Hi! I had a 4.0 cm acoustic neuroma on my right side. I had it removed January 24, 2005. We finally decided to use retrosigmoid approach. My hearing was perfect and I got a second opinion at Denver University. He was shocked by my hearing and said that was how acoustic neuromas could be missed. My Doctor wanted to do the translab because of the size of the tumor. He felt he had a better chance of preserving my facial nerve. We went in several times and debated which surgery to do. He really felt there was not much chance of saving my hearing but in the end we figured some chance was better than no chance so I had the retrosigmoid. I ended up loosing my hearing and I had a full right side facial paralysis. Around 6 months my face started to move (I had almost given up) thanks to the prayers of my pastors' eight year old son I got my smile back All and all, life is great. My oldest daughter got married Friday and I was there!!! Through therarpy my balance is actually better than before surgery, my fine motor skills are getting better all the time, I walk 3.5 miles, my speech is almost normal and I feel really blessed. I had no headaches and only had a pain killer twice after surgery. I had great surgeons and lots of help from God. If you need a Doctor in Colorado I would HIGHLY reccommend Dr. Hegarty. He has taught at USF and has been here about 3 years. He explained things very thoroughly and answered all our questions. He even suggested a second opinion at the University Hospital in Denver. Blessings to all
