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Author Topic: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates  (Read 60673 times)

JerseyGirl2

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #150 on: March 26, 2009, 01:28:16 pm »
Quote from: EJTampa on March 26, 2009, 09:25:19 am
Driving is nerve wracking.  Trying to pull out onto a busy street, looking quickly left to right, right to left, leaves me light headed and dizzy.  Making sweeping curves such as an on or off ramp really sends me loopy.  I almost have to close my eyes, or focus on something inside the vehicle.  I am doing the vestibular eye exercises, keeping focused on something while turning my head left to right, right to left, up and down.  I do wonder, though, if perhaps this is all I'll get back?  If so, I will just have to adjust to it.
 

Ernie,

Don't worry -- it may take a while but driving normally again will happen! Like so many other things in the AN recovery process, you'll probably have a slow but steady improvement and one day it will just occur to you that driving feels like it used to do! Try not to get frustrated in the meantime and just hold on to that steering wheel!

Your recovery postings have really been good and it sounds as though you're doing well.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
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Translab surgery and BAHA implant: House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, 1/2008
Drs. J. House, Schwartz, Wilkinson, and Stefan
BAHA Intenso, 6/2008
no facial, balance, or vision problems either before or after surgery ... just hearing loss
Monmouth County, NJ

cindyj

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #151 on: March 26, 2009, 01:59:15 pm »
My first few times driving...probably for a couple of weeks, actually, I tried to only go forward, no backing up ;)  I even tried to only make right hand turns - I would sit and think about the easiest route (fewest turns, etc) to take before I got going.  But, before I knew it, I was just back to driving without thinking about it...is that really a good thing, though???

You're doing great, Ernie!

Cindy
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rt side 1.5 cm - Translab on 11/07/08 Dr. Friedman & Dr. Schwartz of House Ear Institute,
feeling great!

"Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you do hold."  Josh Billings

Jim Scott

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #152 on: March 26, 2009, 03:07:48 pm »
Hey, Ernie:

Thanks for the informative update and congratulations on your excellent progress in just 3 weeks.  Like you, I had a fairly rapid recovery but was impatient and nothing was quite fast enough.  Two weeks post-op, I asked my neurosurgeon if I could resume driving.  To my surprise, he said I could.  I drove later that day, felt O.K. and never looked back.  The head-turning was a bit difficult, just as you describe, but I pushed past it out of sheer will power (my wife calls it 'stubbornness').  Based on the pace and extent of your recovery up to this point, I think this will improve for you, just as it did for me.

Although I was retired when my AN was discovered, I was anxious to get back into my usual routine.  I'm a deacon in my church, among other responsibilities, which include doing all of the housework, as I have for many years, due to the fact that my wife's spinal problems (she's endured many operations and has lots of titanium hardware to show for it) make it impossible for her to do these things, but I can - and do.  We have a deal: she grocery shops and cooks, I do everything else.  Hey, it works for us (I hate grocery shopping and I'm a terrible cook).   :)

Thanks again for your valuable contributions to these forums, Ernie, and may your recovery continue apace. 

Jim   
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4.5 cm AN diagnosed 5/06.  Retrosigmoid surgery 6/06.  Follow-up FSR completed 10/06.  Tumor shrinkage & necrosis noted on last MRI.  Life is good. 

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is.  The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.

sgerrard

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #153 on: March 26, 2009, 09:08:59 pm »
Ernie,

You never really stop doing updates; they just get further and further apart. You've got hourly, then daily, then weekly, then monthly, then quarterly, then yearly, then decadely...

We actual have gotten a 10 year update or two. Here is Rosemary's: http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=8238.0. It still makes me smile.  :)

I know you will be around in any case, to share that spirit and energy with everyone. Thanks for being here.

Steve
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8 mm left AN June 2007,  CK at Stanford Sept 2007.
Hearing lasted a while, but left side is deaf now.
Right side is weak too. Life is quiet.

