Hi Rhonda,
I had surgery at UVA in August and I had a very good experience. My surgeons were Dr. Helm (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Hashisaki (otolaryngology surgeon). My tumor was fairly small (I think 1.5cm). They took the retrosigmoid approach. I was told there was a 50-60% chance that I would lose my hearing with this approach but my hearing is, thankfully, still intact. It's been about a month and a half and I am feeling much better than I did right after the surgery. Most of the head and neck pain are gone and my balance has improved dramatically. Everyone that I interacted with at UVA was wonderful. During my pre-surgery appointments, both surgeons explained my options and answered any questions I had. The morning of the surgery the nurses and anesthesiolgists made sure I was comfortable and had a chance to ask any last minute questions. Post-op, the nurses were very kind... the ICU nurses were especially incredible.
