Surgery scheduled for 13 May, middle fossa approach

[CatzEyes]

Well, after talking through the cost/benefit/risk of waiting versus doing something now, while my AN is still measurable in millimeters, my husband and I came to the conclusion of ... now.

Dr Delashaw and Dr Backous of Swedish Hospital's Neuroscience Institute in Seattle will be scraping off that little barnacle on May 13. They called to offer two dates, the 13th and the 20th, and I couldn't see any point in giving myself a whole 'nother week to freak out about the surgery and aftermath.

Told my colleagues at work yesterday (all I could round up, at once, so I didn't have to explain myself 30 times), and am spending the next two or three days in handing off projects that needed completion by the end of May. Is it too much to hope I'll be back at work part time in the first week of June??

I go from being upbeat and casual ("So what does everyone say about a really easy task? It's not rocket science. It's not brain surgery... *pause*  ... except when it is!" *crickets*) to being scared silly. Waking up at 3am is suddenly very easy...

I have to thank all those people on these forums who wrote about their entire experience, because even though some of them are quite scary and I wouldn't want to share them, I feel hope. After all, I'm reading what they wrote, which means they're still alive to tell the tale, with grace and courage.

So, I'll try to do the same, and post about my experience once I'm able to do so. Fingers crossed that will be, say, the 15th.

Laura

[LakeErie]

Good luck, Laura. One of the most important factors in a good outcome from AN treatment is the size of the tumor, smaller is better than larger. Your odds of good outcome are high and if you should have any complications from the surgery, remember they are mostly temporary. The next day always comes, and so will the day after surgery. This will be behind you before you know it.

[CatzEyes]

Thank you for the encouraging words, LakeErie. They reminded me of advice I had earlier this week from Joyce Mills, a great P/T in Olympia. She's been helping my Mom, and specializes in vestibular rehab. We thought it was worth trying to build a little muscle-memory for balance exercises should/when I need them.

I told her I was quite fearful about vertigo and spinning sensations (I was the kid who NEVER went on the whirly-rides at the summertime Firemen's Fair). She advised me to find some sort of sign or notice pinned on the wall and just read the lines over and over and over, to train the eyes and brain to work in harmony a bit better and ignore those confusing ol' balance messages.

Well, I can't see myself reading the What To Do In Case Of Choking notice over and over, so I'm going to take a sheet of flip-chart paper and write in large, friendly letters, big enough to be read across a hospital room:

Joyce says: Trust me and be brave. Sit up and read this message. It will help stop the world spinning if you give it time. Getting through today is just the thing you have to do to get to tomorrow. And tomorrow is going to be better than today, so... 

Can't you see me explaining this to the nurses: "Would you mind scotch taping this giant-sized mantra to that wall over there?"

[LakeErie]

I had some vertigo and bobble headedness after surgery. Seven months to the day after surgery, I woke up in the morning with a normal feeling. The bobble headed feeling just stopped.
Of course, the imbalance and feeling dizzy had gradually improved over those seven months. The more I walked with head movements, the more I improved. I remember walking figure eights in a hallway so I could always touch a wall if I needed to get a sense of balance. The figure eights were very helpful to me. I am sure you will improve as well, if you even have any problems to begin with, not everyone does.
Remember that tomorrow always comes, and the 14th of May will be here before you know it. And you can then be justifiably proud of yourself for how you have handled a very difficult process. Good luck.

[CatzEyes]

Hello from the far side of the surgical suite doors...

This is just a quick post to say I'm home, in reasonably good order, and will post a full description on the post-surgery forum tomorrow!

cheerio till then
-- Laura