I would share a bit of my experience one week after retrosigmoid surgery at Mayo Hospital under the care of Dr. Link and Dr. Driscoll. I was diagnosed with a 14 mm AN in my right ear in March. After 6 months of watching and waiting, a follow-up MRI revealed tumor had grown 2 mm. For various reasons I chose surgery over Gamma Knife. I still had 85 % word retention in affected ear, no balance or facial symptoms, and in excellent physical health.
Surgery took approx 6 hours. Tumor was fully removed. I spent one night in ICU and 3 more nights in regular hospital bed. As of today, (one week out), I have no facial nerve damage and still retain some hearing. Very thankful for these amazing results!! Tylenol is managing pain without the aid of any prescriptions.
![Smiley :)](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
First 36 hours following surgery were the worst hours of my life. I felt trapped in a body I did not want to be in. Lots of back and neck pain along with all the emotions/symptoms of coming out of general anesthesia . Lots of meds left me feeling doped up with no measurable results. But each day got better and I can't believe how good I feel just 7 days later. Balance is slowly returning. I am walking without assistance 20 min, twice/day. Tinnitus exists as before surgery but while this is a nuisance it has not been a major obstacle for me. I am tired but not generally taking more than a two hour nap during the day following 8-10 hours of sleep/night. My wife helps out in countless ways allowing me to rest, relax and recover.
If you are facing surgery, I understand the fear and lack of control that accompanies such a decision. I encourage you to process all your emotions. Talk them out with a loved one. Be honest. I relieved my anxiety not only through heartfelt prayer but by researching all I could. I wanted to be informed.
Someone mentioned to me, "
Sometimes we have to do hard things. But you can do hard things. You have done hard things." Sounds simple but it helped me. Maybe it can help you.
I will post an update in another week or so. But if I can be of assistance in any way, please feel free to reach out. Others helped me. How can I help you?
For the record, I was treated very well at Mayo and feel confident that I am doing as well as I am because of their expertise and compassion. I had great people around me.