Hi all,
It's been a long while since I've posted on this forum. Other members were right when they told me that life does go on after having brain surgery. I am 5 and a half months post-op and life is great and back to "normal". I've adjusted to having little hearing in my left ear, it is a little tough in noisey places but it's not as bad as I thought. Now I have an excuse to ignore people who I really don't want to talk to, LOL! My facial paralysis/ weakeness is now almost all gone, I would say the left side of my face is like 95% back to normal (I can smile my full smile now I just can't whistle any more...oh well, no biggie).
My 4 month follow-up MRI only showed scar tissue which was a true blessing, so next MRI is set for next year. At that doctor's appointment, I asked my neurosurgeon Dr. Giannotta if I was clear to go skydiving. He thought I was crazy but gave me his blessing and medical clearance. So at 4 months post-op, I took to the sky 13,000 feet up and jumped out of a perfectly good plane. The experience was like no other and the adrenaline rush was amazing. Going through a life altering experience like we have gone through makes you appreciate life more and you learn to live life to its fullest. I believe everything happens for a reason, and being diagnosed with an accoustic neuroma and going through brain surgery is a blessing in many ways. I've learned a lot about myself through this experience and it has shown me how fortunate I am to have such loving family and group of friends. I am now back to running and plan on doing a half marathon in the fall. To celebrate my recovery, I am going to South Africa in a few days to watch the FIFA World Cup and partake in other African adventures.
I just wanted to let other accoustic neuroma patients know that you will survive this and come out stronger than ever. Take care everyone!
