Hi all.
I had a retrosigmoid craniotomy to remove a 2.2 centimeter acoustic neuroma on my left side on April 6th.
I woke up from surgery with no hearing in my left ear, double vision and total facial paralysis on the left side. The doctors said that while my tumor was somewhat medium in size, the "box" it sat in was smaller than they've seen in the past. My brain was sitting lower and farther forward and they could not find the markers for where the nerves were under the tumor.
I have since had a platinum weight inserted in my left eyelid to help with closure. The eyelid still does not close totally unless I point my eye down before closing and I wear an eye bubble and gel in the eye at night to help it stay moist. I'm slowly getting my energy back. I mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday and thought I was going to pass out afterward but I made it
The most frustrating thing is the double vision. Based on other stories I've read on here, this is just something I'll have to wait for. I have vestibular therapy once a week. I'll go back to work at the end of May. My ENT has approved wearing an eye patch to drive until the double vision goes away. I hope to start trying to drive in a few days.
The balance issues have been frustrating but maybe the easiest to get use to so far. I'm walking a couple of miles a day when its nice and I use an elliptical for exercise during rainy days. I'm glad to be getting back on my feet