No green beer this year for me!

[Jackie]

Hey Mike,

The very best of luck to you and a speedy recovery!!! That's no Blarney!!!

Jackie in Oregon

[cin605]

All leprcauns gather round....anyone hear an update from mike??

[leapyrtwins]

probably won't hear from me for a week....wife isn't posting for me in the next few days (she gets to juggle the kids and all).

Looks like we'll all be kept hanging for a little while.

Hopefully things went well for MikeS today and he's on his way to a speedy, uneventful recovery.

Jan

[MikeS]

Hey gang! Back amongst the living (sort of).  Been six days since surgery and all is well (whew!).  Went in last tues as scheduled (3/17) and Dr's Leonetti and Anderson were awesome.  Surgery lasted six hours an by 2:30pm i was in recovering a new definition of 'pain and discomfort' that i had never imagined in my wildest dreams.  They are sure they got it all and i actually awoke with a wee bit of hearing (which they say may improve as swelling goes down).  I was out of bed on thurs and came home friday...the old saying that a hospital is the worst place to get some rest is so true.

Headaches / neckpain / general discomfort is still overwelming but taking is very very slowly.  i can't thank all of you enough for the well wishes and the countless tips / advice i've read over last few months on these pages.  i definitely felt better prepared going into it, especially the quote "the first 28 hours after surgery don't count".  boy, that was the roughest period i've ever endured.

take care

mike

[EJTampa]

Hello Mike, and welcome to Postie land!
 
How wonderful that they were able to save at least some of your hearing!  I had an easy recovery compared to others, but yours sounds just about normal.  I pray that your headaches and neckpain subside soon.  How are you doing as far as balance and focussing?
 
Ernie

[Kaybo]

Good to hear from you Mike - take it easy!!

K

[lori67]

Well, it sounds like that green beer I had in your honor did the trick!  Glad it went smoothly ( the surgery, not the beer) and I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon.  Slow and steady.

I'lll keep my fingers crossed that the hearing improves!!  That's great!

Lori

[joebloggs]

Mike and Ernie have both seemed to totally rocked the swift exit from hospital!  Good one Mike!  Hope you feeling heaps better... it's amazing how much better you get after hospital... something to do with getting some sleep and food that doesn't smell and taste like cabbage?

[texsooner]

Mike, congrats on making it in good shape to postie land. Also great to see you may have retained some hearing. Do some walking if you're up to it and stay positive.

Patrick

[cin605]

Welcome to postie land.Hope your  recovery is smooth.Know when to rest.

[Mickey]

It`s great to hear your doing well!  Mickey

[MikeS]

just a quick check-in....surgery D-Day Plus 11.  feeling much better but, as many of you have repeatedly pointed out, this is not a linear recovery. had a 'backwards' day yesterday which was probably good in the grand scheme of things to kick me in the back side and remind me to take it easy.  headaches are still whoppers but i've weened off the crazy stuff and am getting by on tylenol alone.  no progress on hearing front in terms of improvements but Dr said it would take weeks/months for things inside to settle down and stabilize.  the walks outside are helping but, being in Chicago, not always an option this time of year. 

biggest issue is sleeping....can't get comfortable easily and am up much of the night.  but taking lots of naps during the day.

have any of you had the post-op arm and neck pain?!  they must have really twisted my head and strapped me down hard....my neck and arms a quite bruised and sore.  every day a bit better though.

to anyone considering their options, i'm more than willing to help out.  i wasn't in a dire situation as my tumor was just starting to cause symptoms and had all 3 options (wait, radiation, surgery).  i wanted to move quickly to avoid the hearing loss, since they were all amazed i had great hearing with a 2cm x 1cm in my hearing canal.  in retro-spect i think i made the right call...time will tell.

thanks to all for your continued support and kind words.  this forum has been a God-send.

[EJTampa]

Mike,
 
Funny you should mention the sore neck.  Prior to surgery, when I asked my surgeon about headaches after surgery, he said that when he was on another team, he couldn't believe how far and how hard they cranked peoples necks over.  He vowed not to do that at his place (thank goodness).  I didn't have any issues with neck pain at all, but do get a slight headache here and there that tylenol seems to dispatch without trouble.
 
Ernie

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Mike:

Just popping in to add my congratulations on coming through your surgery successfully.  Recovery differs for everyone and the arm & neck pain is not uncommon.  Heating pads seem to help. 

Don't try to set records for recovery, just let your body guide you on how much to attempt at any given time.  Naps will be a regular part of your life for some time, but likely not permanently.

Here's hoping your hearing was retained and that you'll regain normalcy fairly soon. 

Jim

[leapyrtwins]

Mike -

Stiffness/soreness in the neck and shoulders is very common due to the position you are placed in during surgery.  The stiffness/soreness can also be attributed to the fact that you are in this position for so long.

My retrosigmoid surgery was a little longer than yours (7 1/2 hours as opposed to 6) and I had this stiffness/soreness.  It will go away in time.  So will the fatigue. 

Patience, patience, patience 

Jan