Barbara:
I had surgery 3 yrs ago &, I also had my balance nerve removed. It took me about 2 years before I turned off all the lights at night. I used to feel so off balance in the dark anywhere, even around my house. I always left a night light on, but not anymore. I can make my way around the house in the dark just fine.
Driving can also be challenging sometimes, especially when looking from left to right before making a left turn. That too has gotten better. I noticed that improvement around the 3 year mark.
I also get headaches. Mine began around 3 weeks after surgery. I'll never forget that first one. I was out shopping at Target when the headache just hit me without warning. One minute I was fine, the next I was in extreme pain. I had to rush to get some Tylenol & go home. I was in tears pretty soon.
That was the beginning of my chronic headaches. I was getting them almost daily. Sometimes more than once per day. Fortunately, the headache frequency has subsided. I still get them often, but they are not as painful & rarely of the debilitating type.
I always have Tylenol handy to take when I'm out & about if I should get a headache. The headaches that I get most often are the ones that strike early in the morning. Most often they go away on their own. If they don't, then I go sit on my recliner where I keep my heating pad plugged in at night. If that doesn't work, then I take Tylenol.
I try to keep my med consumption to a minimum because I found out early on in dealing with my headaches that meds lead to rebound headaches. I had to get an Rx to get me off my Tylenol dependence. I was taking 3000mg of Tylenol daily. It's not good for the liver or kidneys.
I too felt that it would be difficult to continue working with the balance, hearing & headache issues. I took it one day at a time. At times I have felt that I would never get better, that my head would never feel clear & connected to my body. But it does get better, even after 3 years.
Syl
