House Ear Institute Questions

[kzepol]

Hello everyone,
I saw Dr. John House at the Orange Clinic last November and he started me on the path to insisting my Kaiser Dr. order an MRI 5 years after my initial MRI because I had quickly and completely lost my hearing in my right ear accompanied with roaring tinnitus. Second MRI has shown 7mm AN that my Kaiser Dr. says is "different" in that it is "intra cochlear." (I have posted about this and appreciate your responses although I still feel very confused and I am so stressed about the weeks of waiting between appts. with my Kaiser Dr.) My question: I seem to read a lot about Dr. Brackman and Dr. Friedman (hope I have their names right) from HEI in L.A. and I am wondering if I should consult with them versus Dr. House in the Orange clinic. I have an appt with him 3/21 and will be sending MRI, CT, films and reports prior to that date. Should I go to the L.A. clinic instead? I'm in San Diego County so travel is not a problem. Thanks, all feedback is greatly appreciated =)

[jaylogs]

Absolutely consult them, you can send them your MRI disk in the mail and they'll do a free consult over the phone with you! Just get onto their website and you can find all that information out.  Dr. Brackmann did my middle fossa a little over a year ago and I have nothing but great things to say about them and the staff over at St Vincents where you would get your procedure done if you chose them.  I have heard equally good things about Dr. Friedman.  Not sure if Dr. Brackmann is still doing these things, as he is getting near his mid 70's, but he was sharp as a tack when I saw him.  If you have anymore information, please ask, there are a lot of us HEI alumns here that can help! Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Jay

[kzepol]

Thanks Jay,
I looked at your website and noticed you had quite an incision and your tumor sounds like it was a bit larger than mine but I'm still uncertain as to the actual size of my AN. Anyway, now, another stressor - ugh. I have long, beautiful hair that I do not want to lose a strand of so I am hoping this idea of going through my ear canal for the surgery is more realistic than it sounds! Just trying to keep it simple =)

[JerseyGirl2]

Hi,

Dr. John House performed my AN surgery three years ago in L.A. I know that the House Ear Clinic has several satellite offices in the greater L.A. area, and I 'm wondering if Dr. House just happened to be rotating in their Orange County clinic that day. I would imagine that it's the same Dr. House .... the son of the founder of House Ear Institute/Clinic.  I found him to be an amazing surgeon and could not have been happier with my outcome.

That being said, it makes sense to speak with other surgeons there if you feel the need. I think most House "alumni" would agree that all the surgeons -- in addition to the rest of the staff -- are top-notch.  And there are certainly superb AN surgeons elsewhere in the country as well.

You're fortunate to be living in San Diego County with House so close by. I traveled out there from my home in New Jersey, and I can assure you that I  would make that cross-country trip to House again in a heartbeat.

Best wishes as you continue your AN journey.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Karen ~

You apparently have a small intracochlear schwannoma/neuroma which, as I understand it, means that the tumor is mostly located in your ear canal and can be surgically removed via the ear canal (transotic approach).  Although by doing so, hearing in that ear is irreparably lost. 

If you are still concerned about Dr. House, by all means consider switching to the Los Angeles offices of HEI.  However, as Catherine ('JerseyGirl2') attested, Dr. John House is well respected in the field of acoustic neuroma removals, so I doubt you'll achieve much by switching offices, but that remains your prerogative.

I know you're stressing out over this (I received your PM) so try to see it this way: you've been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma - not good.  That your tumor is small, benign and operable is good.  That you are consulting HEI, one of the premier medical institutions in the U.S. for acoustic neuroma surgery, is also good.  I think this should work out O.K. for you.

Jim

[JerseyGirl2]

If you are still concerned about Dr. House, by all means consider switching to the Los Angeles offices of HEI.  However, as Catherine ('JerseyGirl2') attested, Dr. John House is well respected in the field of acoustic neuroma removals, so I doubt you'll achieve much by switching offices, but that remains your prerogative.

Just a minor point -- but Dr. John House is very much a part of the main HEI campus in downtown Los Angeles. I'm speculating that he just happened to be rotating at the Orange County clinic that day or week. Regardless of which satellite clinic a patient would be visiting, the surgery and recovery would take place at St. Vincent's Medical Center in downtown L.A. across the street from House Ear Clinic / House Ear Insititute.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[kzepol]

Hi everyone,
Thank you so much to those who responded to my post about Dr. House and the other wonderful Doctors some of you have been fortunate to be familiar with at HEI. I will continue to consult with Dr. House and will have my MRI etc. sent tomorrow although I am considering picking it up from my Kaiser Dr.'s office myself and driving to Orange to deliver it in person. I am going to post a new thread asking for anyone who has had to deal with Kaiser Permanente in regard to their AN. As I have mentioned, I feel very frustrated with the services from Kaiser but I believe I am stuck at least until the next open enrollment which would not take effect until 2012!
Thanks again and please keep posting 

[JAndrews]

yes, go to HEI