Dr. Friedman and Dr. Schwartz- UCSD

[whitwebster]

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.

[donjehle]

Thank you, whitwebster, for sharing your experience with the ANA Forums!  You are right about people having a lot of anxiety after receiving the acoustic neuroma diagnosis.  Sharing your story encourages others who are going through a similar experience.  I'm glad your time with Drs. Friedman and Scwartz went well.  We usually hear good reports about them.

Best wishes on your continued journey!
Don

[williamshane]

I appreciate you taking the time to tell us about your experience here on the ANA Forums.  Indeed, the acoustic neuroma diagnosis can cause a great deal of stress for the patient.

[Roggae]

I also just had an incredibly positive experience at UCSD. Discharged 60 hrs after surgery. Day 1 was rough in ICU but once drugs wore off I was up and moving and texting friends and family. Their whole program is based on this stuff. Can’t say enough good things.

[JosephJames]

Hello, I wanted to share my story for others who are looking at their options.

I had my second AN surgery done at UCSD a few weeks ago.  Dr.'s Friedman and Schwartz are incredible surgeons, and gentlemen too.  I think very highly of them and their program at UCSD.  They did an incredible job on me.  They achieved Gross Total Tumor Resection and simultaneously put in a Ponto BAHA.

I had lost a significant amount of hearing before my first surgery at Loyola (Maywood, IL.  Close to Chicago).  The surgeons there (Leonetti/Anderson) tried to resect the tumor and preserve what hearing I had with a Retrosigmoid approach but I woke up with very little hearing.  I could only hear super loud bass tones, and I scored a zero on word recognition.  Unfortunately, after surgery I also still had a 13mm tumor along my facial nerve. 

I was having bad headaches, so after my 9 month MRI I consulted UCSD and spoke with Dr. Friedman.  He gave me confidence that they could likely resect the whole tumor with another surgery.  In my situation, it was also advised that 'Watch & Wait' would be appropriate, but I'm relatively young (39) and in decent shape, and I wanted to proceed with a second surgery in order to give myself a chance to have the entire tumor taken out. 

My second surgery was a total success.  They got the whole tumor out, and I recovered very quickly.  I'm now back home in Chicago, and will be going back to work soon.

The program at UCSD was by far and away the best medical treatment I have ever received or seen.  Nothing else is in the same class.  From the surgeons (Friedman / Schwartz), to the PA, to the nurses, the hospital itself (Jacobs Medical Center), and the accommodations (Family House @ UCSD), the program is phenomenal. 

I'm so glad that I traveled to California to have my surgery done @ UCSD.  I'm grateful to the Dr's and their whole team there. 

If anyone wants to know more about UCSD or second surgeries, feel free to message me.  Thanks, Joe