This Week 7/25/10 in the AN World

[Rich56]

Angela (Angel-1) had translab surgery on Thursday 7/8.  Angela we’re sorry that you are still having issues with the computer after 16 days post-op, but so glad that the surgery went well, and to see you posting again.  We hope your recovery time starts to improve, and that you feel better every day.

Jossie (Jossie) had surgery on Tuesday 7/13.  Jossie we are very happy that your surgery went so well.  We know you can’t wait to get back home to your family in South Africa.  We hope your recovery is swift. 

Congratulations to you both, and welcome to Postie Land.

LAST WEEK, WOW :

Greg (grega) we’re glad they gave you the BAHA-3 to demo until they can fit and program your very own BP100.  Congratulations!

Anne Marie (yardtick) we know it’s early, however we are so glad that after four years, the Lyrica appears to be giving you some relief from the headaches.  Hope you continue to feel better.

JO (tenai98) it was great news to read that your 7/16 MRI came back stable with no growth.   We are sorry to learn that you have small vessel disease.  Hopefully with treatment everything will turn out okay.  We will continue to hold good thoughts for you.

Cindy (cin605) that’s great news that your 7/19 MRI came back clean.  Hopefully the cervical spine MRI will offer some positive insight regarding your neck pain.  We’ll continue to hold good thoughts for you as well.

April (BigSister) had her 2 yr MRI on 7/19.  April we’re sending good vibes your way for stable MRI results.  Thank you Sue (suboo73), April’s sister also in W & W, for letting us know about April’s MRI.  We are sorry about your Dad.  Although you lost him in March, I know first hand that sometimes it does seem like only yesterday.  My Dad passed away 25 yrs. ago last month.  He also raised 5 children.  I’m number 4 of 5 boys.

Congratulations Rosemary (RAB) on outstanding hearing test results on 7/20.  Word discrimination improvement from 4% to 65% is certainly something to celebrate.  We wish you continued success on your GK treatment journey.

Congratulations T (sweet t) you are our newest Toastie Postie.  Thank you for sharing your CK sorry with us, it can be so therapeutic.  We’re glad your 7/21 CK treatments are behind you, and we trust it will prove to have been a complete success. 

Congratulations to Linda, (icebowlpacker)’s wife, our newest Postie who had retrosigmoid surgery on 7/22.  Thoughts and prayers are with Linda and her family, in hopes that her surgery was a complete success.  Thank you Jan (leapyrtwins) for letting know about Linda’s surgery, and putting it on the AN Calendar.

Mei Mei (Mei Mei) we’re happy to learn that the diagnostic nerve block on 7/22 seems to be working.  Hopefully they will have some answers for you, as well as some options.

Danielle (inmaine724) we are sorry that the additional testing, on 7/22, of the facial nerve came back positive for a facial schwannoma.   We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers that you get some encouraging news, and treatment options, as the Dr.s review your case.

Welcome back, and Congratulations OTO (OTO) on a “clean as can be” MRI.  That is always great news.

Brendalu (brendalu) you really did have quite a week.  Congratulations on the arrival of your new grand daughter Peiton Emerson Andrews 7/20.  Though that was such a joyous occasion, please except our condolenses on the passing of David’s Step-Dad.  I know where David is coming from, my Dad was really my Step-Dad too.  He married my Mom with 5 boys in tow ages 3 thru 13, I was 6, and he is the only man I call Dad.

THIS WEEK:

Monday 7/26 Mei Mei (Mei Mei) has an appointment with her urologist.  Mei Mei we’ve got our fingers crossed that they don’t find anything more than the urinary tract infection.

Tuesday 7/27 Kathy (kathysjourney) has surgery in NYC.  Kathy we will also keep you in our thoughts and prayers for an uncomplicated surgery, and a speedy recovery.

Wednesday 7/28 Brendalu (brendalu) will celebrate 5 years since her translab surgery.
Happy Anniversary!!  You are truly a valued Hero Member.

Thursday 7/29 Glen (G Man) will be going for his 1 year MRI while in W & W.  Glen you will indeed be in our thoughts for stable “no growth” MRI results.  Keep your chin up.

Mark (6pick) has a Dr. appointment at Stanford.  We hope your neurosurgeon has some options for you that will not interfere too harshly with your startup business, though your health is more important.

Life sure is a journey.
 
We hope that the recoveries are moving along with steady improvements, and that “everyone” has a great week,

Rich & Scarlett

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks, once again, for the weekly recap Rich.  I rarely check the AN Calendar these days and really rely on your post to let me know what's going on.

Congrats to Brendalu on 5 years!  Wonderful milestone!

Best wishes to Kathy for a speedy, uneventful recovery.

Good luck to G Man in the tube of gloom; hope your results are clean.

Mei Mei and Mark, may your doctors tell you what you want to hear.

Update on Linda (icebowlpacker's wife).  She was released from the hospital yesterday and is now home recovering.  She's making steady progress and she and her husband are both relieved that she's home.

Jan

[Jim Scott]

Another week, another informative update from Rich.  Our appreciation knows no bounds, Rich.  Thanks, again.

It's such a busy week that I'll (mercifully) forgo re-typing all the names and situations Rich has generously posted and simply state that I wish the best for all of our AN family members; positive doctor consults, successful BAHA procedures, MRI scans, surgeries, radiation procedures and of course, rapid and complete recoveries.  I know I'm leaving something out but I'm trying to be concise, which, for me, is like trying to put a size 9 shoe on a size 10 foot.  However, I agree with Rich that, indeed, 'life is a journey'.  Occasionally bumpy, scary and frustrating and sometimes pleasant and even wonderful.  I hope all of our members have a week that is closer to the latter. 

