I made it to the other side, I'm a bit unsteady, but I made it

[satman]

Conrats girl, you made it,all will heal in time.

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

Melissa and Nicole,

Terrific! No facial nerve damage for either of you!

This is very good news. I was expecting with DR. Kartush that facial never preservation would happen… glad to hear I was right there.

I am doing the facial retraining therapy now- but for some reason this whole synkinesis business has me down - this week…  When I get in theâ€? shoulda …woulda …couldaâ€?  mode – this happens. I did once interview Dr. Kartush and now I do sit and question,
     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Would my face outcome been different if I had flown east - to see him?â€?
(Michigan is one heck of a long way from Oregon  )
 I had already had one major surgery as we barked up the wrong tree. The 3 different surgeries he advocated, on top of what I had been through (unnecessarily) - was overwhelming. I did not feel young and strong enough to go through what he advocated. Having me down with surgical recovery even before the AN surgery had proved hard enough for my family. Maybe because I am a tired Mom with busy school kids who is much anticipating summer -I am simply burnt out after starting the school year off with this incredibly wild AN journey ride…. Such a roller coaster it can be.

Nevertheless Melissa and Nicole- I am VERY happy that you both have had such good outcomes- particularly with your facial nerve preservation. Being able to smile at a child fully is part of communication. However this week I had a little 3rd grade tell me,
“Oh - I can still tell that you are smiling!�

It is the kids that get us through this. I am so glad that you young Moms have had such a good outcome. Cherish this time with your little ones- they will be teenagers before you know it. My teenager and her little sister started of the school year without both their parents.  They stayed with a family where the Mom’s aunt had her surgery with Dr. Kartush – a decade ago. They were  still pretty new to their school as they had only been there one year… this family that took them in were a Godsend to me… as was our school.

 The 8th grade graduation turns out to be big ta-do here – and my teenager was chosen as the one to do the valedictorian speech. My smile may not be perfect or symmetrical but nevertheless I’ll smile at her with pride. Maybe as I cry through her speech the palsy side eye might finally produce a tear. Who knows…?

This whole AN journey has had me come to so appreciate my family.

Melissa and Nicole- keep those kids close to you and cherish them. They will see you smile in your eyes… It does my heart good to see you now posting at the other end- and smiling. The incision does hurt, the first month, but this dissipates. The balance eventually works out- but you have to work at it.

Keep moving forward fellow Moms   (and Dads)... Keep moving forward.

Daisy Head Mazy

[Catflower]

Melissa:  Glad to hear you are home and on the road to recovery.  They had to leave a little of the tumor on my facial nerve as well.  I have my first year follow up MRI the first part of August to see if there has been any change in the size of it.

That nausea is the sickest I've ever been in all of my 61 years, but thank goodness it goes away although it did take me quite a while to get my appetite back to normal.

Just listen to your body and do what it's telling you; rest when necessary and definitely nap as needed.  After all of this trauma you brain needs a lot of quiet time.  Even after one year I have days when I just have to lean back in my recliner in a quiet room and close my eyes to let my brain recharge.

Linda in WV

[Syl]

Melissa,

Congratulations on such a positive outcome and best wishes for a smooth recovery.
Reading about all the recent success stories has been very helpful for me in preparing for my big day--knowing what to expect.
Just like all the others are saying, don't forget to listen to your body and get plenty of rest.

Syl

[claire1]

Melissa

My prayers are with you. Have a speedy recovery with your new life.
Claire

[Mama R]

So glad to see you on the other side. All downhill from here, providing you rest. Boy sounds like you had quite a tangler. I bet you are glad you opted for surgery, and as soon as you did.  My sutures were in for 2 wks and it was  very hard to sleep. Part of that was the steriods buzzing me up, but the pain when I laid my head down relieved quite a bit once I got those buggers out...(btw, doesn't hurt removing them). I also switched my  pillow and sometimes slept sitting up part way. Take Care, Melissa

[cindyj]

Hi Melissa,

Good to hear from you - sorry you're having a bit of a slow time w/ recovery, but the good thing is that you're on the other side of surgery and things will, hopefully, improve each day for you. 

