Thought I would share a bit of my experience one week after retrosigmoid surgery at Mayo Hospital under the care of Dr. Link and Dr. Driscoll. I was diagnosed with a 14 mm AN in my right ear in March. After 6 months of watching and waiting, a follow-up MRI revealed tumor had grown 2 mm. For various reasons I chose surgery over Gamma Knife. I still had 85 % word retention in affected ear, no balance or facial symptoms, and in excellent physical health.
Surgery took approx 6 hours. Tumor was fully removed. I spent one night in ICU and 3 more nights in regular hospital bed. As of today, (one week out), I have no facial nerve damage and still retain some hearing. Very thankful for these amazing results!! Tylenol is managing pain without the aid of any prescriptions.
First 36 hours following surgery were the worst hours of my life. I felt trapped in a body I did not want to be in. Lots of back and neck pain along with all the emotions/symptoms of coming out of general anesthesia . Lots of meds left me feeling doped up with no measurable results. But each day got better and I can't believe how good I feel just 7 days later. Balance is slowly returning. I am walking without assistance 20 min, twice/day. Tinnitus exists as before surgery but while this is a nuisance it has not been a major obstacle for me. I am tired but not generally taking more than a two hour nap during the day following 8-10 hours of sleep/night. My wife helps out in countless ways allowing me to rest, relax and recover.
If you are facing surgery, I understand the fear and lack of control that accompanies such a decision. I encourage you to process all your emotions. Talk them out with a loved one. Be honest. I relieved my anxiety not only through heartfelt prayer but by researching all I could. I wanted to be informed.
Someone mentioned to me, "
Sometimes we have to do hard things. But you can do hard things. You have done hard things." Sounds simple but it helped me. Maybe it can help you.
I will post an update in another week or so. But if I can be of assistance in any way, please feel free to reach out. Others helped me. How can I help you?
For the record, I was treated very well at Mayo and feel confident that I am doing as well as I am because of their expertise and compassion. I had great people around me.
