Author Topic: Feeling of Pressure helped by Surgery?  (Read 3253 times)

MissMolly

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Feeling of Pressure helped by Surgery?
« on: March 19, 2009, 11:07:24 am »
Hi Again,
While reviewing my options I have a question that the Dr. didn't really have a direct answer for me.  Did anyone who had surgery find that there was a decreased feeling of pressure on the side of the tumor?  Most of the time this pressure, for me, is significant and distracting.  It's been increasing in the last three or four months.  I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and if it was helped by surgery.

Looking forward to viewpoints.

MissMolly
Diagnosed 3/09 1.1cm tumor - 4/17/09 - had grown to 1.2
Age 61 - married with three adult kids
MidFossa surgery completed June 22nd
Mass General/Mass Eye and Ear - Martuza and McKenna
The tumor has grown back.  Now working with Mass General.  Dr. Loeffler feels I am not a candidate for proton beam.

Jim Scott

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Re: Feeling of Pressure helped by Surgery?
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2009, 02:57:46 pm »
Hi Again,
While reviewing my options I have a question that the Dr. didn't really have a direct answer for me.  Did anyone who had surgery find that there was a decreased feeling of pressure on the side of the tumor?  Most of the time this pressure, for me, is significant and distracting.  It's been increasing in the last three or four months.  I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and if it was helped by surgery.

Looking forward to viewpoints.

MissMolly

Miss Molly ~

Yes, I experienced pressure on the 'AN side' (of my skull) prior to my diagnosis and subsequent 'retrosigmoid approach' surgery (3 weeks later).   Post-surgery, I found the pressure was gone - never to return. 

I hope this bit of information is helpful to you.  :)

Jim
4.5 cm AN diagnosed 5/06.  Retrosigmoid surgery 6/06.  Follow-up FSR completed 10/06.  Tumor shrinkage & necrosis noted on last MRI.  Life is good. 

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is.  The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.

Keeping Up

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Re: Feeling of Pressure helped by Surgery?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2009, 09:48:16 pm »
Will just keep on my role tonight ...

Feeling of pressure - in one's head, or 'airplane ear' - somehow I think you mean the first and not the latter. 

I have regular bouts of 'airplane' ear and I 'think' more frequent than before but can't be certain - no pain, distorts sound a bit, can last several minutes - my ENT said it was just normal course for the AN, nothing to be done.  I remain tremendously curious what the physiological explanation for airplane ear is in AN peoples!

Interested if that is your pressure or not.

Ann
dx Dec/08 - 5mm x 8mm AN
'watch and wait'