My tumor was 1.5 at the time of surgery. Still considered small but due to the location it was highly symptomatic. I had balance issues, vertigo, dizziness, bouts of double vision, most of the time I looked drunk because I couldn't walk a straight line to save my life. I had a headache that lasted nearly 2 years that nothing could take away. My hearing in that ear was really bad before surgery. I was considered legally deaf in my left ear but not totally deaf. I was very worried about losing what hearing I did have. I thought at the time that was the most important thing. After the surgery the surgeon said they were able to save the hearing nerve, but honestly I've not heard a thing out of that ear since surgery. Now, what I did discover is that hearing out of that ear really isn't that important. At one year post -op I have no tumor related headaches, my balance is near perfect, and I not only can walk normally, I've competed in 5k runs and have set a new personal best time. And that was done at only 6 months post -op. I literally feel so much better overall that I am not in the least bit concerned about being single side deaf. If I had known I could feel this much better but would have to give up one ear, I would have tried to get them to do the surgery even sooner. My stay at Hopkins was lengthened because I developed a throat infection from the breathing tube and they said I probably had a mild infection before surgery that just took off because of anesthesia and the irritation of the breathing tube. But the nurses at Hopkins caught the throat infection really early, as soon as they saw me struggle a little to swallow, and they immediately had a throat specialist with a camera scope come in and check it out. I am positive that my local hospital would not have caught it that early, or been that thorough.
