Author Topic: Update on Liz from Washington  (Read 24033 times)

bdsgurl

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Update on Liz from Washington
« on: March 26, 2009, 09:55:42 am »
Hey everyone,

I finally got a text messege last night from Liz's Husband at 11:22 pm. He said she had finally come out of surgery and it looked like everything was going well. She was supposed to go in at like 6:30am so that was a LONG surgery! I hope to hear more from him today and when i do ill update on here as well. I know today is gonna be one of the hardest days for her, so im just gonna keep praying everytime i think of her, so glad this is behind her!

Annalisa

EJTampa

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2009, 10:22:59 am »
Hi Annalisa,
 
Thanks for the update!  I've said this before, but during surgery, it's the caregivers that have the hardest part of this ordeal!  The waiting and worrying, while the person having the surgery just sleeps the day away :)
 
Sending well wishes and prayers for a quick and uneventful recovery,
 
Ernie
-1.3 X 0.8 cm AN in the right cerebellopontine angle extending into the internal auditory canal.
-Retrosigmoid Surgery with Dr. Bartels and Dr. Danner at Tampa General 3/5/2009.
-Had to cut hearing nerve to get "sticky" tumor, so SSD right side.

NancyMc

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2009, 10:28:53 am »
Great!  I can stop pacing.  We'll be waiting and watching (of a different variety) for your reports.  Thx!
Nancy
Watch and Wait since 9/19/01
Increased from 1.1 x 1.9 to 1.9 x 1.9 cm as of 10/27/08
Right SSD, tinnitus, compensating balance
Dr. McKenna at Mass Eye and Ear and Dr. Barker at MGH
Translab April 8, 9 hours, 18 mm Tumor all gone SSD some facial weakness

bdsgurl

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2009, 11:00:21 am »
Another text this morning!! He says she has a bad headache and wondered if that was normal:) I said, OH YES!! and ask for more pain meds!

He also said, she is talking, swallowing fine, and has very little facial paralysis!!

Im so relieved and happy!

anissa

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2009, 11:11:43 am »
Oh that is great news!  Continued prayers and she recovers.
Anissa
2/11/09 Diagnosed AN 2.1cm
2/26/09 Consult with Dr. Clough Shelton, U of Utah
4/1/09 Translab with Shelton & Couldwell
--little teensy bit of tumor or cells on facial nerve, stuck! No facial weakness, Rt side SSD
4/8/10 1-yr MRI, "Looks great!"

Syl

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2009, 11:12:55 am »
Ernie's right. The family and friends are the ones with the hard part during surgery.
Keep us posted.

Syl
1.5cm AN rt side; Retrosig June 16, 2008; preserved facial and hearing nerves;
FINALLY FREE OF CHRONIC HEADACHES 4.5 years post-op!!!!!!!
Drs. Kato, Blumenfeld, and Cheung.

leapyrtwins

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2009, 12:35:24 pm »
Ernie's right. The family and friends are the ones with the hard part during surgery.


True, all we had to do was sleep  ;)  Our trials came post op. 

Glad to hear Liz is doing okay; nice to see we have another postie among us.

Jan
Retrosig 5/31/07 Drs. Battista & Kazan (Hinsdale, Illinois)
Left AN 3.0 cm (1.5 cm @ diagnosis 6 wks prior) SSD. BAHA implant 3/4/08 (Dr. Battista) Divino 6/4/08  BP100 4/2010 BAHA 5 8/2015

I don't actually "make" trouble..just kind of attract it, fine tune it, and apply it in new and exciting ways

SML

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2009, 01:45:17 pm »
I'm so happy for the good news. We will be keeping Liz and her hubby in our thoughts and prayers

Scarlett & Rich
SML(Scarlett)-Massachusetts
1.5 cm x 2.5 cm Cystic AN - Right side
Retrosigmoid 3/18/09 at MGH in Boston,MA.
Dr. Barker - Neurosurgeon, MGH - Dr. Lee - Neuro-Otology, MEEI
no facial issues, SSD right side, balance issues to work on.
Outstanding Surgeons, I'm very happy with the results.

Jim Scott

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2009, 02:45:45 pm »
Annalissa ~

Your updates on Liz are much appreciated.  I'm so pleased to learn she's doing well.  Be sure to tell her that according to Steve - and we all agree: 'the first 3 days post-op don't really count'.   You can add that she's officially a 'postie', now.  Then, tell Liz to get some more rest so she can move toward being discharged and really beginning her recovery.  :)

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.

sgerrard

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2009, 08:29:41 pm »
More good news. Another good week. I am liking it. :)

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.

moe

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2009, 08:37:22 pm »
Turns out Liz and I had the same surgeon  at Madigan Army Med Ctr. So glad she came out OK. That was  a monster of a tumor.
I just found her link the night before her surgery. She lives nearby so I would like to call her and/or visit when she gets home.
Can anyone PM me her phone/address or husband's cell phone?
Thanks,
maureen
06/06-Translab 3x2.5 vascular L AN- MAMC,Tacoma WA
Facial nerve cut,reanastomosed.Tarsorrhaphy
11/06. Gold weight,tarsorrhaphy reversed
01/08- nerve transposition-(12/7) UW Hospital, Seattle
5/13/10 Gracilis flap surgery UW for smile restoration :)
11/10/10 BAHA 2/23/11 brow lift/canthoplasty

bdsgurl

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2009, 11:26:00 am »
I spoke with Liz's husband today and he told me that she had a bad night, really nauseaus and feeling badly. She had to have a shunt put in to help drain the CSF becuase even prior to surgery she had alot of the fluid at the top of her head, so they didnt want to take any chances and wanted to go ahead and drain it. He said she has lots of pressure so she will stay in ICU for the weekend and then see how they go from there. He said she is still talking and doing well otherwise. I just keep praying for them, these days are certainly the hardest!

msmaggie

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2009, 11:55:51 am »
My sympathies are with her for having to stay in ICU fo so long.  Once I was awake, I realized that it is a very noisy place, and all the lights and machines made me feel llke an experiment in a bad sci-fi movie!  Hope she gets well and gets to go home soon. :)

Priscilla
Diagnosed  left AN 8/07/08, 1.9 CM
Surgery 12/10/08 at Methodist Hospital w/Vrabec and Trask for what turned out to be a cpa meningioma.

Jim Scott

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2009, 02:36:00 pm »
bdsgurl ~

I'm sorry to learn that Liz is having some difficulty.  The shunt should alleviate her CSF problem.  I trust her ICU stay will be brief.

I was stuck in ICU for 4 days even though I had no real post-op complications. No other beds available, they said.  I hated it!  The noise, lights and general lack of quiet is counter-productive to healing, in my opinion.  Not to mention the fact that I was awakened about every two hours for various tests that seemed redundant and unnecessary - and that ended abruptly as soon as I left the ICU, confirming my suspicion that most of them were not essential in my case but simply nurses following standard ICU protocol.  Liz has my sympathy, too.

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.

Rich56

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Re: Update on Liz from Washington
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2009, 07:39:45 pm »
Hi Annalisa,

We're very sorry to hear that Liz is having CSF complications, hopefully once they square that away that will be it.

Thank you for the updates,

Keeping Liz close in our thoughts,

Rich & Scarlett
SML (Scarlett's) other half, she had - 1.5 cm x 2.5 cm Cystic AN - Right side
Retrosigmoid on 3/18/09 at MGH in Boston, MA. Dr. Barker & Dr. Lee of MGH/MEEI
no facial issues, SSD right side, balance issues to work on.
The AN Calendar is here: http://www.my.calendars.net/AN_Treatments