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Author Topic: Personality Changes  (Read 9938 times)

dominator8

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Personality Changes
« on: October 06, 2006, 05:40:51 pm »
Has anyone experienced personality changes (other than the light-hearted "I'm tumorless!" feeling) after translab surgery?
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Kathleen_Mc

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2006, 08:50:08 pm »
dominator: an experience such a "brain surgery" can cause personality changes, who couold help but change somewhat after such asn experience. What type of change do you mean? I know I was a fairly happy outgoing person who had times of "the blues" and times of "bad days" pre-op and then about a month post -op I fell into a great depression and began to socially isolate due to my changed outward expereience and I began to have great anxiety, I was having "flashback" memories of being on the respirator etc.
After a period of time I did become very angry and maybe it was displaced sometimes, I tried to keep it in check.
Can you eleborate on the personality changes you are referring to?
Kathleen
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1st AN surgery @ age 23, 16 hours
Loss of 7-10th nerves
mulitple "plastic" repairs to compensate for effects of 7th nerve loss
tumor regrowth, monitored for a few years then surgically removed @ age 38 (of my choice, not medically necessary yet)

chopper

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2006, 08:30:42 am »
Not translab here, but had a day within the first two weeks where I was completely bummed out for no reason at all.   Coming back to work, felt a little overwhelmed after being gone for so long and having so much change, but that's normal.

Other than that, it's so nice to be past all this...just waiting for the bills to come in heh.  Can now go back to being constantly pissed off at my disgusting and immature office mate and not have to worry about the tumor to boot  ;D
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3+cm AN, hit the chopping block 5 Sep 06 at the Skull Base Institute

Was 4.5cm at it's largest point, completely removed.  All motor functions normal.  Only complaint is SSD on the left side, which was expected anyway.

Pembo

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2006, 10:06:39 am »
My husband says that my personality has changed somewhat. I do not "suffer fools" well. In other words, I don't have a lot of patience with people and their dumb complaints etc. He says it is a subtle change, but definitely there.
 :P
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Surgery June 3, 2004, University Hospitals Cleveland, BAHA received in 2005, Facial Therapy at UPMC 2006

matti

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2006, 12:03:21 pm »
I did not have trans lab, but I feel and most people tell me I am alot more patient and easy going than I was before surgery.

cheryl
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3.5 cm  - left side  Single sided deafness 
Middle Fossa Approach - California Ear Institute at Stanford - July 1998
Dr. Joseph Roberson and Dr. Gary Steinberg
Life is great at 50

Boppie

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2006, 01:27:31 pm »
I don't tolerate petty griping from people any more.  I am no hero, but the only thing worse that I could go through is a cancer.  So I consider myself very lucky and I have a lot more ability to step back and let others argue about the issues.  Mellow, I think is what some could call it!  I can't change the world but I can change me.
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FlossKaos

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2006, 04:55:54 pm »
Other than the frustration of the headaches and depression, I am a lot more mellow my self.  I feel very lucky to  be alive, and I agree to Boppie.  I think that there is no point in agruing now, that life is just so precious why waste it being upset or uspetting others. 

It has changed me, for the better :)
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ratthebrat

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2006, 06:53:09 pm »
Dominator,

After surgery i had a personality change so my family and friends tell me. I have bad mood swings, I also am not as happy go lucky as i used to be. My boyfriend said that he loved the old me the best because i was happy go lucky, optimistic personality, and never let anything bother me. Now i am moody, depressed, and i let every little thing bother me all the time. I also experienced a big memory loss. My mom will talk about my past and something i can remember and others i can't. sometimes i can remember a little piece of the event. I struggle all the time with forgetfulness that i never used to be this way. It scares me.

