Hi,
I had surgery right after my 25th birthday for 6x3x3 cm AN which was discovered accidentally since I had no headaches, tinnutis or any loss of hearing. All my nerves were spared, but the surgery left me with the right-sided weakness (If I don't exercise, I still get a frozen shoulder), severe tinnutis (resolved over the years thanks to Gingko Biloba),SSD (fully adjusted), intractable headaches (took 10 years to resolve) with nausea and vomiting, mild nystagmus, constant scar pains (I had retrosig). I also had aseptic meningitis and normal pressure hydrocephalus which necessitated a shunt. After 3.5 months I went to work but found it difficult to get through the day and had little energy to do anything afterwards. Unfortunately, I got pregnant a year after surgery, and that was awful. My headache lasted 5 months. I was so tired that I went to bed at 7 PM! There was no medicine I could take for fear of harming a baby; acupuncturists did not want to touch me because of a potential lawsuit if I miscarried. The doctors thought the tumor was back and at 17 months pregnant I had MRI (negative). After I delivered, I lost all the pregnancy weight in 3 weeks and then some. The post-partum depression hit me like a rock. It was absolutely the worst I ever felt in my life and I cannot even compare it to any post-surgery blues. Prozac worked really fast and also got rid of all the flashbacks to my surgery period and nightmares about it. My headaches did not really improve, but somehow I was able to focus on the positive and grin and bear all the pain and discomfort. It took 5 more years to bring them down to manageable levels and for 3 more to dissapear completely. In short, it took me 10 years to heal, only to find out that the tumor is back. I have been watching it for 8 years and plan to have another surgery sometime next summer. I have to say, these past 8 years have been pain and discomfort free. I am now 43 and hope my next surgery will be a lot easier to deal with.
It is never the right time to get sick or get AN bit I do feel as though I have lost 10 most energetic years of my life to it. At that time I did not know anybody my age going through any illness, let alone brain surgery. In 40's people start accumulating medical conditions. Some of my neighbors (approx. my age) had breast cancer, thyroid cancer,etc. Soon I will be telling them my story, so I don't feel so singled out anymore. Back in 1988, I could only dream of a place where I could get so much relevant information and support all at once! Thanks everybody for the willingness to share!
Eve
