newbie in Kansas City

[leapyrtwins]

Rosalie -

I'm glad you decided to come out of "the shadows" and I think it will help you to be here sharing with us.  Although I have absolutely no problems with those who "lurk", I think it's nicer when people don't because it's easier to offer them the support they need.

I'm really enjoying the BAHA.  I was at an awards assembly at my children's school yesterday and although I've attended it every year for about 6 years, last year was the first time I was SSD (it was about 2 weeks after my AN surgery).  It was very frustrating to me because the person seated to my left was holding a conversation with me that I couldn't really hear.  Sometimes I would turn my body so I could hear her with my good ear, but a lot of the time I just found myself smiling and nodding and saying "yes" every once in a while.  Luckily, my responses were appropriate because she seemed to think I was holding up my end of the conversation without a problem.

Yesterday, I wore my BAHA and I could actually hear the person seated to my left.  A wonderful feeling.

If, or when, you get to the point where you are considering the BAHA, don't hesitate to ask me any questions - even if they sound silly to you.  You'd be surprised to hear some of the questions I asked others on this forum.  If you don't want to post them on the open forum, you can always PM me.  I have found that although my doctor has a lot of patients who have BAHAs, he and his audiologist can only give me secondhand information, since neither of them actually have one.

Jan   

[Sue]

Hello Rosalie and Welcome!

I am sorry you had to join our little group here, but so happy that you found us.  What size is your AN?  Often times, a treatment is purposed that is based on the size of the AN.  Small and medium sized AN's (under 3 cm) respond very well to radiation. This also depends on if it's pushing against your brain stem or not, too.  Large AN's, over 3cm) are generally taken care of via microsurgery.  There are a lot of other factors to consider, but that's sort of a basic starting point.  I'm sure you've already figured that out, if you've been reading many of the posts on here.  Do you have any usable hearing left at all? 

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that you might have other choices open to you in the way of treatment.  If you have decided on surgery, then that's fine, but I personally don't think it's fine if you haven't been given the option of other treatments.  Most surgeons are going to recommend surgery. Some people on here have had the surgery and then were disappointed that they weren't given a choice of radiosurgery.  As long as you know all your options and you have made an informed decision, the go for it girl! 

Best of luck in your treatment and eventual recovery,

Sue in  Vancouver USA

[LADavid]

Hi Rosalie
Just noticed that you put your surgery on the calendar for July 1.  It is a shame that sometime family members and friends just don't get it -- or as I spspect in some cases, don't want to get it ( as I personally witnessed).  But as I also discovered, there are people who do pull through for you and are there when you need it -- sometimes unexpected people.  There was a young member of the group here called Daydreamer -- she was going through the same thing and there was a thread related to it.  As the surgery approached, her family started to gather for support.  And you can count on all of us.

Meanwhile everyone, in case you haven't peeked at the calendar lately, next week is a very busy AN week.  And has anyone heard from Tammy's (Tammera) husband?

David