I thought I'd start a new thread as this surgery started a new chapter in my life.
My surgery with Dr. Ducic had been scheduled for over a month now and this follows a cancellation of the Feb 16th surgery with Dr. Niparko insisting not to do this and practice Yoga instead. Well yoga just didn't help and I got even worse headaches with it that ended me up in the local emergency room. `I rescheduled and had to wait 6 weeks to get it done this time.
I know the results of the Myofacial release Therapy were fantastic and I no longer had headaches, but I still had horrifice pain on touching my scalp that was full of pins and needles and upon touching it would be extremely painful. I couldn't even run a comb or brush through it or go to the beauty parly to get it blow dried. I also had trouble turning my head to back up the car. I remember asking when the pins and needles went away and Jim replied that they went away between 8 months to a year and one person said he didn't have them at all. When I first went to see Dr. Ducic back in January 2011, he said the nerves were damaged and it took me awhile to accept that, but nothing else worked. I had four neurosurgeons tell me to do the excisions and agreed that they were damaged and so did my nurse practitioner and Myofacial release therapist. At least he got rid of the headaches, but there was more to do. He even was massaging for release the nerves on my first rib where I never felt pain and when he touched them it was terribly painful. He said this was from my neck and occipital area so I was all tensed up in spite of no longer having headaches. He also said that I keep leaning forward with my head to listen because of my deafness so we've practiced keeping my head straight up and tilting my head down without moving forward. I really am looking forward to getting a Sonnitus in Sept from the GW Hearing Center. Now I am wandering but this is all related.
The immediate results of the surgery was that the pins and needles on the scalp were GONE but I still had normal sensation when I scratched my scalp. I was thrilled with this. When Dr. Ducic came into the pre-op area, he asked where it hurt the most and marked it for surgery and upon leaving he said he was trying to avoid taking out the mesh which I found out from Dr. Fred Schwartz in Chevy Chase was a very difficult procedure because the mesh has large holes in it and the scar tissue and brain had grown together with it, so I don't want to go through as from what they told me would be the last resort.
Dr. Ducic also said it would take about two weeks to get the full result and I have an appointment to come in to see him in three weeks. The chief resident came in to see me and told me Dr. Ducic had to remove a lot of scar tissue before he proceeded with the rest of the surgery. It took about two hours and I woke up in recovery without the usual vomiting as the anesthesiologist was super and used a fiber optic scope to monitor. I was intubated so my throat is still a bit sore.
The nerves that were excised were the Greater and lesser occipital and the dorsal occipital. Dr. Moriarity said he just published an article on the excision and decompression in the Journal of Plastic Surgery so now there is more documentation that this is not an experimental procedure. My United Heathcare pre-approved it with no copay. Hooray!!!
Well I can't tell you how happy I am this morning with the result and am anxious to getting started with the rest of my life of good health. Next on the list is to get the cast taken off from my broken hand when I fell down a flight of stairs once again and broke my left hand. I found out you really need your hearing for balance, so next on the list is to get the Sonnitus hearing aide at the GW Hearing Center.
Anyway, this morning I am just thrilled that I did this and give three cheers for Dr. Ducic.
Hugs to all,
Mei Mei