I understand exactly where you are coming from..

ratthebrat
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Battyp

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2006, 07:42:36 am »
Post surgery I had some major mood swings.  Stress or chaos seemed to be the trigger.  As long as things were calm I was fine.  It got so bad I ended up going on effexor to help stablize me.  From what I understand it's a normal by product of brain surgery as so much is going on while you're healing.  I also don't suffer fools well.  I seem to take a hard stance and have little tolerance for whiners who complain their life sucks.  I'm more than likely to tell them to get off the butt and fix it.  I don't stress over the small stuff..just not worth it.  So my niece spilled her drink 3 times..yelling isn't going to fix it.  She actually asked me how come I wasn't mad at  her for spilling.  Er um, because I was the one tickling you when you kicked it over  ;D
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Jim Scott

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2006, 04:24:20 pm »
dominator8 :

I also have less patience these days for complainers and those who make poor life choices, then whine about the negative consequences that often causes.  Some of my (post-op) lowered tolerance for fools is probably stress-related and, as my AN 'journey' is finally ending, successfully - I'm happy to say - I'm trying to be more forgiving and simply ignore foolish and/or ignorant people as much as possible, which should help lower my stress levels considerably!. 
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4.5 cm AN diagnosed 5/06.  Retrosigmoid surgery 6/06.  Follow-up FSR completed 10/06.  Tumor shrinkage & necrosis noted on last MRI.  Life is good. 

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is.  The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.

Brendalu

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2006, 07:20:55 am »
I used to be a pretty easy going person.  Since the surgery I have mood swings that can happen in a nano second.  I have a panic disorder I didn't have before, I have anxiety attacks and wow, the list goes on, but as my almost fifteen year granddaughter put it, "Grandma, we don't care if you are grumpy and mean, we are just happy to still have you."  So life is good.
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Brenda Oberholtzer
AN surgery 7/28/05
Peyman Pakzaban, NS
Chester Strunk, ENT

jacobs

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2006, 07:44:21 pm »

 I as well seem to have less patience for foolishness around me since my surgery.The people around me say I have changed but it is mainly with people I work with rather than my family and people around me that I love.I feel like I am a more relaxed "mom" but tougher "boss" at work.Maybe,  it has to do with  being able to" control" the things around you.While during the whole diagnosis/surgery/recovery "control" is really out of your hands...
 I think that after such a life altering experience things are bound to change.I am trying to be more aware of my moods while at work and think that as time goes on they are starting to balance out more.
                                                                                                            Tracey
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Translab April 24,2006 3.5x2.5cm
Sunnybrook Hospital,Toronto.Dr.Chen&Dr.Perusmen
Left side facial paralysis,gold weight in eyelid &"deaf on the left"
now I'm a true canadian...EH?

Captain Deb

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2006, 11:54:22 am »
Personality changes? Oh Yeah. Them. Well, I used to be a well-adjusted wife and grandma of 2 cute little boys and now I think I'm a swashbuckling lady pirate sailing the seven seas with a crew of wenches and scallywags plundering chocolate tankers and causing mayhem! Go Figure!!!!!
Capt Deb 8)
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"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW

Brendalu

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #13 on: October 13, 2006, 03:53:23 pm »
How did you get well adjusted?  Darn, I didn't ever want to grow up enough to be well-adjusted.  I think I like the lady pirate!! ::)
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Brenda Oberholtzer
AN surgery 7/28/05
Peyman Pakzaban, NS
Chester Strunk, ENT

Patti UT

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Re: Personality Changes
« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2006, 04:33:43 pm »
I went from being very outgoing and social to being very reclusive. I don't much care for socail functions anymore, and even have a hard time in small groups because of the SSD and vertigo. However, Captain Deb managed to get me out on a ship wearin pirate gear.  Go figure?

 Seriously, Brain surgery no doubt will change a person.

Patti UT
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2cm Rt side  middle fossa  at University of Utah 9/29/04.
rt side deafness, dry eye, no taste, balance & congintive issues, headaches galore
7/9/09 diganosed with recurrent AN. Translab Jan 13 2010  Happy New Year
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