What to expect?

[rcaldw]

Hi,

4 years ago I had radiation treatments for an AN measured at a little over 2 cm.  Recently they have found slight growth.  My Dr. in Houston, associated with Baylor, has recommended watching it, doing MRI's every 6 mos... A Dr. friend of mine sent my information off to a very well known AN specialist/surgeon... who has said, we should do surgery.  It is now 2.5 cm.

He says he would favor a translabyrinthine approach.


Ok, my questions are:

1.  How long is the recovery from this surgery? (Generally speaking of course)
2.  What does "recovery" mean?  For example, though I'm 46 years old I work out several times a week and am regularly involved in sports.  How long, BEST CASE SCENARIO, would I be unable to do that?

3.  How long a surgery is this?  And how long is the usual hospital stay?


I know that I will ask the doctor all of these questions but I'm anxious to begin thinking through this, and was wondering if someone could give me some info so I could start thinking about it?

[Pooter]

It depends on how you define "recovery".  Typically, doctors will tell you to expect 4-6 weeks off from work and 3-5 days in the hospital including surgery day.  As many of us can tell you, healing can happen MUCH longer than that, although you can resume most 'normal' routines in that time frame.

Surgery times vary..  I've seen as little as 3-4 hours to mine which was 12 to longer.  It all depends on what the doctors find when they actually get in there are start resecting it.  Mostly, I've seen times of 4-8 hours, however that's anecdotal.

I, personally, define recovery as time off work and unable to get back to 'normal' activities.  I was off work for 6-7 weeks.  I would expect that you would be back to most normal activities no more than 4-6 weeks after surgery. 

I had my surgery in Houston at Baylor/Methodist...  Who's your doctor there?

Regards,
Brian

[rcaldw]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for the response.  I see Dr. Williamson.  Coker was my Dr. originally but he retired.  The Baylor folks are wanting to take a wait and watch approach.  The other surgeon recommends surgery and says he could take me as soon as May. (Dr. Fukushima, North Carolina).  I have a big decision to make.

Rich

[Pooter]

My doctor was Dr. Vrabec at Baylor.  He may have another opinion on watch & wait vs surgery, but maybe not.  He's always been a straight shooter with me and generally on the conservative side of things when it comes to treatments.  It might be worth your time to get another opinion.  Also, have you consulted with the doctors at House Clinic in LA yet?  If you send them your MRI on CD, they will provide a free phone consultation.

Dr. Fukushima has come up several times that I've seen on the forum and has always been highly regarded (from what I remember)..

Let us know how it goes..

Regards,
Brian

[CHD63]

Rich .....

Dr. Fukushima did my retrosigmoid approach surgery at Duke Raleigh Hospital two years ago ..... I know he does all three approaches, depending upon the situation.  I had excellent results and would not change anything in my decision making process.  The surgery was approximately 5 hours in length, I was in the hospital six days, my husband drove us home (a 6 hour drive) on Day 10 following surgery (my sister lives nearby so we chose to stay the week-end ..... could have come home earlier), and I was pretty much self-sufficient by two weeks out.  I am a retired school teacher so I did not have the pressing need to return to work.  However, I could have gone back in six weeks.

Much depends upon whether you have headaches or significant balance issues afterwards as to how soon you can return to work.  With most major surgeries, especially brain surgery, you are restricted from heavy lifting for six weeks so I would guess you will need to curtail the workouts (or modify them) and sports activities that long.  Walking is highly encouraged as soon as you are stable enough to do it safely post-op (day 3 for me).  Many on the forum here have run marathons or half-marathons after surgery and even a couple of enthusiastic paddleboarders, who both have resumed that activity.

You sound highly motivated so as soon as you are given the "go ahead" I would expect you to do well in your recovery sooner than many.  The important thing is to not overdo in the first few weeks out.  Your body needs that time to heal from the procedure.

Let me know or PM me and I would be happy to talk with you about my experience at Duke.  Wonderful hospital, I might add!

Best thoughts.  Clarice

[texsooner]

Rich, sorry you've had growth since your radiation treatments.

I'm also a Houstonian and can relate my very positive outcome from AN surgery about 18 months ago. My doctors are listed in my signature, and I can also attest that they did a great job for me and many others.

I think Brian has it right on the range of possibilities on times of surgery and standard recovery. Everybody's case is going to be different because of size and location of the AN. My surgery was also 12 hours long. As far as when you can return to normal activities, it will also vary with everyone. Like you, I am pretty active with exercising and I think that helped in my recovery time. I was able to resume running (albeit a little slower than normal) about 3 weeks after the surgery, and I returned to work at 4 weeks post op. I'm also close to you in age (I'm 49....turning 50 soon).

Good luck and let us know how everything goes. 

Patrick

[cindyj]

Hello and welcome!  I had a translab 1 1/2 years ago when I was 49 - the surgery was just under 5 hours and I was in the hospital for 5 days.  I was quite physically active prior to surgery.  Like Patirick, I believe that helped w/ my recovery.  I was back on the tennis courts by week 5 (took it easy, though ) and back doing workouts about the same.  Started training for 1/2 marathon not too many months out from surgery.  But, yes, everyone is different and it all depends on a number of things.  However, being in good shape going in to surgery is definitely in your favor.  It is no picnic and can really be rough the first week or so, but many here can testify to getting back to many different physical activities not too long post surgery. 

