New to Group- 14 year old daughter had AN surgeies in October & November

[CHD63]

Danna ......

What an inspiring young woman, you are!  Thanks so much for joining us here on the forum.  You are and certainly will be an inspiration to other people who are diagnosed with an AN at a young age.

Many thoughts and prayers for your continued recovery.  ..... and so exciting that soon you will have your BAHA!

Clarice

[wendysig]

Danna,

I read your story and in my opinion, you are a remarkable young lady!  You have gone through so much at such a young age and handled it with courage and grace.  I'm sure you cried your share of tears and were scared but we have all cried our share of tears and have been afraid of what might happen to us.   I am so happy for you that you had such a wonderful outcome with the exception of being SSD (single sided deaf).   I am also thrilled for you that you are scheduled for BAHA surgery.  Although it is not the same as natural hearing, it is a huge improvement over being SSD.  Remember that you are not alone and keep us posted on how you are doing!

Best wishes,
Wendy

[cindyj]

Hi, Danna!  I'm the one who talked w/ your mom the other day - live right up the street from you just about and I look forward to meeting you two sometime very soon.  Thanks for sharing your CaringBridge story - know others will be inspired!

Will be anxious to hear how things go with the BAHA!

Cindy

[Sue]

Wow, another inspirational teenager sharing their AN journey.  I didn't start mine until I was 60 years old.  I can't fathom what it would have been like to go through what you went through at your age.  But, you have persevered and we applaud you. 

Sue in Vancouver, WA   USA

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Danna ~

Another welcome from a fellow AN patient!  Usually, I prefer to be original but in this instance I can only offer my personal congratulations on your successful AN surgeries and echo what previous posters have stated so, following that, I'll just thank you for joining the ANA discussion forums and look forward to your future updates and comments..   

Jim

[Tod]

Danna,
Welcome to the Forum and the Golf Ball-Sized Tumor Club.  There are a few of us here. Like everyone else, I'm very impressed with your story and how well you have handled this particular challenge.

I am sure you are an inspiration to a lot of people.

-Tod

[msmaggie]

Best wishes to you!  You have been through a lot, but have come through like a trouper!  God has blessed you with a wonderful attitude and a wonderful outcome.  We are glad to hear that you are doing so well.  Keep us posted on your journey.
Priscilla

[CarolineO]

Hey everyone!  Danna had her Baha implant on Friday.
Surgery lasted about 2 hours 45 minutes.  Started at 7:30 a.m.
we were home by 12:30 p.m.
She is up and running- no pain killers.
The implant plus packing stuff is pretty intimidating.  She'll have the
foam square (about 1 in square) removed on Thursday.

I'll see if she is willing to post a picture but the amazing thing is that
she has not needed any pain pills.  She said it does hurt some but
not enough to stop her.

She does not want to go to school until the foam is off.  We have tried
to braid her hair to side to cover the implant.  She cannot wash her hair
until Thursday.

if that is the biggest worry- no worries!  God is merciful and Danna is doing
great!  (Thank you, Dr. Fermin Stewart!!!!)

[leapyrtwins]

Danna -

you've definitely been through a lot.  I have a 14 year-old daughter and a 14 year-old son and can't imagine either one of them having to go through AN surgery.

A BAHA is a wonderful choice and you'll find that while it won't give you back your normal hearing, it's pretty darn good.  In my opinion it's a huge (positive) difference over being single-sided deaf.

Like you, I had no pain from my BAHA surgery; just a little discomfort.  You'll find that something over-the-counter like Tylenol will relieve your "pain".

Jan

[lori67]

Way to go, Danna!     Glad surgery is over and you're feeling good.

I don't blame you for not wanting to go to school without washing your hair and with having a foam thing stuck to your head.     Once you can give your hair a good wash, it's pretty easy to cover up the abutment.  And if your hair still feels goopy from all the ointment - Dawn dishwashing liquid works great and getting it out.

Lori

[kareno]

Hi Caroline & Danna:

I read your inspirational story on caringbridge and you are a beautiful, amazing person.  I shared this with my husband who also had surgery for an AN 9 months ago.  Your page touched my heart as I am sure many others.  Best of luck with the BAHA.


Karen 

[mom of AN pt.]

My 21 year old daughter had a large AN removed at age 16.    She also had to have two long surgeries, a few weeks apart, but for my daughter it was on the same tumor.   This happened at the end of her sophomore year in highschool.   We were able to get her caught up in school and she graduated with her class...and has gone on to college.
 
So I would say she also has done remarkably well (with the exception of hearing loss on one side).  My daughter is hoping to get the Soundbite (rather than the BAHA).  This is just a personal preference.

Just wanted you to know there are other young people that went thru this.

Debi

[mom of AN pt.]

We used cornstarch(gently massage into the sounding hair) before the shampoo when trying to wash out the greasy ointment ( we had to do this after the AN surgery)
Works pretty well, absorbs so you don't have to wash so many times!

[Mickey]

Very nice story to a tough situation in our AN world. You have to believe that under the circumstances that you are a very special person going into the future. God bless you, Mickey

[CarolineO]

Today was Danna's first appointment since her Implant procedure.
We both had stress for different reasons... maybe the same.

They took the cushiony thing off her head.  I was scared because I don't like to see blood
or stitches.  She probably is scared of that plus the shaved area plus the fact that she has to
"brush" the implant every day.

Tomorrow morning will be tough.  She is going to shower and "brush" the area.  I will
apply the antibiotic ointment around the stitches.  WE'll braid her hair to cover the "cap" over
the BAHA implant.  We are both scared.

I feel so wimpy.  She has had to go through so many issues and we are both a little
stressed.   Definitely appreciate prayers.  Danna is going back to school tomorrow.  More homework to catch up on...