Just when I was relaxing .....

[ombrerose4]

Clarice,

You a truly one spunky lady! I am so glad everything is going so well for you

[Jackie]

Clarice my dear,

Just so very excited that your recovery is going so well! I must say you are so deserving!!!
Continued Blessings and answer to prayers!!! Please say hello to La David and the gang!!
Lovingly
Jackie

[ppearl214]

Clarice

You amaze me... I am in utter awe!   Continued wellness wishes to you! Please give my love to David, Nancy and Lainie... have a fantastic visit!

xoxooxox
Phyl

[Kaybo]

Clarice is one pretty amazing lady in many ways!!

K 

[mk]

Hi Clarice,

it is interesting that we have exactly the same issues: I also have the very weird taste, very slight facial weakness and eye dryness. I realized yesterday that my AN side eye does not tear. I think that all these symptoms are the result of the facial nerve weakness, as I was reading that the facial nerve controls the taste on the anterior 2/3 of the tongue. Let's hope these will improve with time as the nerve heals. Have a great flight home on Monday.

Marianna

[Keeping Up]

Clarice

Great progress - you (and your surgery buddy MK) have had a rough and long road with this AN thing.  Glad to hear your recovery is going as well as can be expected.

Hope you can just go ahead and relax now, you deserve it!

Ann

[CHD63]

Hi All .....

Phyl and Kay ......  You two are the amazing ladies on this forum!!!  Both of you have had far more issues than I have, but you still continue to be a tremendous influence and support to all of us on here!

Marianna .....  That is interesting that you have the same weird stuff going on post-op.  You know exactly what I am talking about then.  Really just minor annoyances at this point and I know it will get better before long.  This morning was my last Decadron pill so we'll see if that makes any difference in a few days.  It's always possible I may need to have another countdown to relieve the symptoms.  Sure not anxious for that, because I am looking forward to sleeping more than an hour at a time!!!  But you know that drill, as well!

..... and yes, Ann, I do definitely plan to relax for good now!  Dr. Friedman said no MRI for a year (he is that confident that the tumor is ALL gone this time), another in 4 years and that would be it.  I am choosing to believe him!!!

Hope I remember everyone who said to tell the LA Gang "hi" from them!     Nancy is picking us up at 2:00 and we are meeting David and Lainie at The Yardtown in LALive for lunch/dinner and talking!!!!  Just know it will be a fun "chatter-filled" time.

Thanks to all of you for your tremendous encouragement and support!!

Love, Clarice

[Denise S]

Clarice, I was wondering how you are doing?  Figure it must be about 6 weeks since your surgery!   I hope things are coming along well.   Do you think this translab procedure and healing, etc. were easier, better or worse than previous surgery?   

Are you on facebook?
 Take care & wishing you well!!
Denise (MI)

[CHD63]

Hi Denise again .....

Just answered your other question about Medicare coverage.  Yes, it was six weeks ago yesterday ...... seems like a year ago, in many ways.  I am doing extremely well.  The healing/recovery was hugely easier than three years ago ..... mainly because all of my compensating for balance had been done.  Far less fatigue this time, as well.  I still have ongoing balance issues because of my lack of any vestibular systems and still a tiny bit of gaze stabilization problems when I am tired.  But overall, doing great.

Went to the symposium last week-end and had such a warm, fuzzy time with fellow AN patients!

Yes I am on Facebook.  PM me your Facebook name and I'll look for you.

Clarice

[Denise S]

That is GREAT News!!

So glad that it already seems 'like' a year ago...that means the recovery & healing is going smoothly     Definately makes a lot of sense that it can be easier because of the vestibular stuff already affected!!     O.K., what exactly is gaze stabilization?  I know I heard it before, but not sure what it really is.   So, your abutment area must be healing up well too!?!?   Only a couple more months to go and hopefully the BAHA will be awesome for you!   

Glad you had a good time and were able to go to the symposium, bet it was fun too    I think I would have liked to go more to meet others from here than anything.     

Take care...will pm ya

[CHD63]

Hi Denise .....

Gaze stabilization is being able to keep one's eyes from jumping around when looking at an object or something.  Sometimes I turn to look at something else and my eyes just keep moving around for a few seconds before holding still.  I really need to go back and resume the vestibular exercises I used to do on a regular basis following my first surgery three years ago.  The best one is putting a large black letter on a sticky note, put it at eye level on a wall, back up about 6 feet, then hold my gaze on it while moving my head back and forth ..... first sideways, then up and down.  Just thought it would eventually settle down on its own.  It's always worse when I'm tired or stressed.

Re:  the abutment.  There were two Oticon reps at the symposium that I was able to spend time with.  One of them is a nurse.  She looked at my abutment and said it had healed beautifully and in fact looked fully osseointegrated already.  FDA requires both Cochlear and Oticon to recommend not attaching the processor for three months.  In my opinion it is to protect themselves from the worst case scenario patient who takes that long to osseointegrate.  I am still in the process of finding where I can most easily go for the processor to be programmed (I already have the Ponto Pro from HEI.)

Yes, one of the most valuable aspects of the symposium is the networking with other ANers.  I met a whole bunch of new people ...... many not on the forum and it was exhilarating to be able to share with each other.  Of course, I still learned many more things from the presenters, as well.

See you on FB.  Clarice

[Denise S]

Now I get it     I remember doing those same exercises after my surgery.   I was glad someone showed me how to do that one plus many others before leaving the hospital, otherwise I don't think I would have been able to really understand the vestibular things.   Due to my delayed facial paralysis it seemed like I needed to do all kinds of those excersises for a long time.   I do say I still have some eye issues too, when I am more tired or stressed.   Actually at a recent thourough eye exam she was a bit concerned still over my eye and was doing everything to purposley see how fast it would fatigue because my eye actually seemed like it got stuck (or something).  She then figured a lot had to do with how dry my eye on my surgical side is because for some reason I never got the tears back there.   ugh!

Thanks for updating me on the terms 
Denise

[Keri]

i believe 'osseointegrate; is about the coolest sounding word i've heard in a  long time!

[CHD63]

Just made the appointment today for a date for my Ponto Pro "hook up" in Lexington, KY.  AUGUST 4TH.  Yaaaaaaaaaaay!  I can hardly wait!  Really tired of saying "Will you repeat that please?  I did not understand you."

Plus, the other day my 2-year-old granddaughter was talking to me on my deaf side (out of my line of vision) and I did not see nor hear her until the person on my hearing side said, "Uhhhhhhh, Rachel is trying to talk to you."

36 days!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clarice

[Mei Mei]

Good Luck to you.   I was thinking of going to Tenn to get the TransEar.   You are right to go the distance.   There are too many problems with bad fittings by audiologists that don't know what they are doing.   The bad fittings set us up for failure.
Hugs,
Mei Mei