Author Topic: LoopyLupy ALIVE!  (Read 4674 times)

Lupy

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LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« on: July 10, 2009, 11:40:45 pm »
Hi all!

A quick update as I am exhasuted. Surgery went well. 4.5 hours. Tumour totaly removed, face was saved, scar is neat and healing, completely deaf on the AN side with raging tinnitus (I am hoping this will settle a bit over time - only 10 days out). Had some heart complications post surgery which kept me in hospital for a week, but they are all sorted with mediacation now (just another fun complication to add to the pile). I think the worst part of the whole ordeal was when i was moved to ICU in the cardiac ward they placed me directly under an airconditioning vent which froze my sinuses on some of the coldest nights in melbourne for years! This caused me immense pain above and beyond the 30 staples! I mean they had the best heart and neuro surgeons working on me but they couldn't move my bed two inches to the left! Crazy! Anyway all good, sitting at home now with mum baking me some cookies to cheer me up post staple removal!

Thanks for all your well wishes and will post more soon...

lupy
“Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved” S. Kierkegaard

2.5cm Tumour removed 1/7/2009
Retrosigmoid @ The Royal Melbourne
Debilitating headaches/migraines from 2 weeks post surgery till current.

suboo73

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2009, 06:04:39 am »
Hi Lupy!

Best wishes and continued healing!!
You sound great!

Sincerely,
Sue
suboo73
Little sister to Bigsister!
9mm X 6mm X 5mm
Misdiagnosed 12+ years?
Diagnosed Sept. 2008/MRI 4/09/MRI 12/09/MRI 1/21/11
Continued W & W

CHD63

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2009, 07:44:59 am »
Hi Lupy .....

So glad your surgery went well and it sounds like you are recovering nicely.  The freezing cold draft from the AC unit in the hospital sounds inexcusable to me!  Glad that part is over!!

Best wishes for a complete recovery now.  Take it easy, rest, listen to your body, etc., etc.

Keep posting to let us know how you are progressing post-op ...... it helps others out there.

Clarice
« Last Edit: July 11, 2009, 07:47:41 am by CHD63 »
Right MVD for trigeminal neuralgia, 1994, Pittsburgh, PA
Left retrosigmoid 2.6 cm AN removal, February, 2008, Duke U
Tumor regrew to 1.3 cm in February, 2011
Translab AN removal, May, 2011 at HEI, Friedman & Schwartz
Oticon Ponto Pro abutment implant at same time; processor added August, 2011

Lilan

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2009, 08:16:16 am »
Congrats, LoopyL! Glad the W3D (Worst 3 Days) and a few more are behind you
Facial nerve hemangioma. Probable dx 7/2008 confirmed 4/2009. Combo middle fossa and translab to remove the blood vessel malformation and snip ruined hearing and balance nerves by Drs. House and Brackmann @ House 6/2009. Doing great!

wendysig

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2009, 08:27:51 am »
Lupy,
Congratulations on your great AN surgical outcome.  Sorry to hear about the heart complications but hope you are healing well and getting lots of rest. 

Best wishes,
Wendy
1.3 cm at time of diagnosis -  April 9, 2008
2 cm at time of surgery
SSD right side translabyrinthine July 25, 2008
Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Extremely grateful for the wonderful Dr. Choe & Dr. Chen
BAHA surgery 1/5/09
Doing great!

tenai98

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2009, 08:35:19 am »
best wishes for continued healing
jo ;D
14mmX11mmX11mm left ear
TRANSLAB 04/07/09 2cms at time of surgery
Dr. Benoit and Schramm, Ottawa Civic Campus
SSD ,some facial numbness
Baha surgery sept 22/09
residual tumor 13mmX7mmX8mm
2016 new growth.  25mmX21mmX22mm
cyberknife on June 7

Kaybo

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2009, 09:07:23 am »
Lupy~
Glad everything is going well!  ;D

K
Translab 12/95@Houston Methodist(Baylor College of Medicine)for "HUGE" tumor-no size specified
25 yrs then-14 hour surgery-stroke
12/7 Graft 1/97
Gold Weight x 5
SSD
Facial Paralysis-R(no movement or feelings in face,mouth,eye)
T3-3/08
Great life!

msmaggie

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2009, 09:24:59 am »
You sound strong and in good spirits.  Keep it up!  Best wishes for a great recovery.

Priscilla
Diagnosed  left AN 8/07/08, 1.9 CM
Surgery 12/10/08 at Methodist Hospital w/Vrabec and Trask for what turned out to be a cpa meningioma.

Darlene

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2009, 11:36:58 am »
So Happy to hear you are doing ok!   I have been thinking about you and hoping everything went well.   Glad everything is working out, enjoy those cookies!

