A survey: How about if we all "grade" how our AN affects our life everyday?

[TP]

4 CM surgery June 2006
Grade 7 right after surgery due to complications (2 CSF leaks, menigitis, lumbar drain, double vision and three eye surgeries)
Now grade 3 (SSD, tinnitus, facial paralysis, eye issues) However, have a wonferful outlook and I stay positive, God is good and I am blessed to be healthy and able to work, play and exercise! I don't let my "little issues" keep me from doing anything.

[beancounter]

Very tiny AN, diagnosed incidentally, no typical problems.... so zero for me on that.   Anxiety from knowing it's there?  Let's go with a 5.  Shattered wrist with external fixation, RSD, more surgery to insert hardware, radial sensory nerve impingement with third surgery anticipated in 3 months?  I'll give that a 9.92483.  Being alive, regaining my sense of humor, grabbing back the floating pieces of my soul (think Alka Seltzer's "The Blahs" commercial from the 60s)?  Let's go with Pi.  Hi all, miss you, not here much because I'm still wedded to my therapy (feel like I'm joined at the hip with my therapist...shhh don't tell my better half).  God bless you all.   

[leapyrtwins]

Beancounter -

sorry I missed you!!!  I'm currently out of town, but will contact you when I return.  Sorry to hear you're still dealing with the therapy.

Anyway - my response to the question at hand.

Retrosigmoid surgery 5/31/07  tumor was 2.5+ cm
SSD - left side (only permanent side-effect)
BAHA implant 3/4/08  processor 6/4/08

I'd honestly like to say I'm grade 1 - no affect - but I'd imagine I'd be lying.  Can't really say I'm a grade 2 though.  I guess I'd put myself at grade 1.5

Jan

[elderbirds]

Hi All,
I had a 1.6-1.8 cm AN removed via retrosigmoid on 4/2/08.  Before surgery I was a 0 (minus the anxiety),  today I'd say a 2-3.  Not the same person, mostly annoyed by the eye and facial thing but there's really nothing I can't do now that I couldn't do before (haven't attempted swimming yet!). 
Hope

[Sue]

Yep, I'll play too.  2CM, GK, and I'm going to say Grade 2 and some days Grade 3, unless I'm feeling sorry for myself, then it's a 4!  Truthfully, I know I'm lucky in that my symptoms, however annoying they might be, are relatively minor.  But, let's just call it 2 1/2, because of tinnitus and the days it seems extremely loud to me, and because of wonkyness. 

Sue in Vancouver USA

[satman]

Deal me in,8 cm removed via translab in april 07, 17 1/2 hr surgery.
i still have a non animated face,left side ssd,and some other fun stuff that i will not bore you guys with.
i would rate it as a 2 on the physical side of things,3-4 on the mental side,but thats only when i start thinking,which aint often.

[JerseyGirl2]

1.3 cm AN -- trans-lab surgery 1/2008
Pre-surgery quality: 1
Post-surgery quality: 1 (six months following surgery)

gradual hearing loss was my only symptom; SSD my only post-surgery "issue," and that is being abated by my BAHA Intenso.

I did experience extreme fatigue following surgery (I think this was a very minor perturbation compared to the various balance, visual, facial, etc. issues experienced by many), but it lessened steadily during the months after surgery, and, at six months out, I now feel that I'm back to all my normal activities and energy level.

[LADavid]

Well, mine might be a bit different since I need a face to work and I don't have a face that works right now and may not for the next two years -- if ever.  It has had a huge impact on my life.  One in which I've had to redo and re-think everything.

I started in with a 1.5cm and life was a 1.  I had some balance issues but none that actually affected my life.

Now, 7 months later it's an 8.  My life is totally different than it was a year ago.  I now have synkinesis with some pain, most of my hearing is gone, I'm having an MRI in two weeks because my surgeon said something isn't right, and my career as I knew it, is gone.  The only reason I don't classify it as a 10, is that I have faith there is something better for me in the future.

David

[leapyrtwins]

The only reason I don't classify it as a 10, is that I have faith there is something better for me in the future.

David

David -

I, too, have incredible faith that there is something better for you in the future.

Keep the faith and stay strong.

Good luck with the MRI.

Jan

[chocolatetruffle]

AN - 2.8 cm
translab 11/08
1 good ear left, with both tinnitus
grade 2

.......and life is priceless.

[LisaP]

Hi All,

Since I'm still consider myself a "Newbie", by the way how long until I'm not a "Newbie"?  Any one know?

Since being dx back in March of 08 and I am on the "Wait and See".  My AN is considered small 8 x 8 x 12 mm, I would say overall a 2 - 3 daily.   Everyday it remnds me that it is there with either ear pain, pulling of my face, headaches ect.  But I work every day and still do my normal activity although I would say that I fatigue more easily.  Is that normal?   

LisaP

[Boppie]

I had Translab, 2cm ,  31 months ago.  No complications or complaints.  My health and life are completely normal. Constant tinnitus in both ears is more noticeable when I don't wear my aid.  Most days I forget I have SSD.  Life quality pre op grade 10,  post op grade 9+   The cup has always been more than half full.

[Brendalu]

I'll play.........................3.5 Translab  7/28/05  the day before other than balance issues, I was a 1. now three years later I am a ten.  My entire life has changed.  I flunked out of PT after three months of daily PT,  I have migraines at least three times a week, even with Topomax and Straterra and Cymbalta and the rest of the list of scripts.  I go for lymphedema treatment five days a week for three hours a day.  I have also been diagnosed with NF2, which was there when the first AN was removed, but wasn't mentioned to me at the time.  I am a wait and watcher on that one.  I enoy the hours I can and am thankful for a lot of things, but if I had my druthers, I would have gone swiftly in the night before facing this.  I feel like a whiner because so many have it so much worse than I do and I am thankful it isn't any worse. 
I wish I had found this forum before my surgery, I would have been better informed and the issues wouldn't have been as difficult to face.  I admire everyone here.

[Joef]

  I feel like a whiner because so many have it so much worse than I do and I am thankful it isn't any worse. 

oh you are not a whiner .. I know people who whine over a little sniffel ... dont understimate the strength you and others have! we need a little whine and cheese for support ... but then push on for the next battle!

[Dana]

Brendalu and LADavid, Actually I've been surprised that so many folks have rated their lives at 2 or 3.  I definitely think some descriptions I've read seem like an 8 or 10 to me!

In the next few days I'm going to figure out how to compile all the responses, and post a summary.
Hugs to all,
Dana