Hello, Monie, and welcome. My surgeons used the sub-occipital approach and I still have some hearing, although not as much as I had before the surgery. My doctors chose that approach to preserve the hearing I had and it seems it is their preferred approach to these tumors. I also have a titanium mesh plate. From what I've read, there is a higher incidence of post-op headaches using this approach. I didn't suffer from headaches pre-op, and this particular complication was at the bottom of the list the surgeons reeled off to me. I wish there were more research being done -- wouldn't it be great if they could screen people pre-op to determine who would be more likely to have headaches? You should get the headache booklet the ANA publishes -- it's very helpful.
As you're weighing all your options, just remember that not everyone has headaches or facial paralysis, etc. We're all different and our bodies react differently.
Good luck to you and know that there are many of us here to support one another.
Staypoz
