Hearing test results

[Karissa]

Hey everyone....I had my tumor removed almost 1 year ago via the Middle Fossa approach.  I had a one year follow up hearing test today and it was actually a little worse than my hearing test that was 3 months after my surgery.....Has anyone else had this experience? I am still waiting for my insurance company to authorize my one year follow up MRI, but will keep you posted on the results!

Thanks
Karissa

[Larry]

Karissa,

I had a 2cm an removed 3 years ago. pre op, I had lost about 50% of my useful hearing. Post op, about 75% - I couldn't use the phone properly. About 7 months ago, I thought my hearing had got worse so I organised an MRI - the tumour had returned. Sorry to share that with you but you should probably have an MRI annually as recurrence is not uncommon following middle fossa. I wish I was told that before having my op.

Larry

[Karissa]

So did you have to have surgery again??  If so, middle fossa again???
How are you doing now?

[Larry]

Karissa,

I have decided to do nothing and watch and wait. In fact my ENT specialist regrets doing middle fossa and now will not do any surgery on small tumours. I was going to have radiation treatment on the re-growth but decided against it until it grows to a bigger size.

The surgery option is translab which I am not keen on. I don't want to go through the surgical procedure again. It was very invasive. I don't think any surgeon would follow a mf with another mf if regrowth occurs.

Larry

[Karissa]

Who removed your tumor and where at....just out of curiosity???

Thanks!

[Larry]

Karissa,

Sorry for delay, I had my tumour removed by a Dr Chang and Dr fagan at St Vincents in Sydney Australia.

[Rc Moser]

My right ear hearing has never changed in twenty years. Still excellent after working around heavy machinery, and Aircraft engines for 36 years. I always suspected that the high pitch noise of running aircraft engines (especially in Afterburner) causes my tumor! But, Doctors say no, but they will tell you they really don't know what causes them. IMO it didn't help!

It is the assumption of most doctors for what I have read if they remove all the tumor and what it grows on it won't come back. Is this the correct opinion or do I have to look foward to this again? My doctors said they got everything that's why it took so long and My two MRI's after that showed nothing. I am on a 5 year MRI schedule now. Just think trying to remove something with 11 or 12 nerves interwoven and stuck to the brain in a hole the size of a quarter and taking up to three working shifts to do it. So, I can see alot of room for error!

[Larry]

Rc,

Surgically removing an AN is no guarantee of it not returning. I had a small to medium sized AN removed 3 years ago by the middle fossa approach. It has now grown back. On the board, there are cases where it has grown back after translab as well.

There are a lot of interesting posts on this board that you should read and do lots of research including radiation treatment.


Larry