Darlene
DX: 12/6/08
1.4cm intracanicular -Middle Fossa Surgery on 7/1/09 @ NYU. Hearing preserved and speech discrimination has actually gotten better!!   Temporary Facial Paralysis- showing improvement.  1yr post-op hearing test- same 96% speech recognition- yeah!

Jim Scott

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2009, 11:57:30 am »
Hi, Lupy ~

Welcome back - and thanks for posting!  Allow me to add my voice to the chorus of folks wishing you well and congratulating you on a successful surgery.  The heart problem must have been a bit of an inconvenience but I'm glad to learn that is under control.  The AC outlet over your bed, freezing you,  is ridiculous and simply shouldn't be allowed to happen.  I hope you complained, even after the fact.  Ah, well, as you stated, you're 'safe at home', now, with your mum and cookies:)  I trust your recovery will continue unimpeded. 

Jim
4.5 cm AN diagnosed 5/06.  Retrosigmoid surgery 6/06.  Follow-up FSR completed 10/06.  Tumor shrinkage & necrosis noted on last MRI.  Life is good. 

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is.  The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.

moe

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2009, 02:45:07 pm »
HI LUPY,
Boy that was the shortest" in a nutshell "recount of AN surgery I've seen!
Glad to hear you're home and mum is helping you recover.
Also glad that the heart complications were nothing serious, I hope.
Take it easy. Baby steps. one forward, one backward, etc. :)
Maureen
06/06-Translab 3x2.5 vascular L AN- MAMC,Tacoma WA
Facial nerve cut,reanastomosed.Tarsorrhaphy
11/06. Gold weight,tarsorrhaphy reversed
01/08- nerve transposition-(12/7) UW Hospital, Seattle
5/13/10 Gracilis flap surgery UW for smile restoration :)
11/10/10 BAHA 2/23/11 brow lift/canthoplasty

Lupy

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2009, 05:27:26 pm »
Hi guys!

Thanks everyone! I know my account was short but still finding using the pc a bit weird, everything being spinny and all. I keep hitting the wrong keys. Plus I am just exhausted, I think its the pain meds more than anything. I did complain about the AC but to no avail - hence why my bed didn't move. My balance seems to be getting a bit better every day. I had my staples out yesterday which was an 'expereince'. Glad they are out though - only two days till i can wash what is left of my hair. I still look like my head is a chewed on soccer ball. My main thing now is dealing with the physchological impact of deafness and raging tinnitus (i had 80% hearing in my AN ear before the op). I just have to keep telling myself 'well, at least i am alive!'


Lupy
“Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved” S. Kierkegaard

2.5cm Tumour removed 1/7/2009
Retrosigmoid @ The Royal Melbourne
Debilitating headaches/migraines from 2 weeks post surgery till current.

moe

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2009, 07:12:01 pm »
Lupy,
Hopefully the tinnitus will get better. If not then you are in good company with many, including moi. No fun, but yea, we're alive. ;).
Feel free to PM me for specific tinnitus support. Definitely know what you're going through.
Hang in there. Sounds like you are recovering nicely and uneventfully. Easy resting :)
Maureen
06/06-Translab 3x2.5 vascular L AN- MAMC,Tacoma WA
Facial nerve cut,reanastomosed.Tarsorrhaphy
11/06. Gold weight,tarsorrhaphy reversed
01/08- nerve transposition-(12/7) UW Hospital, Seattle
5/13/10 Gracilis flap surgery UW for smile restoration :)
11/10/10 BAHA 2/23/11 brow lift/canthoplasty

Darin

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2009, 08:31:58 pm »
Hey Lupy! I can totally second the 'at least I'm alive' feeling. My surgery was close, maybe same day as yours? (July 1st) Raging tinnitus sounds about right for me as well. Sounds like our moms are both treating us good, mine made blueberry pancakes. yours makes cookies  ;) Keep your head up, even when it spins  :D Hear from ya soon - Darin
3cm AN on right side
Surgery July 1st, 2009
C'mon facial nerve, you can do it!

Keri

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Re: LoopyLupy ALIVE!
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2009, 12:08:03 pm »
Hi Lupy,
So glad you're home and the worst is over. I hope for a continued good recovery. Cookies and pancakes and good food must certainly be part of a successful recovery program!
I hope your tinnitus settles down a bit. I found that things got a bit better, but they changed all the time at first. Pre op: had tinnitus; post op: didn't then did; but the noises changed. Now it's kind of a settled in power washer whoosh that usually doesn't bother me because it's background. Going from 80% to 0% has got to be really tough. Maybe you'll join us in the BAHA land soon (I'm thinking of that maybe January, when I'm about a year post op).
Best to you,
Keri
1.5 left side; hearing loss; translab scheduled for 1/29/09 at Univ of MD at Baltimore
My head feels weird!!