NancyMc

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #154 on: March 27, 2009, 06:55:41 am »
In a state where it is legal to drink and drive, I HOPE you stop to text, Darlin'.  Put that beer can in the cup holder while you're at it.  I can say that because my dad and brother became Texans, and I spent summers with Dad in Galveston (not really TX, but close).
Nancy
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Watch and Wait since 9/19/01
Increased from 1.1 x 1.9 to 1.9 x 1.9 cm as of 10/27/08
Right SSD, tinnitus, compensating balance
Dr. McKenna at Mass Eye and Ear and Dr. Barker at MGH
Translab April 8, 9 hours, 18 mm Tumor all gone SSD some facial weakness

EJTampa

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #155 on: March 27, 2009, 07:09:11 am »
Quote from: CWood on March 26, 2009, 09:21:04 pm
I used to multi task big time but am learning to actually STOP to text   :o

Cheri

Cheri, You're scaring me!   :)  I see people texting while driving and just can't imagine how they do it!  There's this guy at my work, who just might be my boss (and might be reading this) who also texts while driving.  He does this at high speeds though, between 80 and 90 mph!  :o
 
Steve,  You are so right.  The updates will get further apart, but there will be more.  New milestones and anniversaries will come and go.  I've gotten to know many of you well enough to consider friends, which will keep me coming back for some time to come.
 
Jim,  You sound like a wondeful person and your wife likely feels blessed to have you.  My wife and I share some of the housework, but only because we both work full time.  I actually enjoy cooking, so usually we will go grocery shopping together.  I'm sorry to hear about your wifes spinal problems but glad you have both adapted to deal with the situation at hand.  I will say a prayer for you both.
 
Cindy, Catherine, Jan, Syl, Keri, Rich and Scarlett, Nancy and anyone I missed... Thanks for the well wishes.  It's good to hear of your driving experiences and how long it took to feel comfortable.  It's hard to see improvement when it comes so slow, which is why it's so good to have some dedicated people who continue to answer questions well beyond the initial recovery period.
 
Time to go for my morning walk!
 
Ernie
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-1.3 X 0.8 cm AN in the right cerebellopontine angle extending into the internal auditory canal.
-Retrosigmoid Surgery with Dr. Bartels and Dr. Danner at Tampa General 3/5/2009.
-Had to cut hearing nerve to get "sticky" tumor, so SSD right side.

joeelmo79

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #156 on: March 28, 2009, 11:05:40 pm »
Ernie,  I have read all of your updates over the last few weeks, and I would like to say it has done a lot for me, being that I have surgery tomorrow and it gives me a lot of possitive thoughts about my own recovery coming up.  Just know your posting has impacted at least one person.  your posting has really lifted my spritis,  Thanks very much

Joe
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Syl

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #157 on: March 29, 2009, 01:37:54 am »
Joe:

I'll be sending good thoughts and prayers your way.

Syl
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1.5cm AN rt side; Retrosig June 16, 2008; preserved facial and hearing nerves;
FINALLY FREE OF CHRONIC HEADACHES 4.5 years post-op!!!!!!!
Drs. Kato, Blumenfeld, and Cheung.

EJTampa

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #158 on: March 29, 2009, 07:21:50 am »
Thank you for those very kind words Joe!  If the updates helped even one person, then they were worth every minute I spent on them.
 
To be honest, it's even therapeutic for me to do the updates.  It forces me to think back and compare one day to another, allowing me to see some of the small changes I might have otherwise missed.
 
Yesterday, my face broke out a bit...yep, pimples.  Now if only my gray hair would go away and my voice would start cracking again :).  The wife says it was the steroids, although I finished them yesterday (yayyy!!)  I did a short practice night drive yesterday and the wife was a wreck sitting in the passenger seat.  "You don't have to go that fast!"  65 in a 70 zone is a wreckless speed for sure :).  Really though, the straight aways are easy.  The ramps at night were about the same as during the day, which is a good thing.  The hardest part is still looking quickly left and right for traffic.  It's like I turn my head, but the brain and eyes and such take longer to get there.  Have you ever turned a fish bowl and noticed that the water and the fish stay in the same spot even though the bowl was turned?  That's what it feels like :)
 
Well, this wasn't meant to be an update, but ok.
 
