Author Topic: 1cm regrowth flwg 3cm removal translab 11 yrs ago - 2nd surgery or GK???  (Read 3116 times)

Zipporah

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Please offer any feedback. Left side 3 cm AN translab removal was successful; now 1cm regrowth found. Have opinions from doctors to have second surgery or to have GK.  Has anyone faced the same situation? If yes, what opinions did you get and do you have any insight or success with either to report (I know the GK success isn't immediately known).

Thank you for whatever comments you may be able to offer.

Zipporah
Left side AN 3cm 2000 translab removal at NYU. Left side 1cm recurrance 2011, translab removal at NYU.

Kathleen_Mc

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 782
I myself had surgery the second time, instead of gamma knife which I was offered as an option.
I chose to have surgery the second time because I wanted to know that it was gone and with gamma knife you have to wait and see if it was effective, also if the gamma knife wasn't effective it makes the surgical removal more difficult. (the tumor did not have to come out for physical reasons, I had it out because psychologically it was killing me knowing it was there)
The way I see it I had already lost my balance, hearing and facial nerves the first time around so the only benefit to having the gamma knife would have been not having to go through the physical recovery of surgery but, as I expected< the second surgery was a breeze to recover from.
Basically it's a person decision you have to make but that mine.
Kathleen
1st AN surgery @ age 23, 16 hours
Loss of 7-10th nerves
mulitple "plastic" repairs to compensate for effects of 7th nerve loss
tumor regrowth, monitored for a few years then surgically removed @ age 38 (of my choice, not medically necessary yet)

CHD63

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3235
  • Life is good again!!
Zipporah .....

As Kathleen said, it really is a personal decision when it comes right down to it.

It would be so much easier if there had been a magic formula or crystal ball to use in making my decision recently on what to do about my regrowth.  When it came all down to it, the decision was rather easy for me.

My 2.6 cm AN was removed 3 1/2 years ago via retrosigmoid.  It was an unusually rapidly growing one ..... possibly due to the big radium doses I had as a kid.  When it grew back (1.3 cm in February, 2011), the question was whether it would also be growing rapidly.  Because of the radium, I was not a good candidate for Gamma or Cyber Knife.  Plus, I really am not the sort of person who enjoys thinking about something growing in my head and not knowing how fast.  I also wanted to avoid facial involvement if at all possible.

Therefore, I had translab surgery at House in May for total removal of the pesky thing!  As Kathleen said, the second surgery ..... at least for me ..... was a piece of cake compared with the first time.  Balance was already destroyed before so I had already adjusted to that.

For what it's worth, surgeons generally do not like to enter the same way on a second removal situation.  They prefer a clean "plane" to avoid as much scar tissue, as possible.  I would ask what their surgery plan is for your case and why.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions on my situation.

Many prayers for answers and successful treatment.

Clarice
Right MVD for trigeminal neuralgia, 1994, Pittsburgh, PA
Left retrosigmoid 2.6 cm AN removal, February, 2008, Duke U
Tumor regrew to 1.3 cm in February, 2011
Translab AN removal, May, 2011 at HEI, Friedman & Schwartz
Oticon Ponto Pro abutment implant at same time; processor added August, 2011