Keep us posted as you feel up to it,

Cindy

[cherrypiper]

good to hear from you.......

relax, take it easy.............yes easy   lol

the way to not have more issues is tro not "push" it too much or as my Dr. said that means not at all for you.

[Debbi]

Hi Melissa-

So glad to hear from you - and thrilled that your surgery went so well!!  I am also thrilled that your facial nerve came through intact - that is wonderful news!!  I didn't have the dizziness and balance problems, so can't comment on that directly.  The minor balance issues went away very quickly for me. 

Just remember to take it easy and learn to really listen to your body (something I am still working on!)  It will tell you when you need to rest or nap.

Keep us posted on your progress - and welcome to postie land!

Debbi - nearly 28 days post op!

[calimama]

Hi Melissa,

Congratulations on your recent successful surgery and improving progress.

As one of those facing surgery very soon ... next week if all goes to plan!... I look forward to these updates and hope you will keep us posted on your progress.

Sending best wishes your way...

Trish
(less than a week to go!

[Melissa778]

Well I was having some nasty emotional issues, trouble sleeping, and horrible bouts of nausea.....I called the doc Sunday and they took me off of the Tylenol with codeine and gave me darvasete (sp?)...And I feel like myself again.  I got up and went shopping with my family, I've been walking daily and I'm back to normal duties around the house.  I still have the occassional bouts of dizziness....but overall I feel fantastic for it only being 2 weeks into recovery.  I go see the doc on Monday for suture removal and to talk about driving.  I'm hoping to be able to resume driving and to return to work part time by the end of next week.  It's amazing how just switching meds has helped.  I do fall asleep at times on my AN side, it hasn't bothered me much other than the occassional sharp nerve pains, and the itching from healing.  should I not be laying on my AN side??

My children have been fantastically behaved and have enjoyed helping take care of mommy.  THey were a bit leary when they came to the hospital to see mom (they're 5 and 2) but we went for a walk in the hall and I think that helped them see that mom was up and OK.....then all they cared about was making the bed go up and down .  My husbands major concern has been for my weight loss.....I didn't have any weight to spare really and I have dropped about 11 lbs.  THe first week and half I coudln't stomach anything other than jello and smoothies.  I'm working my way back to a normal diet....however.....nothing tastes the same.....frustrating, but I'm rebounding.  Overall I feel wonderful and the SSD isn't as tough as I anticipated.  I did have to get new eye glasses as my eye gets very dry so contacts aren't going to be the everyday norm for me anymore.  Thanks all for your encouraging words.  best of luck to any upcoming surgeries/procedures this week.

Melissa

[Kaybo]

Melissa~
Sounds like you are doing GREAT!!  Way to go!  Good luck at your Dr. visit.  I lost 50 pounds, but I had it to lose! 
The taste will return...give it time. 
So glad your kiddos have been being good - that always helps! 

K

[er]

Hello Melissa
Sure is nice to hear you are recovering nicely.   Just make sure you don’t over do.
Aren’t children great. They are the first ones to be so understanding and kind.
eve

[leapyrtwins]

Melissa -

it sounds like you are making good progress.  IMO it's okay to sleep on your AN side if you are comfortable that way.  I'm obviously not a doctor, but I don't think you can do any damage.

It's fairly normal to lose weight post op especially if you have strange taste buds and have had a lot of nausea.  Once you get back to your normal diet, you'll probably put the weight back on - if you want to, that is 

Jan

[sgerrard]

Melissa,

Thanks for the update, we were wondering about you. It sounds like switching to Darvocet did the trick. I'm not sure why you are in such a hurry to return to work next week, though.

Take care and enjoy your well behaved little ones.

Steve