I'm reaching out.

[satman]

hello everybody,i'm reaching out for help/advise
i'm at a point that i don't know what to do.
i am a postie of 3 months,surgery april /9/07,and my dr wants to do the 7/12 nerve jump.
now i'm not sure if the 7th nerve was cut. while reading my med record i saw where it said the 7th nerve was injured.
so now i'm confused,cut vs. injured,what does this mean.? he says we can bypass the eye[because it blinks,and he said he believes that nerve still has some function] and hook up the nerve branch for the cheek and mouth to a nerve in the neck instead of the tongue,later if the eye never comes around we can go in and connect it to the neck nerve also,a little bit different than the traditional 7/12 surgery.i had 2 emg tests,the 2nd one came back saying that the nerves were not firing.
basically it was different than the first reading.[declining] can i or should i base my decision on emg test results?
the surgery is set for aug 3rd and i meet him on july26th.he is a very respectable surgeon,he saved my life,literally,so should i
trust his advise,kind of hard not to after 17 1/2 hr surgery,he has done numerous 7/12 jumps. i am overwhelmed at this point everything is coming so fast at me. please help me with comments,questions i should ask,advise,please help.
i put so much faith into everybody on this forum and now i am really leaning on you.


p.s. he said the nerve was injured.
                                                                                                 John....

[leapyrtwins]

John -

although I'm not personally in your situation, I can feel your pain by reading this post, and I wanted you to know that you're in my prayers.

Here are my thoughts, for what they're worth.

From what I've read in your other posts, you seem like a strong person and I'm confident that you'll continue to be strong.  You've been through an amazingly tough medical situation, yet you seem to have a great outlook and a good sense of humor.  It also sounded like you have the support of a loving family which is definitely an asset.

I put a lot of faith in surgeons with proven experience who give me a good "gut" feeling.  My surgery was much shorter than yours and my AN was a lot smaller, but I was so impressed by my surgeons and their abilities that I'd literally trust them with my life time and time again.  So, if you feel like your surgeon was the best choice for the AN surgery and he's done numerous 7/12 jumps, in my opinion, you should trust his advice.  Someone once told me that although surgeries are a huge deal for the patient, to experienced surgeons surgeries are just what they do; it's their job.  I saw this in my neurosurgeon - very talented, very respected, highly-qualified, very confident of his abilities - and I knew after meeting him he was one of the guys I wanted at the other end of the scalpel.  If you have a good feeling about your surgeon, I think that's a plus.   

I wish I could offer suggestions for questions you could ask your surgeon, but I don't know enough about nerves, nerve damage, or the surgery to come up with anything that would be helpful to you.  I don't know how open doctors are to this, but since he's done numerous 7/12 surgeries, maybe he has some patients who would be willing to talk to you about their experience.  It might not hurt to ask. 

 

[Boppie]

John,  You are a hero already. 

I admired my surgeon too.  They save lives and we have to respect the amount of care and fine work they do for us.  My surgeon was exhausted from my 7 hour surgery, so you must have had a group in that OR working on your tumor.  I agree with Leapy, you should trust your surgeon with your nerve graft/jump.  Since he did such a fine job for you once, more is better. 

You are in my prayers.

[satman]

thank you so much for your input.it seems like we have the same idea.i just wasnt
sure if im having this thing to soon,so many people say wait for it to heal naturally,but then it might 
never heal itself,have the surgery,chances  are better that some movement will come back,just not 100%,dont have the surgery and then it might be too late to ever have a chance of healing or waited too long and now the surgery is out of the question.but i think boppie and leap have helped me make a decision,ask yourself,what would i do?
thank god this forum is here,and god bless all people on this forum,thanks. 

[satman]

hey boppie,they say things are big in TEXAS,guess i proved that one.
LONG LIVE THE LONGHORNS!      HOOK'EM  !!   

[nancyann]

Hi John:  I certainly understand your confusion - all I can think to say is if you don't feel ready by Aug., postpone a month. I'd definitely get another EMG before the surgery.  Usually surgeons wait at least a year to see if the nerve will generate on its own, especially if the nerve wasn't cut - maybe because your tumor was so large the doc feels it won't come back.   My EMGs show only a small am't of nerve generation by the chin (which is usually the 1st place to show movement), so the doctors are putting the 7./12 on hold - my surg. was 6/19/06.  
Today I saw a reconstructive surgeon who talked about taking a graft from the opposite side of my cheek & doing a muscle transfer - he said he would refer me to a Dr.Julia Terzis in Norfolk Virginia as she does these alot.  Maybe ask your surgeon how come he/she doesn't want to wait a year to see if the nerve will come back on its own.  I wish you all the best, Nancy

[satman]

thank you nancyann,i have read all your posts[everybody else's  also]and i put so much trust into
your input.
l[everybody else's also]i dont want anybody to feel left out,ha,ha..
Jim Scott you need to reply also!
p.s. i'm ready to go in august,just not sure if i should.
i have to remind myself that every situation is different!

                                                                                        thanks everybody, from the botttom of my heart.

[Jim Scott]

Hi, John:

Sorry to be late on responding but I wasn't sure I could be of much help.  However, since you asked..... 

As you're going to meet with the surgeon on July 26th, that will be the time to clarify exactly what the condition of the 7th nerve really is - define 'injured'- and to ask his opinion on what the odds of success are for the 7/12 jump surgery.  Usually,, the extent of any facial paralysis will be a clue as to the extent of the nerve damage.  You have confidence in this doctor so now you need to have him get real with you about what he intends to do and how successful he expects the operation to be.  Tell him you're a bit confused and need a concise explanation of what your situation really is, at this point.  Pay close attention and take notes - or have someone with you to take notes, so you can review what the doctor tells you, later.  If you still have doubts, postpone the surgery.  That is your option.  I doubt any responsible surgeon would object, considering that your nerve malfunction is hardly life-threatening.   Whats the rush?  You don't want to go into this operation with too much anxiety or unsure if you're doing the right thing.  Be sure and be confident and you'll probably have a much better outcome. 

This would be my approach.  I hope it goes well for you.

Jim

[Patti UT]

I second Jims post, anytime there is a doubt, a question in your mind and it is not life threatining, I woudl postpone it a while while you gather more information.  The better informed you are the better decision you can  make for yourself.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Patti UT