ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Balance Issues => Topic started by: Chances3 on July 13, 2012, 12:34:43 pm
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I found this link here a few years ago. I thought it would be a good time for the new AN community to read it.
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/balancesystem.htm
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Thanks for posting this! I am still having balance issues 6 weeks post-op translab and this was a great insight on how the vestibular works with the other "senses".
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Interesting read, thank you for posting.
Karen
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Thanks for the article. It explains so much. As someone who was recently diagnosed I am just getting up to speed on all this. My symptoms actually started in 1982 and I was misdiagnosed and treated for other things for all these years. The docs think I have an exceptionally slow growing tumor (2.5 cm as of a few months back) and that I really have had this thing for 30 years. Fortunately for me, the tumor has grown so slowly that although they tell me my vestibular nerve is shot, I have had years to learn to compensate for the loss as the system slowly died. At least knowing what it is explains all the falls down the stairs, the episodes of vertigo, the fatigue, and now with the information in the article, the memory and communication problems, as well as the depression. I have significant facial symptoms now and I remember a few years back finding myself slurring my words during a phone conversation in the middle of the day. While slurring may be common for me now, it certainly wasn't back then. And knowing that I had the something-is-not-quite-right feeling for years, I remember saying "Ya know, one of these days we're gonna find out I have a brain tumor". Well, "ta-da!".
Thanks again for posting this article.
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Simple Exercises Are an Easy and Cost-Effective Treatment for Persistent Dizziness
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120705133918.htm#.UBH6uzky5EY.email
Karen
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The problem with balance issues for acoustic neuroma patients is that usually only one vestibular nerve is damaged or destroyed ..... unless the patient is NF2 or has other factors compromising a vestibular nerve. That leaves many different variations of how an individual person's vestibular nerves are firing or misfiring ..... which means all of us are unique in how our brains react to each of our situations.
That being said ..... and I am NOT a doctor ..... I think it is important for us to determine the degree of functioning of our vestibular nerves if we are still experiencing balance problems and then tailor our exercising accordingly. If you know your acoustic neuroma totally destroyed the vestibular nerve on which it is growing (or it was removed or severed during surgery), then the brain needs time to switch all vestibular input to the other remaining good nerve. Doing specific vestibular rehab exercises speeds up this process. Actually walking is one of the best exercises, but you do need to gently (and safely) push yourself to start moving your head up and down and side to side while doing it. (Always have a wall, a railing, or another person nearby until you are sure you can safely do this.)
If you have a slow growing AN, very often the brain has already compensated even before diagnosis and/or treatment.
Just my thoughts .....
Clarice