Super Duper surgery record - I'm home 48 hours after completion of translab

[JulieW4]

Can you believe it?! My surgery on Monday started at about 9:15am and was done about 2:30pm.  I experienced no balance or dizziness issues so at 2:30pm on Wednesday afternoon I was released from the hospital. Just 48 hours after surgery was over I was home!!!  That's got to be some kind of record.  I came home and slept for 5 hours, the longest stretch of sleep I've had since having the surgery. 

I did not have facial schwanoma which was a concern but instead the doc called it a cochlea schwanoma.  This is only the 2nd cochlea schwanoma he has seen.  My balance nerve had been completely destroyed by the tumor so that is why I didn't have any balance issues since my body already compensated with my good balance nerve on the other side.  He also said that the tumor was a little bigger than expected since the tumor had completely filled the cochlea.  He said he classified it as a "medium" sized tumor instead of a "small" one he had previously classified at. I am glad that I chose surgery because I definitely feel it was the best decision for me.

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to wash my hair until Saturday, so I bought a "do rag" to cover up my disgusting hair and my docs thought that was pretty funny.  He said I was the first white woman without dreadlocks that he had seen in a do rag.

Okay, my doctors told me that they would take somewhere between a teaspoon to tablespoon of fat from my stomach to put in my ear where they removed the tumor and help seal up the ear so that I would not have any spinal fluid leak.  So I expected to see a stitch or two on my tummy where they took the fat.  Instead, I have a 3 inch cut next to my belly button which has about 25 stitches.  I thought that was a little excessive to take a little of fat from my tummy.  I will post pictures soon of both my tummy and my head.

Also, Jan I do have part of the BAHA titanium rod in my head.  In about 2 1/2 months the doc is going to put the end part of the abutement on so that hopefully at the 3 months mark I can have the processor attached so i can start hearing better.  It was nice that they were able to "kill two birds with one stone" by removing the tumor and also start on the BAHA procedure. 

Thanks again everyone for your support.  These forums have been a godsend.  I will keep everyone posted.

Julie

[leapyrtwins]

Wow, Julie -

promising us pictures of both your head and your tummy    I don't recall anyone ever posting tummy pictures before, so that will probably be a first.  Will the head shot be with or without the do rag? 

Congratulations on the very short hospital stay - truly amazing.   I hope your swift recovery continues.  Be sure to get enough rest and take it easy though, there have been others on this forum who initially had a fast recovery and then ran into problems.  I sincerely hope you aren't one of them.

Your stomach incision sounds longer than mine - I'm estimating mine was only about 1 1/2 inches - and I'd guess I only had about 10 to 12 stitches.  My scar isn't that close to my belly button either - it's a few inches below and a few inches over to my left.

I'm glad you were able to get the BAHA implant; saves you from another surgery    I've never heard of anyone having the titanium rod implanted and then getting the abutment later on; I got the abutment during my surgery - the only "additional" part of the procedure for me was getting the processor @ 90 days post implant.   I wonder how many docs do the "rod" and the abutment separately - I'll have to ask my doc because now I'm curious.  Anyone else with a BAHA have this?

Jan 

[sgerrard]

Excellent, Julie, you sound like you are doing well. I think home in 48 hrs may well be a record. Maybe having the tumor in the cochlea makes the surgery shorter?

Now you should sleep until Saturday, when you can get up, wash your hair, and go back to bed.

I'm sure the reason for your longer scar is that you have so little fat on your tummy to take. (Uh oh, now I'm in trouble with everyone who had shorter scars).

Take care, and tell your friend Denise thanks for the early updates.

Steve

[Omaschwannoma]

Glad you're home as there is no place like it!  You sound in great spirits, rest, and enjoy today, tomorrow when it comes and the rest of your life!  Congratulations!

Steve, are you saying my hips are FAT!?     That's where they took mine from, they did not use stitches but superglue?!  At least my surgeon had the right mind to angle it following the undie line.   

[pswift00]

WOW, CONGRATULATIONS!  You know the down side to your speedy recovery is that they'll expect you back at work sooner, right? 

[yardtick]

I was home just as quickly.....trust me I wanted my own bed!

Anne Marie

[Kaybo]

Julie~
Glad your are home and doing so well - like Jan said TAKE IT EASY!!  There seems to be a trend here of people doing great - QUICKLY - and then having some problems -- YOU DON"T WANT TO BE TRENDY in this case!!   

K

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Julie:

Congratulations on your successful surgery and rapid release (from hospital).  If not a record, it was certainly close.  I would comment on the influence the NHS bureaucracy (and rationed resources) might have had on your quick release but this is a time for you to relax, rest and recover.  The two of us nattering on the internet over the vices virtues and vicissitudes of our respective nation's health care systems seems silly so I won't go there.

Instead, I'll marvel at your recuperative powers, add my voice to the chorus prompting you not to overdo right now based on any false sense of invincibility and look forward to your promised photos....I think 

Take good care, Julie and thanks for being a part of our 'family', even if you were unique and had a cochlea schwanoma instead of a vestibular schwannoma like the rest of us. 

Jim

[cindyj]

Wow, Julie, how great that you are already home!  And you sound like you're doing very well.  Hope things continue on this positive track.  Will be watching for you gallery of pictures!

Cindy

[nancyann]

Hi Julie:   What a fantastic post op feat ! !  Two days & 'out you go !'     I echo everyone's sentiments....  I am so glad to see you are doing so well,  & also having the BAHA procedure started.
You obviously did your homework/signed on with extremely competent doctors !
       
Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[JulieW4]

Here are the pictures.  Thanks Jan for helping me to get them posted.







Wow, there big!!! I don't know how to change the size and the first picture is suppose to be vertical, but oh well, at least you get the idea.

Julie

[leapyrtwins]

Julie -

Glad you were able to post the pictures.  They are a little large, you could resize them through photobucket; but then you'd have to delete them here and repost them - IMO too much trouble 

Do you have staples in your head incision?  I had stitches with lovely black thread 

BTW, nice do rag!!!  You're definitely stylin' 

Jan

[JulieW4]

Yes, those are staples.  We counted about 33 to 35 staples.  The belly incision is exactly 3 inches long with about 25 stitches.  The do rag is covering up my dirty disgusting hair since I can't wash it until Saturday morning.

Julie

[JulieW4]

Also, that's the fat from my belly that you can see inside my ear.  The doc says that will shrink so that people won't be able to see it.  I sure hope so, because I think it looks gross.

Julie

[leapyrtwins]

Wow!  That's a lot of staples; I didn't have nearly as many stitches.

The not washing the hair part IMO was one of the worst parts of surgery - UGH!  The first few days post op it didn't really bother me, but I couldn't shampoo until the stitches were removed on day 9 and by then I was totally disgusted with my head.  The bacitracin I had to put on the incision just added to the grossness.  I told my doc that he had my condolences the day he had to remove my stitches.  EWWW!!!

I was wondering what that was in your ear, but I didn't want to be rude and ask    Interesting that you can see it.  My belly fat was used to fill in the hole in my head, so it was never visible.

Thanks for posting the pics,   

Jan