How is your skin now? Professional facial treatments are honestly the only natural thing that has ever really helped with my skin issues in a proper way. I’ve tried creams, treatments, and all sorts of products before, but nothing worked the same. The team at https://mary4.beauty/en did an amazing job with mine — I could see a difference almost straight away, and my skin just felt healthier overall. It’s one of those things where you don’t realize how much it helps until you actually try it

Hello, I wanted to share my story for others who are looking at their options.

I had my second AN surgery done at UCSD a few weeks ago.  Dr.'s Friedman and Schwartz are incredible surgeons, and gentlemen too.  I think very highly of them and their program at UCSD.  They did an incredible job on me.  They achieved Gross Total Tumor Resection and simultaneously put in a Ponto BAHA.

I had lost a significant amount of hearing before my first surgery at Loyola (Maywood, IL.  Close to Chicago).  The surgeons there (Leonetti/Anderson) tried to resect the tumor and preserve what hearing I had with a Retrosigmoid approach but I woke up with very little hearing.  I could only hear super loud bass tones, and I scored a zero on word recognition.  Unfortunately, after surgery I also still had a 13mm tumor along my facial nerve. 

I was having bad headaches, so after my 9 month MRI I consulted UCSD and spoke with Dr. Friedman.  He gave me confidence that they could likely resect the whole tumor with another surgery.  In my situation, it was also advised that 'Watch & Wait' would be appropriate, but I'm relatively young (39) and in decent shape, and I wanted to proceed with a second surgery in order to give myself a chance to have the entire tumor taken out. 

My second surgery was a total success.  They got the whole tumor out, and I recovered very quickly.  I'm now back home in Chicago, and will be going back to work soon.

The program at UCSD was by far and away the best medical treatment I have ever received or seen.  Nothing else is in the same class.  From the surgeons (Friedman / Schwartz), to the PA, to the nurses, the hospital itself (Jacobs Medical Center), and the accommodations (Family House @ UCSD), the program is phenomenal. 

I'm so glad that I traveled to California to have my surgery done @ UCSD.  I'm grateful to the Dr's and their whole team there. 

If anyone wants to know more about UCSD or second surgeries, feel free to message me.  Thanks, Joe

Edge,

Please be your own advocate.  Write your questions down and take the sheet with you.  Do not be hesitant to ask anything. Make sure every question on your list is answered.  Do not worry about offending them, they are use to it.  I really think the Doctors appreciate the people who do the research and ask the difficult questions. I remember where I was peppering my ENT with questions.  I was asking a lot.  He finally looked at me as said, "you have not ask the most important question, 'This is not my first rodeo".

Ask everything you want,

Dan

Rose,

I am not a doctor so this is not medical advice.  I did not see a neurologist in my CK journey.

Dan

Mark, that’s an awesome story and filled with hope. I really appreciate hearing it!

I do have questions about Hopkins, I have an appointment with them in February, and I live in MD, so it would be nice to go there. I’m not sure what the appropriate way to ask questions about clinics is or where the appropriate place is….