Jim 

[Rich56]

We just found out this morning that:

Tomorrow Thursday 7/29 Scarlett (SML) has an appointment with Dr. Lee at MEEI in Boston.  She has all the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV, which she has been experiencing for the last 2 1/2 weeks  Hopefully Dr. Lee will be able to resolve the problem.

So...we'll see,

Rich

[opp2]

That really stinks..I suffered from similar symptoms as a youth. Fortunately for me, over the years the symptoms diminished. It's no fun, and I'm sorry to hear it...all the best, and prayers for you both.

[LisaP]

Hi Rich and Scarlett,


So sorry to hear that Scarlett is experiencing 'vertigo", can you explain to me what BPPV is and what her symptoms are.  At our last meeting Scarlett was feeling better with her headaches ect.  Did her vertigo come on all of a sudden or slowly.  Please keep us updated on her doctor visit.  Take care Scarlett, you are in my thoughts and prayers.


LisaP

[Jim Scott]

Rich ~

Of course I'm sorry to learn of Scarlett's potential for an BPPV diagnosis.  Although BPPV is idiopathic, it is often ear-related.  Exercises can treat it effectively in most cases.  I hope Scarlett will have an easy time of it, should she be diagnosed with BPPV.  I know she'll be in my prayers and those of many others.  Please keep us in the loop as to Scarlett's situation.  Thanks.

Jim  

[dalern]

So sorry to hear about this problem for Scarlett.  There are definitely therapists that use specialized treatments for this.  In fact there are many clinics and hospital departments nation wide that provide the Epley and Semont maneuvers.  Here is an excerpt from a web page:
There are two treatments of BPPV that are usually performed in the doctor's office. Both treatments are very effective, with roughly an 80% cure rate, according to a study by Herdman and others (1993). If your doctor is unfamiliar with these treatments, you can find a list of knowledgeable doctors from the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) .

The maneuvers, named after their inventors, are both intended to move debris or "ear rocks" out of the sensitive part of the ear (posterior canal) to a less sensitive location. Each maneuver takes about 15 minutes to complete. The Semont maneuver (also called the "liberatory" maneuver) involves a procedure whereby the patient is rapidly moved from lying on one side to lying on the other. It is a brisk maneuver that is not currently favored in the United States.

The Epley maneuver is also called the particle repositioning, canalith repositioning procedure, and modified liberatory maneuver. It is illustrated in figure 2. Click here for an animation. It involves sequential movement of the head into four positions, staying in each position for roughly 30 seconds. The recurrence rate for BPPV after these maneuvers is about 30 percent at one year, and in some instances a second treatment may be necessary. While some authors advocate use of vibration in the Epley maneuver, we have not found this useful in a study of our patients (Hain et al, 2000). Some authors also suggest leaving out some of the positions in the Epley maneuver, especially position 'D'. We suggest that you avoid therapy using this methodology.

You can find more detailed information at http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/bppv/bppv.html

Please keep us posted!
~Dale

[suboo73]

Rich, 

Thank you, again, for another update on "This Week" - so much is happening!
Best wishes to all with doc visits, MRIs, anniversaries, and surgeries - Prayers and continued healing.

Sincerely,
Sue

[CHD63]

Rich .....

Thanks so much for doing these summaries, with your added notes.  It is so helpful to keep track of each new friend.

So sorry about Scarlett's BPPV.  I have been experiencing renewed vertigo the past several months, but it is intermittent so I have not sought medical advice.  I am most interested in learning what the recommendation is for Scarlett.  I have no working vestibular nerves anymore so it has to be ears with me ..... I will be following this thread, with special interest.

Many thoughts and prayers for both you and Scarlett!

Clarice

[SML]

Dr. Lee has confirmed that what has been going on with me is indeed Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It came on quite suddenly 3 weeks ago today.

When I sat up to get out of bed that morning, everything just started spinning at 1000 mph! It lasted maybe 20 seconds, but OMG those 20 seconds scared the life out of me!! Every time I sat up or laid down, looked up to the ceiling or tilted my head, the vertigo would start. As things would have it, Rich had just read the thread that arianhrod333 posted about BPPV. He put two and two together and we started looking for information about it on the net. We found the Epley maneuver demonstrated on you-tube and since the research we found said there was no harm in doing this maneuver, I tried it. I did feel a little better afterwards, but that feeling was short lived.

As I was waiting for a call back from the doctor, and with Rich's help, I did the maneuver two more times over the next two days and managed to get the wild 1000 mph spins down to a distorted side-to-side motion.

Dr. Lee was impressed that we were so informed about BPPV. He said we were doing all the right things and he made me do the maneuver again in his office. He said if this doesn’t help, then PT would be the next step. PT has different maneuvers to try and the absolute last option would be surgery. He was very reluctant about performing surgery on the only good ear I have left, and so am I! He also told me that I didn’t do anything to bring this on. Everyone has “ ear rocks” (calcium crystals) and sometimes they just break off and cause havoc.

So much for turning that corner!!!

Dale’s link (http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/bppv/bppv.html) is very informative about BPPV. Thank you Dale for posting it and thank you all for your concern for me. It’s very much appreciated.

[Cheryl R]

I had an episode a few years back of vertigo occ when I rolled over in bed.    Of course I figured it was from all my AN issues.   they did do the Epley on me when saw my surgeon and took care of it.     What was funny is that they gave me a paper with info about it.    I never had my glasses on so never read it in the office that day.      Came home and threw it on my desk and never read it till 5 days later.    Then I found out that evening I was was supposed to sleep sitting up and other instructions on how to be careful so the Epley worked well!    I was lucky and it worked in spite of my not doing what I was supposed to.                 I have wrote this before but had  to do it again.                                    Cheryl R           

[LisaP]

Wow Scarlett,

Thanks for the info and another thing to worry about with our AN world.  Keep us posted on how you are doing.

LisaP