Day: October 13, 2017

Uncategorized /

Life in stereo

Lately I’ve been paying attention to how things sound, where the sound is coming from, and the beauty of hearing in stereo.  It hit me hard a few days ago that there will be a days/occasions/every day events prior to my surgery that will be full of “lasts.”

  • The last time I hear the music in church in my right ear.
  • The last time I’ll hear my kids call for me and hear it in my right ear.
  • The last time I will be able to sit on either side of Jake and have a conversation using both my ears to listen to what is said.

It’s hard to say how I’ll react, but I’m guessing there will be many tears shed as I grieve the loss of 1/2 of one my 5 senses.

Uncategorized /

California consult #2

I was able to talk with the second surgeon from California this afternoon.  He told me similar information regarding saving my hearing – there is a low chance through the retrosigmoid approach but he’d be willing to try if that was my preference.  When he asked whether I have headaches and migraines, (and I responded, yes) he again mentioned the increased risk with them becoming chronic with the retro approach and it would have to be something I’d have to weigh the pros and cons.  His overall opinion was that I’d be a great candidate for translab surgery and he did not see an issue with the location of my jugular bulb.  In his experience, he said that his translab patients have been his happiest patients.

With this most recent opinion, I finally feel confident in choosing a surgical approach.  Now I plan to move on to selecting a surgical team/location and time.  Deep breath, reality continues to set in…