A little AN hope for all

[cherrypiper]

i'm new here and dont know what is or isnt ok in this forum. but i thought this little note might help some of the skittish or those considering AN as an option.

Yesterday evening i had a little progress in my recovery from my AN. I had it done 12/03/07.

The procedure was successful and i am glad to report they got all of it and it was benign which was a biggie for me, even though they told me 95% of them are.

Anyway the operation left me with the rt side of my face sagging and paralyzed. I have no feeling or muscle movement over there at all. This too is , im told , normal and maybe temporary.

Yesterday i was able to close my right eye and open it without doing the same with my left eye. now i cant "blink" that eye yet and it doesnt quite close all the way but it is getting better there too my wife says.

This is just a little improvement but it is one none the less and caused me to at least relax a little to wait for more improvements.

Whether more improvements come or not  as long as i keep those 2 BIGGIES up front:

that they got all they could see , and it was benign  the rest is ok.

[Debbi]

Hey Cherrypiper-

Thanks for sharing this - it is so important to celebrate the victories, whether big or small!  And, blinking is a biggie!  I can't wait until I can blink - you give me lots of hope.  Thank you - and may you have many more biggies...

Debbi - waiting to blink...

[wendysig]

Hi Cherrypiper

You're right, hope is what it's all about.  You hope you make the right decisions, you hope everything will be okay.  Every little step forward can be followed by a step backward and that is usually followed by another step forward.  Every improvement is a small victory.  At least that is how I feel.  This afternoon I finally made my decision on the treatment of my AN, which will be microsurgery.  This is the  first step forward in what I hope wihat I hope will be a lot of steps forward.  I wish you a speedy recovery, but if it goes more slowly, be patient and kind to yourself.  One day at a time.

Wendy

[leapyrtwins]

Wendy -

you've made your treatment decision 

That's wonderful news!  I know how hard it is to decide.

When you get a date, please put it on the AN Calendar so we can remember to wish you well.

Jan

[er]

Hello Cherrypiper,
 The same thing happened to me. I had a gold weight the day I left the hospital because I couldn't close my left eyelid and I was very light sensitive. By the 6 month I was starting to get a lot of my left side back. by a year I was looking normal. I'm still having some slight problems but not compared to when I came out. It will come back.........
Good luck in your journey. you are in the right place.
eve

This is one of their topics & Phyle also placed one last week on one of the threads.

http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=4.0

[cmp]

Cherrypiper--

congratulations on your eye wink (sounds as if that's what it was, more than a blink)! That really is wonderful news.

I had right sided facial paralysis after removing a 5cm tumor (just like you!), and remember how disappointing it was to watch the months roll by without any movement (at 12 months post op I had a 7-12 anastamosis, where they graft the tongue nerve to the facial nerve to restore symmetry at rest and a little movement), but it sounds as though you are on your way!

I hope other twitches, blinks, and such aren't far behind... 

[Kaybo]

YEA!!
Every little thing is a big accoplishment!!  Celebrate!!

K

[HeadCase2]

Cherrypiper,
  Congratulations on the slowly returning blink function.  As you know it doesn't return all at once.  So, here's hoping for continuing imrovement.
Regards,
  Rob

[Jim Scott]

Cherrypiper:

I've always used the phrase 'Time Heals' as my guide...because it does.  You're living proof. 

Thanks for sharing your victory with us.  May you have many more in the weeks to come. 

Jim

[Syl]

I agree that hope is what it's all about. That's why I named my AN "Esperanza", which means "hope" in Spanish.

Syl