Cut the balance nerve to improve balance?

[Tumbleweed]

Hi, everyone:

I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has had their vestibular nerve cut (in a separate surgery from that for AN removal) to improve balance and if it helped or made their balance worse. My balance isn't terrible -- I don't have vertigo attacks any longer and have no trouble with, for instance, night-time driving -- but it sure has been annoying to constantly have a state of disequilibrium over the past 8 years. Tests show I've lost about 70% of my balance function on my left (AN-related) side. I'm wondering if cuttting that side's vestibular nerve would eventually allow my brain to compensate completely and restore my balance to normal, or if it would make it worse by throwing away what little balance function I have remaining on that side.

Can anyone who's had this procedure done please report how it turned out for them? Better balance? Or worse?

Thanks,
Tumbleweed

[tony]

I would suggest you may have to
think long and hard on this one
I cant comment specifically on that proceedure
- Generally a twin balance with one "misfiring"
is less reliable than a single "good" one
- the misfire can happen at the wrong time or place ?
However one balance nerve, is never quite the same as two...
Its an option for you
- maybe when things really do become untenable ?
Best Regards
Tony

[Tumbleweed]

I'm not actually considering it. My balance would have to be a lot worse before I'd take the risk of having an irreversible procedure like that done. But I think it would be interesting and informative if we could hear from people who have. By excluding people who had the vestibular nerve cut during AN removal, we'd remove any possible influences from that procedure (such as cerebellar retraction or CSF leakage) from the equation.

Best,
Tumbleweed

[sgerrard]

You might want to read a fairly recent post from Arushi (Karen) on her balance nerve surgery:
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=7205.msg75612#msg75612

Steve

[Tumbleweed]

Thanks, Steve! I followed up with a few questions on that topic.

Best wishes,
Tumbleweed

[catlover]

Hi everyone,
Almost three weeks ago I more or less cut the balance nerve. It was knocked out by two injections of drugs through the ear drum. I think the reason for these injections is that the good ear can compensate for the bad ear when it comes to balance. Hopefully, I won't get much balance issues after surgery. I'll see the doctors in January to check out if all balance is gone in my right ear or if something is left. For a couple of weeks I did my balance exercises, but since I didn't feel any dizzyness at all I have more or less stopped doing them after Christmas Eve. I've been busy with other things. Today, 30th December, I feel some dizziness and I think I have to start doing the exercises again! I almost haven't felt any dizzyness at all since I got the injections. I don't know - maybe dizziness will show up, but i don't hope so. Today, I used my bike for the first time after the injections and it worked all right, although I have to concentrate more now than I did before.

Best wishes,

Helene