Author Topic: 2nd surgical opinion  (Read 3288 times)

Kaybo

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Re: 2nd surgical opinion
« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2009, 09:43:47 pm »
Carol~
Mary is a sweetie - just PM her & I'm sure she will get back to you!  I hope everything is going OK with her - we haven't heard from her in a while...I wonder if they are RVing??

Get some sleep & may tomorrow bring a better day! :)

K
Translab 12/95@Houston Methodist(Baylor College of Medicine)for "HUGE" tumor-no size specified
25 yrs then-14 hour surgery-stroke
12/7 Graft 1/97
Gold Weight x 5
SSD
Facial Paralysis-R(no movement or feelings in face,mouth,eye)
T3-3/08
Great life!

sgerrard

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Re: 2nd surgical opinion
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2009, 09:44:54 pm »
In addition to injecting gentamycin, there is also a labyrinthectomy, where they would take out the balance organ and nerve, but not the tumor. Less invasive, no risk of facial nerve issue. But either treatment would most likely take out the hearing on that side, and full AN surgery has a pretty high chance of doing so as well, especially as you describe the AN as wrapped around the eighth nerve. So you get the conundrum: is it worth giving up the hearing to fix the balance?

I would pursue those vestibular exercises with a vengeance, and take Ibuprofen and steroids and anything else, to see if you can get to a point where the balance situation is manageable and you still have your perfect hearing. If you could switch it around and have 90% good time and 10% battling balance, it might be good enough.

That is my nickel's worth (inflation, you know). I hope something works out well.

Steve
8 mm left AN June 2007,  CK at Stanford Sept 2007.
Hearing lasted a while, but left side is deaf now.
Right side is weak too. Life is quiet.