Ladyref56, welcome to the Golfball-sized Tumor Club.
I'm sorry you have had to go through this, but you have found the right place. My tumor was similarly sized and my surgery was February 13, 2010.
I have the issues you've described along with left-side vocal cord paralysis and difficulty swallowing. Those are by far the worst, but manageable.
I know it feels like forever, but four months is not such a long time, especially since we are all different. Also, the body has its own time table and doesn't seem to want to share that with us.
As for your hearing, what kind of surgery did you have? Was the intent to save the hearing? Many of us are single-side deaf (SSD) because of our experiences - either because of the damage by the tumor or the necessary surgical route.
As others have said, go see an ophthalmologist. You want to do this minimally to ensure you are managing your eye care properly and protecting the cornea. They can also test for field of vision and other issues related to nerve recovery. I had severe double-vision for months after surgery. Through various corrective processes (partial taping of the left lens and use of prisms) and time, by five months post it was all but gone. However, now at seven months, I still don't blink automatically and do not produce tears on that side. But I can fully close my eye and blink voluntarily. The other eye treatments that have been mentioned may be appropriate for you.
Facial movement starts very slowly. I started doing exercises about 6 weeks post. It was very frustrating as I could not make anything happen on the left side. Eventually, I noticed that I could make the tiniest twitch. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. Today, I have about 80% recovery...enough to pass for normal. The process is slow. However, as others have said their are other surgical options to consider.
I share a little bit of my story with you to give you hope and a sense of the process. While I have been lucky with these aspects of my recovery, I have a very long, slow slog ahead of me that may well include more surgery before I ever have a voice like I had before. The same is true for swallowing. None of us can tell you what your outcomes will be, but I think we can all agree that four months post-surgery is a very short time. Especially with a big tumor.
If you read through the many posts hear, you will find that people are reporting not only improvement after two or three years, but sometimes the first signs of the nerves recovering after that period. So, while the road ahead may be long, its far too early to become discouraged.
You have found a good place to for support and advice.
-Tod
