Wow, it feels like this is the first moment I've taken to sit and let myself think about the whirlwind that the last couple months have been...
I started noticing some hearing loss in the last 8 months or so, but it wasn't until my MRI in June that life really sped up for me. The MRI came back as a 3.6 cm acoustic neuroma and shortly after I was referred to Dr. Micco at Northwestern in Chicago. For my mental well-being, I wasted no time in scheduling my surgery at Northwestern with Dr. Chandler and Dr. Micco in July.
While I can hands down say that this summer has been the scariest of my life (as a 26 year old), I am happy to be through the worst of it.
My suboccipital surgery went about as well as it could have thanks to my two amazing doctors! While I most likely have lost all hearing in my right ear, I came out of surgery with no visible facial paralysis and all of the tumor removed. The hardest part is dealing with the lack of independence and body mobility as I still can't drive or lift over 10 pounds. I'm trying to stay positive, but it can be hard just with thinking about how quickly my life was turned upside down this summer. Actually, I take that back- the hardest part is not being able to style my hair yet since my naturally curly hair is unruly without my strict product regiment. When can I get back to doing this??
Even though this whole experience has been incredibly hard and I'm sure the road ahead will be too without hearing in my right ear, I feel very blessed. I am lucky this tumor is benign. I'm lucky to have my parents selflessly taking care of me. I'm lucky to have my loving boyfriend and friends spend time with me when I've been at my lowest here. And boy am I so lucky to have a typically healthy body that I sure won't take for granted after I'm through this recovery process.
