hi sue b. -
this is the first time i've actually used this site (so i am doing this correctly and that you will read this). first of all, let me assure you that dr. slattery and the house ear clinic are incredible!!! dr. slattery is the nicest, kindest, most brilliant doctor i have ever had and i am thankful every day that i wound up at house ear clinic and that he performed my surgery.
here's my story in a nutshell: i am 36 years old. a year and a half ago i had trouble walking straight, balance, loss of facial movement, etc. i had an mri on a tuesday and two days later i had a surgery at house ear clinic to remove a 4.5cm (!!!) acoustic neuroma. i didn't have any time to research about my condidition, my options, various doctors, what an acoustic neuroma is, etc. my ear, nose and throat doctor recommended the house ear clinic and dr. slattery. i live in los angeles and i went there that afternoon. i met with dr. slattery and immediately felt at ease. he told me that due to the size and and the location of tumor i needed the translabrynthe accproach and that i would lose hearing permanently in my right ear. (and at that point i didn't care about the hearing loss because i was so happy that i wasn't going to die!)
the house ear clinic was wonderful and accomodating. sheila (my surgery coordinator) was able to move mountains for me to have my surgery as soon as possible (two days later!) because my tumor was so big and already pressing on my brain stem. the strange thing is, even up until the point when i was being wheeled into the operating room, i wasn't afraid. i was confident that i was in the right place and that i would be okay.
dr. slattery and dr. schwartz (also a kind, genius) performed my surgery. they removed 99% of my tumor. while i lost my hearing, i was still concerned about facial movement. however, the day after the surgery i was already able to move the affected side of my face. these wonderful doctors spent almost eight hours meticulously and carefully removing the tumor around my facial nerve to preserve it. i know that i wouldn't have had the same incredible result had i gone elsewhere.
after the surgery, the hospital took great care of me and i was out of there five days later. my facial movement is 100% regained, as is my balance. i do yoga three times a week, i run 20 miles a week and i have never felt better.
i just can't say enough wonderful things about the house ear clinic. dr. slattery is an angel, and i am forever grateful to him, dr. schwartz and the incredible staff at house.
if you'd like, i would be happy to speak to you on the phone to answer any questions you might have. feel free to send me an e-mail (jheimler@aol.com) with your telephone number or you can e-mail me and i will give you mine.
-julie h.
