Handwriting

[madison]

Hi!
Today I tried to write some thank you cards and it really scared me to realize I could hardly write.  I went to catholic school and if I must say so myself..I have really nice handwriting..until now that is. Did anyone have this issue post op?it has been 2 wks. Since my surgery and I was wondering if it will come back or if I will have to learn to write again. Please let me know if you or anyone you know has experienced this..I'm really worried.thanks everyone!

[LakeErie]

I don't know if this will apply to you or not, but I had difficulty writing immediately after surgery. Eventually I lost strength in my hand and fingers, and the little and ring fingers were numb. Turns out it was a nerve compressed by the A-line inserted in my wrist artery to monitor intra-operative blood pressure and blood gasses. The strength came back on its own in a couple months, and the numbness is much less now. My handwriting has improved as well. My surgeon told me it happens from time to time. Good luck

[MDemisay]

Hi Madison,


If you only could see my writing. I am so glad that no one can! Do you mind if I bore you with a long story? When I was 13 I had perfect long hand writing at 13 I had a stoke then I had to relearn to print with my right hand and at 17 I had another stroke and subsequently a brain operation which made me lose my fine motor skills with my right hand and I had to learn to print with my left hand. I have been printing poorly since I was 17, I am now 55. I had to pay someone to type papers for me in college. I had an AN in 2004 and a regrowth that I recently treated with a single dose of GK.

I get by by typing all my own correspondence. If all you are worried about is your Catholic school writing , then practice, practice, practice! Thank God for big things! Don't sweat the small stuff! IMHO!

Mike

[Jim Scott]

Madison ~

My handwriting was always barely legible.  Post-op, it got worse.  Even my well-developed printing skills deteriorated somewhat.  Fortunately for me, with e-mail and the Word program on my computer, writing by hand has been rendered almost (but not quite) unnecessary these days, so my shaky handwriting isn't a problem. 

I suspect that if you practice, you'll be able to regain much - if not all - of your former handwriting skills.  It is, after all, a learned ability and not necessarily inherent. 

Jim

                         

[mk]

Hi Madison,

My hand writing deteriorated steadily over the course of a decade. I thought that this happened because I am always in a hurry and write really fast, but now I can't help but wonder if the AN and the fact that it was pressing on the cerebellum (i.e. fine motor skills) had something to do with it. Post-op things became even worse. When I first tried to sign a credit card slip I immediately realized that it was harder to control the pen. This improved, and I would say that I am mostly back to my original (bad) pre-op handwriting. But I have noticed that I keep doing some mistakes, like ommitting a letter, or writing one letter before the other. As others said, fortunately we have word processing software around.

Marianna

[jenichol]

Madison,

I had a hard time signing my name on the consent for home PT--couldn't write on the line.  I also notice that typing is much slower and harder than before surgery.  I just think it is something that will get better with time as with everything else.  In my case, it may have to do with diminished gaze stabilization and with cerebellar retraction.  I have one eye closed right now to type.  Hang in there.  You're young and you will heal and adapt well.

Jan

[kixit]

I had a hard time writng post-op as well. It does get better. I write normal now.

[Linda1947]

Hi, All:

I am having a translab on July 30, 2012. I don't mean to criticize, but some of the posts are scaring me!! Some of the post-op problems never occurred to me (problem with handwriting, reading, riding a bike, etc.) Maybe I should not read the posts. I am becoming more fearful!
I know you are all there to help, but I'm as nervous as a virgin on the virge!!

[JerseyGirl2]

Linda,

Please remember that each individual's post-surgical results are individual! I can only speak for myself, but I had absolutely no problems with handwriting, reading, bike riding, mathematical calculations, balance, nausea, flying in airplanes, driving, or anything else I can think of after my translab surgery in January 2008. My only "complaint" was fatigue, but that resolved itself over time. 

This doesn't mean that you won't experience some of the issues that others have written about, but do try not to worry too much (I know that's often easier said than done!). If you're finding that reading the posts are making you fearful it might be a good idea to take a break.

