Hello everyone,
It's now been just over one month since my surgery. Just thought I'd post an update. I'm happy to report that I'm doing really great now. I did end up back in the hospital for five days after I got home from LA. I had an issue with an electrolyte imbalance that was unrelated to my AN surgery. Once I received fluid therapy, I was sent home to recover. I took it very easy the first few weeks and gained a lot of strength back. I started walking each day and before I knew it, my distance was improving along with my stamina. After four weeks, I'm still dealing with headaches. I'm confident they will go away after my head completely heals. So I'm not too worried about that.
Areas of significant improvement:
1. I have not had any issues with balance or dizziness. Dr. Friedman believes my balance nerve has been gone for some time. Two years ago, I had really bad vertigo symptoms, so he feels my body had already compensated for that loss. What a huge relief!
2. Weight loss was an issue on my second trip to the hospital. I had lost over 20 lbs since my surgery, so that was a concern. Well on my last visit to my doc, I had gained just over 7 lbs. And I'm still gaining. I have my pre-op appetite back, so I'm feeling better each day.
3. The swelling at the surgery site has really gone down. I'm still having headaches at and around the wound area, but I expect that considering the trauma there.
4. Last week, I started driving my truck on short trips. I still travel with someone in my truck and I usually switch off if I get tired. I was kind of enjoying having my private driver. I figure that luxury is soon to end.
5. There are no other neurological issues that I'm having at this point. I'm just so pleased with the surgery outcome.
6. On my fourth week post-op celebration, I was able to take my Harley out for a nice ride without any problems at all. This was a huge milestone for me. And was always a concern of mine prior to my surgery. I really didn't know if I'd ever ride again. So I had a pretty big smile on my face all during my ride.
Well, as I continue to heal and recover, I'll post my progress on the ANA. If anyone has any questions please send me a message.
I hope this post offers some comfort and inspiration to some of you.
Dave Cruz