Best to you,

Cindy

[anissa]

1.  How long is the recovery from this surgery? (Generally speaking of course) - they say 6-8 weeks but I was on the treadmill within days of the surgery.  It was slow for sure but being active prior to surgery should help a bunch.
2.  What does "recovery" mean?  For example, though I'm 46 years old I work out several times a week and am regularly involved in sports.  How long, BEST CASE SCENARIO, would I be unable to do that?  I was 39 for my surgery, I don't think age really has anything to do with it.  Again, prior activity and how much your body is already accommodating for the balance nerve are big factors.

3.  How long a surgery is this?  And how long is the usual hospital stay?  My surgery was 11 hours long (sticky tumor) and I was in the hospital 3 nights.  Start walking the halls as soon as you can and as soon as they'll let you.

[rcaldw]

Thank you to all who have responded.  Your experiences have really encouraged me.  I know there are negative experiences out there as well, and no guarantees, but to know that I could possibly be back to normal activities very soon is a positive thought.

[Kate B]

Rich,

I had middle fossa in 2001 and returned to work full time as a Curriculum Director in five weeks time.

My surgery at House was about 4 1/2 hours and I was in the hospital 4 days.

Translab surgery gives the surgeon the best view of the tumor for removal. Because it was radiated once before, it means the area was burned, so you want a surgeon who has removed many tumors. It is not your garden variety. If I were you, I'd ask each doctor about their experience with removing previously radiated tumors. It sounds like the doctor in NC has those credentials should you decide to go there.

Kindest Regards,
Kate

[james e]

I just had a translab in Houston with Dr Vrabec on March 24. My recovery has been remarkable. 3 days in the hospital and go home. I can stand on one leg. Walk in the dark. No pain. No facial problems. Sounds pretty good. Well, on Friday my wife suggested we go to a movie and after about 500 feet as a passenger, I said take me home. Way too much information for my eyes and balancing. I thought I had this recovery licked...but at this point I'm not sure what RECOVERED is. The physical part for me is easy. The mental health part...I have no clue. If I had to do this all over again, I would not change anything. Time is your friend.

[Lynn Mc]

Rich,

Everyone has a different recovery.  I had a Translab 01/22/10. The surgery was 8 hours & I was in the hospital 4 nights.  Would have been out in 3 but I could not hold any food down.  I went back to work VERY part time after a couple of weeks.  I care for my 87 YO Dad and my 3 horses hence I am only working around 25 hours a week.  Can't seem to squeeze full work week and LIFE into a day!!!  I do have wonky head and some balance issues, but I can live with those.  Fatigue is probably the BIGGEST complaint!  I do Ti Chi and Yoga (these are new to me post surgery) as they should help me with the balance issues. 
TODAY is my BIG day as I AM going to ride my horse, Cheyne!!!!  Can't wait!!
Good Luck on your journey,

Happy Trails,
Lynn

[leapyrtwins]

Everyone is different in their recovery and you should remember that there's no competition to "bet anyone's time".  It's not a race, you should listen to your body and act accordingly.

Most docs will tell you 4-6 weeks for recovery and 4-7 days in the hospital. 

I spent 6 nights in the hospital - lots of nausea kept me from eating and I was very weak - and returned to work (desk job) 2 1/2 weeks post op.  I worked half days and then returned full-time at 4 weeks post op.

Fatigue is a big thing and balance takes a little time to adjust.  My hardest adjustment was being SSD, so I opted for a BAHA after my surgery.

Life has been back to "normal" for a long time now (my surgery was 5/31/07) - although "normal" isn't exactly what it was prior to surgery.   There is nothing I can't do - except hear out of my left ear.  The BAHA definitely helps with that.  And I still get a little wonkyheaded and have very slight balance issues if I'm over tired or highly stressed.

Jan

[Jim Scott]

Rich ~

For what it's worth: I was a healthy, fit (but not 'athletic)' 63 (and retired) when I underwent my AN surgery.  The surgery lasted just under 9 hours.  I was totally fatigued for about 2 days and just wanted to sleep, then I began getting restless.  I was walking the halls by Day 3 (at first with my wife holding on to me, then with no support ) and was discharged on the morning of my fifth day, which is common for AN surgery patients, as the previous posts indicate.  I sat around a lot my first week at home and took frequent naps.  By the 2-week mark I was doing more every day and again, getting restless, even though I was retired.  My doctor gave me permission to drive at two weeks post-op.  Hallelujah! I was walking a few miles daily within a few weeks of my discharge and resumed most of my former activities around that time.  I do not 'work out', pump iron or run marathons so my experience may not be germane to your situation but I thought it was worth posting.

My guess is that a fit person with no post-op complications will recover enough to resume most activities - short of really strenuous workouts - within a month or so.  This is strictly a 'ball park' estimate and there are a host of variables to consider.  Should you decide on having the surgery, I hope it'll be complication-free and your recovery speedy and complete.

Jim    

[rcaldw]

Thank you again, everyone.  Every response has been helpful and I really appreciate it.

Rich