Best wishes as your surgery approaches -- I hope that everything will go great!

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[Chances3]

Hi Madison,

My reply is a little late, but I remember struggling with thank you cards as well, in addition to plenty of other issues.  You're in such a very early stage of recovery, it will get better - hang in there.

[Jim Scott]

I am having a translab on July 30, 2012. I don't mean to criticize, but some of the posts are scaring me!! Some of the post-op problems never occurred to me (problem with handwriting, reading, riding a bike, etc.) Maybe I should not read the posts. I am becoming more fearful!
I know you are all there to help, but I'm as nervous as a virgin on the virge!!

Hi, Linda ~

Your post motivated me to explain that my handwriting was the only issue I noticed post-op.  It improved a bit but that wasn't much of a challenge because my handwriting was never very legible.  I read as much - and as fast - as ever.  I have reasonable (if not exactly perfect) balance.  I haven't attempted to ride a bike but I'm sure that it wouldn't be a problem.  I suppose riding my stationary bike doesn't count.   

Catherine ('JerseyGirl2') is correct that each AN patient is somewhat unique in that we each have a similar yet different experience.  For instance, I was driving again (highways included) within a fortnight of my surgery (with my doctor's permission) and thoroughly enjoyed a week at Disney World (Orlando) two years after my surgery and radiation.  It included many roller coaster-type rides that I thought I wouldn't be able to tolerate but I did and with no trouble at all.  I consider myself blessed to have enjoyed an excellent recovery but my experience is not that uncommon.   Some AN surgery patients are not only bike riding but running marathons within months of leaving the hospital, post-op.
 
However, to be candid, some AN patients do experience ongoing issues and that is one reason these forums exist.  We offer our support to both 'newbies' (newly diagnosed AN patients) as well as those who have been dealing with an acoustic neuroma or the effects of surgery and/or radiation for a long time.  We strive to be encouraging and optimistic but not to the point of being dishonest or evasive about the risks inherent in AN surgery and/or radiation.  They are real and must be faced to avoid misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations. The ANA advises that selecting a doctor/team with extensive AN experience is a big factor in helping to achieve a good surgical outcome.  I did this and it paid off. 

I agree with Catherine that although we want to support you as you prepare to undergo AN removal surgery, if reading the posts here are having a negative effect on your state of mind and increasing your anxiety, perhaps you should consider taking a brief hiatus and return to the forums post-op.  Whatever you decide, know that you're always going to be welcomed hereby folks who understand both your fears and your hopes because we've shared them.

Jim

[Linda1947]

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. I will try to heed your advice.

[MDemisay]

Dear Linda,

I am sorry if I upset you, but among those who post here so far, unless I am mistaken, I seem to be the only one here who has suffered multiple strokes (3) and had the misfortune (or some may say fortune) of having an AN! I just put my best foot forward and "listened" with my remaining good ear (LOL). It seems that I may have caused more harm than good.

I was trying to encourage Madison not to give up, to keep on trying. Handwriting is a learned thing and comes back with practice!  The strokes I had affected the fine motor skills of my right hand, those are long gone now as my right hand is no longer able to even hold a pen much less write with it. I didn't mean to scare you. Also affected were my speech and language centers and my vision. After many years these all came back to me. My speech came back through speech therapy and my double vision corrected itself eventually (although when extremely tired I will still see double).

What I'm trying to tell everyone is the human brain is a very adaptable thing! It seems at this point as though we have just scratched the surface of what it is capable of!

 Have patience it "learns" to make new connections and map out entire new pathways. After many years, I am glad to make a bunch of new friends again through this forum who like me have learned to adapt to the new person that emerges out of the rubble that is our shared diagnosis and treatment thereof.

Mike

[Helena]

My handwriting was really bad the first months post op and it really scared me but now it's the same as it was before. It even got better because now I realize that my handwriting deteriorated long before the operation. I didn't pay much attention to it then and thought that it was because of my age but it must have been the pressure on the brainstem.