Happy New Year to all! Today, New Year's Day, is day 100 of my post surgery (I know this because, as I sat in my hospital bed on day 3, unable to watch TV or read or do much of anything, and decided to count days post op on my pocket calendar. I was amazed that my day 100 fell on New Years Day and I decided at that moment that I would be “recovered†(a relative term I now understand
) by day 100 and start my New Year off with a new beginning.
I have not posted a tremendous amount since those first couple of weeks because I have been very fortunate to have a remarkable recovery, in that it has been unremarkable in terms of complications. I wanted to post a picture of how far I have come in 14 weeks. This says it all!
Yep, post 14 weeks to the day, I skied for five hours! I had no idea if I would ever be able to ski again and I did – in fact it felt, dare I say, fairly normal! I am amazed that I have come so far in such a relatively short time.
For someone with a small tumor, who tested only 32% loss of vestibular function pre-surgery, my balance recovery has been swift. I had very little dizziness after surgery, could ride in a car day 5 post op with no problem, and was star pupil in vestibular rehab. I went from jogging (albeit slow) at week 7 to biking at week 11 to skiing at week 14. Of course, not every moment is perfect and I do have an occasional wobbly moment, but it all seems to pass and I feel really good.
I wanted to post this to let those newly diagnosed who are wrestling with the myriad of options and all the potential, and often debilitating, risks and side effects, that there are many who have the surgery and have equally or better recoveries. I do not know why I have done so well – part luck, part perseverance, part finding the right doctor for me. I know that the prayers that sustained me through the research phase and carried me through my surgery and healing were invaluable.
Hearing remains my challenge. It is funny sometimes what I can “mis-hear†and I still am not comfortable in noisy environments, but like everything else, it gets better each day. I know that I will end up with one of the bone conductive devices at some point.
The depth of concern and support that I have felt from people on this site has been amazing. I am doing my best to pay this forward and help those who are just beginning this journey. There have been many blessings from getting this AN, and one of them has been gratitude and perspective on my life. So from the bottom of my heart, wherever you are on this journey, let 2010 be the year of new beginnings for us all!
Cheryl
