My story is pretty much like a lot of Acoustic Neuroma patients. I had been experiencing a few symptoms that caused some concern, but nothing out of the ordinary. I Had Fever and cold that was Diagnosed as sinus and my wife being a doctor herself referred me to some Cold Medicines
23 November 2004   I Was traveling from Dulles Airport To O’Hare In Chicago For The Thanksgiving Weekend. I passed out or Fainted at the airport , 2 minutes later I realized that I had Caused attention as There were rescue Doctors checking my Vitals and airport security around me . In just 4 mins I was Ok as they gave me Milk and apple and they said I was Ok and probably I was weak .Me Fainting or passing was a red Flag I decided to show to a Doctor
24 November 2004  I started having some right side facial numbness and headaches. These two symptoms became progressively worse, but still nothing that I thought was of too much concern. The ER doctor said That it was Sinus that made me faint but as a process I would have to get a CT scan and MRI when He did the CT he came Back to me and Said “You have a spot on your brain that we’re concerned about.� Talk about the wind being knocked out of you! On 24 Nov2004 , I had my MRI scan and within one hour, I was called into my doctors office. The good news, as my doctor put it, is that I did not have brain cancer, however, I did have a large brain tumor, an Acoustic Neuroma.. I came to know that it was completely benign and not malignant 5.5 CM tumor
December 13 2004 For the last month everyone has commented on how well I was handling things and were surprised with my positive attitude. I hope the attitude stays positive a little while longer. I started to get nervous.
14 December 2004 - Surgery was the only option for me. Radiation was not an option as the tumor was very large. I was told it was compressing on the brain stem and also involved my facial nerve. I was advised of the complications that could possibly happen from the surgery: facial paralysis, cerebral spinal fluid leakage, etc. All of these things were terrifying to me, but Dr. Leonetti and Anderson is one of the best neurosurgeons with extensive experience with Acoustic Neuromas. I felt very comfortable with him and surgery was scheduled for December 14 th at 5:30 a.m. Dr. Anderson and Dr Leonetti would use the "team" approach while performing the surgery. Due to the method of surgery and the size of the tumor, I was told that I would lose the hearing in the right ear. The next thing I remember was waking up after the surgery with my head feeling like it was a bowling ball. The surgery lasted 14hours. I was taken from recovery into ICU for the next 24 hours.
December 15 2004 - I did have a very bad surgery pain and was extremely fatigued. My vision was pretty bad as well. Food didn’t taste right, sweet things tasted salty and other things tasted like metal. This was all normal according to Dr. Anderson and most of the side effects would clear up with time. I must say, during this time, I did not believe one word that he was saying. Nor my wife, brother or anybody .I was given morphine all the time, I know morphine as “An alkaloid narcotic drug extracted from opium; a powerful, habit-forming narcotic used to relieve pain� believe me ,its much more than what we all think . There is an early 1990s rock band named Morphine. That’s all I knew about this till today .
December 31 2004 – My Marriage Anniversary . I was able to get to the temple with a walker I realized one thing , my balance is extremely off.
January 5, 2004 – I’m starting to feel a little better. Food is starting to lose that salty taste, but my favorite drink, pomegranate juice tastes horrible. Guess that’s not a bad thing. Still can’t sleep at night due to the lack of sleep. The ANA message board makes me realize that I'm normal and not alone.
January 6 2004 - the first day of occupation therapy and physical therapy .I really feel like I’m on the road to recovery. Looking back, it’s so amazing to me how far I’ve come in these weeks. Brain surgery and recuperation is NOT easy, but it IS bearable and one WILL get through it. I learned to take each day as it would come and be thankful for the small improvements that I would see each day. Those small improvements eventually became larger ones and before I knew it, I feeling great! I’ve all but forgotten any of the pain and discomfort from the surgery, but one thing I will never forget….is the love and encouragement I received from my family and friends. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful support system and I hold each one of them dear to my heart.
February 5 2005 : Gold Eyelid Weights are also used to help eyelid closure. They work on the gravity-assist principle, but are sewn into the eyelid. The smaller weights are not uncomfortable for most people. The weight is removed as soon as enough function returns to the eyelid. I had this surgery for 2 hours
May1 2005 : I join as architect in a premier insurance firm in the IT department ( oh I forgot to tell you i am a IT programmer ) ..Life is normal now , colleagues don’t know that I have single sided hearing and yes there is bells palsy , I am strongly hoping that it will heal by Year end , ie DEC 2005 . Yes this is my success story and I am stronger than ever !!!
Love and support from my family
I have the most amazing family and friends. I could not have gotten through this experience without them., I'd like to thank each of them:
Mom & Dad :
Everyone wants their mom when they're sick, no matter how old you are. It was especially true with me. Mom and Dad , I was so scared, but you never wavered in your encouragement and support. I will always be so thankful to have you as my mom & Dad ..I'll always be a your little boy no matter how old I get. Thank you for your love and encouragement.
Sandhya my wife : My Love . I want to say in Short : “ Your Great , Thanks You are my best friend,my wife , my everythin . You were my rock through this experience. I love you more than words will ever be able to tell… Thanks for going through this journey with me. “
My In Laws :
I could not ask for better in-laws. The support that you've shown has been unbelievable. I have never felt like a son-in-law, I have always felt like a son to you. Thank you for sharing your love with me
   My Friends
I could not ask for a better group of friends to work with. Your gift baskets, cards, encouraging phone calls, etc. were what kept me going when the going got tough
Anausa members , the support group , archive questions and bulletin board everything helped me I am extremely thankful to one and all . Please feel free to ask any questions you might have ..
Last, but certainly not least, my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Anderson & Leonetti . They are truly an amazing doctors and one I have the utmost respect.
Moral of the Story
Sometimes life isn't fair, but we expect it to be...why else would we be
so angry and hurt when it isn't. We wonder:
•If God is a God of love, why is there so much suffering ?
•Why do terrible things seem to happen to nice people?
•Why does life have to hurt so much?
•Can any meaning be found in suffering?
The truth is Life isn’t Fair I should get used to it , Be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.The other is as if everything is….. Yes I feel that We are more than what we do...much more than what we accomplish...& far more than what we possess ..
Thanks & Regards
Pejavar
30 Age 5.5cm AN - Right side
Removed DEC 14 2004 retrosigmoid approach
Dr. John Leonetti & Dr. Douglas Anderson
Loyola University Medical Center
Chicago, IL
