Will I Ever ride a motorcycle again ?

[Twindad]

Well boys and girls, here I am. Recent widowed dad of twins with a 3.5cm ping pong ball on the left side. Never even heard of a AN until the MRI. Hearing is 3/4 gone already in addition to a numb face and nose. They tell me due to the placement and pressure on the brain stem that this thing needs to be harvested ASAP. Surgery scheduled in ten days. The only good thing that has come out of this so far is that I have proven to my brothers that there is a brain in my head after showing them the MRI. Already did all the homework on these things and from what I can tell everybody is different in one way or another. It's great to have a forum like this to communicate on. I am stressed to think I will have to sell my bike ! Been riding for over thirty years now. Is there ANY hope or people out there that still ride after one of these monsters being taken out ? If not, just tell me the way it is without any candy coating please. Guess I could use some friends that understand !

[sgerrard]

Without issuing any guarantee in your case, I will state that I personally know someone who had AN surgery and now rides a motorcycle. In fact I think I know two. Short answer is yes.

Steve

[Twindad]

Thanks Steve. Maybe I should wait to sell my chromed out toy until after the surgery. She is like a third kid to me.

[ppearl214]

Without issuing any guarantee, I will state that I personally know someone here who had AN surgery after AN radiation and still continues to waterboard/surf.  Short answer.... yes.

Welcome.
Phyl

[Desilu]

I believe you can! Just be patient with yourself.  I can't speak for motorcycles but I do ride a bicycle. After my AN surgery I did a lot of walking. Walking helps the brain and body adjust to the "New" you. When I felt pretty confident that I was walking in a pretty straight line (at least 4 to 5 weeks), I decided to give it a try.  I must admit, I was a little worried when I first got on the bike but I took it slow and rode around my neighborhood (slowly). It took a little getting use to but I was not going to let this AN take control over my life. With a lot determination I kept working at it and each time, I rode a little further. Now I ride my bike as if I never had a tumor. Don't sell yourself short. After your surgery, baby your motorcycle, clean it up, maybe put on a new coat of wax, then when you are ready, just do it! Of course, have someone watching you, just in case. Think positive and don't let your AN ruin your fun! Please keep us posted. I wish you the best. Ann

[james e]

I have been riding motorcycles for 40 years...had 7 in the garage at one time. I was hit 3 times by cars, and never hurt badly. My wife begged me to quit ridding, so I gave it up. I used to ride my bicycle, but I gave that up because of my on going wonky status. I was in a club of high speed ridders in souther Arizona, and we rode at very high speeds on desert highways, and it requires quick reflexes at speeds over 100mph...not a  problem back then. My reflexes are good today, but my wonkness might just cause me to leave the road, and that would ruin the whole day.

Your recover is an individual type of deal, and you may or may not be able to continue to ride your bike. I hope you can continue, but being a Dad of TWINS is far more important than having fun on a motorcycle. I'm sure your kids want to keep Dad around for a long time.

Recovery is a long term process, so don't be in a hurry. Don't sell the bike. I wish I had not sold my last one, just so I could look at it. It was a 1986 BMW R100S, and it was bullet proof...I was not!

James

[Twindad]

Thanks for all of the great support. I have come to terms with myself about riding a heavy cruiser in the near future. My children are at the top of my list and one woozy event going around a curve could create more problems than it is worth.

[ppearl214]

Thanks for all of the great support. I have come to terms with myself about riding a heavy cruiser in the near future. My children are at the top of my list and one woozy event going around a curve could create more problems than it is worth.

Dad,
And when the twins were growing up, you had to stand back and have bandaids ready when they took a spill and cut up their knees.  They will be there for you too, in all aspects of this "journey" and what lays ahead. Hang in there.

PHyl

[leapyrtwins]

Twindad -

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Forum, but my answer is a great big YES!!!

Jan (single mother to twins born Leap Day 1996)

[Twindad]

Thanks for the encouragement Jan. Having teenage twins yourself you know as well as I do that we qualify for some sort of Dr. degree in psychology ! Especially with twin girls ! Oh the drama...Oh the drama !

[leapyrtwins]

Oh, man!  Drama times two!    Say it isn't so 

One of mine (the oldest by 17 minutes) is a boy, and while he generally isn't dramatic, he has been known to give me other issues LOL

My two take turns being the "evil twin"; but hey, at least they don't typically gang up on me 

Sorry for the hijack, Phyl.  I promise I'll be good . . .

Jan 

[Twindad]

How long was it before you got fitted with the Baha ? I am being told it is a wait and see. Did you get much vertigo after your surgery ? I am at the point now I am not sure it could get any worse. Almost went down on the escalator in the mall this evening.

[leapyrtwins]

I only had slight vertigo post op and it didn't last long.  My frustration with being SSD was the main reason I opted for a BAHA.  I found being SSD very depressing; it had a huge impact on my life and the lives of my children (who incidentally were just as frustrated as I was).

My neurotologist told me I could try the BAHA demo as soon as my head was "healed" post op.  I'm not really sure what "healed" means - kind of a subjective term - but I had my surgery 5/31 and tried the demo in mid-September.  I was instantly enamored - and remain so to this day    The BAHA implant is one of the best things I've ever done; hands down.

The day I tried the demo, my doc had me plug my "good" ear with my finger and then he sat across the exam room from me and talked in a normal tone of voice.   I could hear every word he said.  It was amazing!

I decided right then and there that I wanted the surgery.  He told me the first step was to approach my insurance company about coverage and said that usually takes 4-6 weeks.  Long story short, my insurance company dragged their feet, lost my request a few times, etc., etc, etc., and by the time we finally got it all straighted out it was the end of February 

I had my implant surgery on 3/4/08 and 90 days later (calcification period) I started wearing a Cochlear Divino.  I upgraded to a BP100 in April 2010.

Jan

PS - I'd say stay out of the mall with your vertigo, but you did mention having girls and I realize how impossible staying out of the mall is; so I'll just say be careful on escalators.  Use the handrails.

[Twindad]

Jan,

[Twindad]

Jan,
 Thanks for the info. I hope to follow in your path with the implant. Sounds like you doctor is very supportive. So far my surgical team has been informative and very caring. I still have a long road to travel. Next week will reveal the outcome of my surgery. The vertigo I can handle at this stage, it's the massive headaches that are the pits ! The headaches get so bad sometimes it's almost unbearable !

Twin girls at a mall can rack up a shopping bill almost as much as a AN surgical bill !... Oh well, I love them and it's only money !