Joe, if you haven't left yet, I sent some prayers your way for a successful surgery and quick and full recovery!
 
Ernie
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-1.3 X 0.8 cm AN in the right cerebellopontine angle extending into the internal auditory canal.
-Retrosigmoid Surgery with Dr. Bartels and Dr. Danner at Tampa General 3/5/2009.
-Had to cut hearing nerve to get "sticky" tumor, so SSD right side.

NancyMc

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #159 on: March 29, 2009, 08:25:02 am »
Joe - Good luck tomorrow.  Is anyone posting for you?  I may have missed it on another thread.
Syl - I don't know . . . are you the cutest yet in that red hat?  It's making me rethink my color choice.  ;) Hi, Steve!
Ernie - Your updates are a lifeline of hope for all of us, if I may say so.
Nancy
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Watch and Wait since 9/19/01
Increased from 1.1 x 1.9 to 1.9 x 1.9 cm as of 10/27/08
Right SSD, tinnitus, compensating balance
Dr. McKenna at Mass Eye and Ear and Dr. Barker at MGH
Translab April 8, 9 hours, 18 mm Tumor all gone SSD some facial weakness

Captain Deb

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #160 on: March 29, 2009, 12:08:50 pm »
Ernie,

Just remember you are driving in FLORIDA in MARCH!! It's just insane driving there right now--so many tourists and "bluehairs." (Hey now! I am a platinum highlight hair not a blue hair!) I was down there in March 2 years ago and the driving scared the crap outta me!

Thanks for posting all these updates--your experience is definitely a benefit to others approaching surgery.

Capt Deb
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"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW

Syl

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #161 on: March 29, 2009, 05:54:55 pm »
Ernie:

I'm having trouble keeping up with soooo many posts. I need to ask, where are the scarf and journal?

Syl
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1.5cm AN rt side; Retrosig June 16, 2008; preserved facial and hearing nerves;
FINALLY FREE OF CHRONIC HEADACHES 4.5 years post-op!!!!!!!
Drs. Kato, Blumenfeld, and Cheung.

EJTampa

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #162 on: March 29, 2009, 06:29:14 pm »
Quote from: Syl on March 29, 2009, 05:54:55 pm
Ernie:

I'm having trouble keeping up with soooo many posts. I need to ask, where are the scarf and journal?

Syl

Scarlett has just finished with the scarf and journal, and it is now on its way to Nancy, I believe.
 
Ernie
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-1.3 X 0.8 cm AN in the right cerebellopontine angle extending into the internal auditory canal.
-Retrosigmoid Surgery with Dr. Bartels and Dr. Danner at Tampa General 3/5/2009.
-Had to cut hearing nerve to get "sticky" tumor, so SSD right side.

wendysig

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #163 on: March 30, 2009, 07:53:25 am »
Hi Erniie,

It sounds like you've regressed to your teenage years -- breakouts and starting to drive!!  Grin Grin Grin  Seriously though, I'm glad to  hear you're doing so well.

Congratulations on reaching the milestone of driving again -- feels great doesn't it?

Best wishes,
Wendy
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1.3 cm at time of diagnosis -  April 9, 2008
2 cm at time of surgery
SSD right side translabyrinthine July 25, 2008
Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Extremely grateful for the wonderful Dr. Choe & Dr. Chen
BAHA surgery 1/5/09
Doing great!

Rich56

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Re: EJTampa (Ernie's) updates
« Reply #164 on: April 02, 2009, 07:36:05 pm »
Hi Ernie,

One full month as a Postie, CONGRATULATIONS :o :o ;D ;D

Did you really think we'd forget :D

Rich & Scarlett
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SML (Scarlett's) other half, she had - 1.5 cm x 2.5 cm Cystic AN - Right side
Retrosigmoid on 3/18/09 at MGH in Boston, MA. Dr. Barker & Dr. Lee of MGH/MEEI
no facial issues, SSD right side, balance issues to work on.
The AN Calendar is here: http://www.my.calendars.net/AN_Treatments
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