Balance issues many years after surgery

[bjelk]

I had my translab surgery for a 3.5 cm tumor in 1990, at the age of 35.  I am now 61.  Post surgery I had complete hearing loss on the left side, but no other complications (except being a little off balance on uneven surfaces and in the dark).   Two years ago I had benign positional vertigo and after they did the Epley procedure, it took me two weeks for the dizziness to completely subside.  My ENT says that because I have no acoustic nerve on the left side, as I am aging, my body is beginning to lose some of its ability to compensate.  Thus, whenever I feel a little dizzy for any reason, I feel it longer than I ever did when I was younger.  Has anyone else with a long term history of acoustic neuroma surgery had this experience?  People always right about the immediate effects of having surgery, but I have not seen any discussion of how aging affects one after AN surgery.  Thanks

[jcinma]

I had retrosigmoid surgery in 1996 and surgery along with radiation in 2004 for a regrowth. I am now 65 and have noticed my balance is not as good as it once was post surgery. I am trim but not as strong as I was back then. I don't have any dizziness but am apt to teeter more than before. I had vestibular therapy after both surgeries and I wonder if I would benefit from it again.

[CHD63]

Hi bjelk and jcinma .....

Not sure about your individual cases and my first surgery was only 9 years ago, but I am older than either of you.  I had extensive vestibular therapy after my first surgery, but I continued to have uneasiness in walking on uneven surfaces or in dim light for a long time later.

Note:  I have no working vestibular nerves on either side, due most likely to previous radium treatments as a kid.

We recently moved to a retirement community, where I am suddenly doing more walking than before, and I am finding more and more stability in walking.  Soooooo, I am wondering if part of the problem when we age is the fact we do less physical exercise and/or walking ......  Just a thought.  Now that I am doing aquatic exercise and walking on a regular basis, I am happy for the improvement in balance!

Clarice

[bethtretrault]

I am more recently post surgery (retrosig about 19 months ago). Pre surgery I had BPPV is my right ear (the good one). I had multiple Epley manuevers done  and felt terrible every time for about 2 weeks after. Since the surgery i have had 3 episodes of vertigo. I am not sure what it is from but when I told the ENT he said that it could be with only 1 balance nerve when you experience the drops in function that come along with age it is harder to compensate. I'll be trying Tai Chi to see if that helps. I do walk alot and that, I think, really helped right after the surgery.I'd do almost anything to keep these episodes from returning.I just can't function when the world is moving, my walking feels tentative and I'm nauseous. Really, really don't like it. Clarice-I don't know how you do it....