Flying out from Charleston, SC to San Diego to have my surgery with Dr. Friedman and Dr. Schwartz five months ago was the best decision I have every made in my life. I am 44 years old and my AN was 2.3 cm on my right side and after getting several conflicting opinions about treatment and risks from different hospitals I was feeling very fearful and discouraged. The only side effect I was having was a little hearing loss and I wasn't sure if I should watch and wait or move forward with surgery. I remember the day we went to California for a consult with their team and Dr. Friedman looked at me in the eye with so much confidence and encouragement and said " I would do this surgery now, because simply put..I just know what our team is capable of"..The surgery and recovery time he spoke about was much less than the other doctors and they were the only ones who gave me a 30% chance of hearing preservation. The other two hospitals said 0-10%, but highly unlikely I would have any hearing left. I wasn't that concerned about hearing loss necessarily, but figured why not try? I want the guys that have done 1000 of these! Their experience and confidence was unmatched. Here I am today..some mild hearing loss in that ear, but no other long term effects! My daughter started high school this week and I am so thankful I can enjoy the next four years with her without this decision hanging over my head. They truly are the best at what they do. If you have the means I would go to them all day long. At least book an online consult! In my scenario they truly were miracle workers! I have endless gratitude for these two doctors and their team! I wanted to share this story, because I know the anxiety most of us experience leading up to surgery and personally I really wanted to hear about as many positive outcomes as possible.
