first post

[Schadee]

This is my first post--here goes: I was diagnosed with left AN 1.3cm in Oct. Just had RS surgery 2 weeks ago. I now appear to be deaf in the left ear but still have plenty of tinnitus. I'm a little wobbly and dizzy still too. I was so grateful after the surgery and nausea was over that nothing seemed to matter...maybe now it does. At night I feel trapped inside my head, especially if I lay on the right side. It's hard to sleep. I usually get up at 3:30am. Does it get better? Diane

[lawmama]

I had retrosigmoid surgery on Dec 14th, and I'm not sleeping well at all yet.  I am SSD as well, but I don't seem to experience the "trapped" feeling you are describing.  Actually, I like laying on my good ear because I've always been such a light sleeper and I actually seem to sleep better when I can't hear anything.  Still, I have horrendous headaches and I'm waking up no less than 4-6 times a night still. I hope it gets better too!  I'm really not feeling back to myself at all yet.

Congratulations on making it through your surgery and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Lyn

[epc1970]

Denise
It will get better. It just takes time. I remember emailing a friend of mine that had AN surgery in 2006 when I was just a few weeks post op and all my email said was "when does this get better?" Your sleep patterns will get better over time. If you are still on steriods that may be a huge contributor to the sleep issues. It took me a while before I was comfortable sleeping on my AN side. It was so uncomfortable for me to sleep on that side that I just did not do it for a few months. If you are getting little sleep at night, ask your Dr about a sleep aid-I took Ambien for a little while when my lack of sleeping at night was really making me anxious. I wish I could give you more helpful tips but things will iron out and begin to improve. It just takes time. Take good care!
Erin

[Kaybo]

Diane~
Hi and Welcome!  Sorry that you are having trouble sleeping...I know that is so miserable!     I have had many surgeries over the past years (AN & non-AN related - my face is paralyzed so I have had some for that) and I have a horible time with anesthia - it takes me at least a week to get it out of my system & that is for just a little pidly surgery.  I suspect your AN surgery was multiple hours long and so there is more to get out.  TRY to give it a little more time & do all the things that MIGHT help during the day and at bedtime (you're probably already doing them)...no caffeine after 3, hot bath (IF that relaxes you - it wakes me up), hot water or decaffinated tea, limited nap-time during the day, etc...Hopefully, when you can sleep better, everything will look a little better to you!  You are still really "fresh" out so give a little time...

K   

[Tamster]

Hi Diane,
My AN surgery was December 8th, so I'm not quite 3 weeks out and I'm still working on the sleep issue too. I think the tinnitus will take getting used to. I am also SSD (left ear). The first few nights home, I tried an over the counter sleep aid. I still woke several times during the night and gave up on it. But since the quality of sleep seems to dictate the quality of the next day and my energy for doing vestibular exercises or walking or pretty much anything, I decided to try Tylenol PM last night. Finally! I only woke once during the night and was able to fall asleep again fairly easily. Here's hoping that a few nights like this and my body will start to get a rhythm back. If you haven't given it a try, I'd recommend it.
Falling asleep to the sounds of ear noise is a new challenge. I may use some ocean sounds or other white noise and see if that helps block out the annoyance.
Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Tam

[leapyrtwins]

Hi, Diane and welcome to the Forum 

I had retrosigmoid myself back in May 2007 and it left me SSD (single-sided deaf) also.

You are in the very early stages of post op recovery, and to answer your question, yes it does get better.

Recovery takes time and patience.  Hang in there, things will improve.

If you find that once you've healed you want to explore options to help you with your hearing, there are a few out there.  I have a BAHA implant and love it. 

Jan

[Jim Scott]

Hello and welcome, Diane ~

Thanks for posting.  As a 'veteran' of successful retrosigmoid approach surgery to debulk a large (4.5 cm) AN I can tell you with confidence that, in almost all cases, things do get better.  I've read many accounts (on these forums) of retro patients who initially suffered with deficits of balance and adjusting to being SSD, not to mention one side of their skull feeling sore, but emerged some weeks or months later with a much better sense of equilibrium and either adjusted to being SSD (and the tinnitus) or obtained a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) to help alleviate the partial deafness .

The key is patience and acceptance of the fact that you've undergone serious surgery and will likely have to make adjustments to the 'new you'.  That takes time and determination.  I'm sure you'll get to that point before long.  We're here to support and help you in any way we can.  Our members are eager to do this - for you and with you.  Consider these forums a resource and our members (including me) as family.   

Jim

[Pembo]

Welcome to our small part of the world. As a 5 year postie, I can assure you your sleep gets better and now I sleep better than ever before because I sleep on my side...the side that can hear...so it's very quiet...and I can't hear the dogs wake up.

[suboo73]

Diane,

Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on being a 'postie!'

I have not had any treatment to date, so i am sorry, i cannot offer any advice about that.
However, i know others will help with their experiences.
Keep asking your questions!

My thoughts and prayers to you for continued healing and restful sleep.
Sincerely,

Sue

[CHD63]

Diane .....

Welcome to this forum of caring, supportive friends.  ..... and yes, the dizziness and sleeplessness will definitely get better.  The tinnitus is less likely to get better.  You are newly post-op so you probably have some swelling still going on that is causing the trapped feeling ..... that too will get better.  However, if any of these things become worse or you develop new symptoms, you should mention it to your doctor (or the doctor's office staff for advice).

Let us know how you are doing.

Thoughts and prayers.

Clarice