It went well!  I had a GREAT care team at the place where I had it done.  I didn't sleep too well, and I imagine that was at least in large part due to whatever medicine they gave me--either for pain or for numbness.  I was able to go out yesterday, for a walk with a friend, and to a couple places with her driving.  Today, I have some imbalance issues so am staying home from work.

Hi all!  I'm wondering how many surgeries per year for AN are performed in the U.S. 
Thanks in advance!
p.s. I'm 6 weeks post retro-sig and doing GREAT!  The prep and waiting was the hardest part for sure!

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