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So what have you got?
| Something called Accoustic Neuroma
(AN), a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that grows from the nerves connected
to the ear.
It looks kind of like this ->
How big is it?
2.8cm. A bit bigger than a golf ball.
So are we finally rid of you?
You wish! AN’s grow very slowly and can take many years
to become life-threatening. Although they’re difficult to remove, the surgical
survival rate is >99.5%, with very low rates of recurrance.
What does it do to you?
The symptoms in the affect ear are: Gradual loss of general
hearing, a more noticable loss of speech discrimination, ringing in the
ears, and a slight imbalance or dizziness. I also have a very frequent
headache, but that may be caused by my job! Many patients also develop
a noticable difficulty arriving at work early in the morning.
How do they get it out?
With a chisel. Don’t think about that part too much. |
(Illustration of 3cm AN borrowed from USCF
website.)
|
How soon will you have the surgery?
The soonest possible date is April 27th, but
I’ll be waiting a little while.
How soon will you be back?
Sooner than you’d like! I’ll be gone for at least a month,
maybe longer if there’s something good on cable.
What happens after surgery?
There’s a small chance it will stay the same, and a fair
chance I’ll retain "some" hearing in the left ear. But there’s a
real risk of deafness as well. Makes me glad I’ve got a redundant ear!
Recovery can take 6 months, with symptoms like: severe
fatigue, headaches, difficulty blinking the eye on the affected side, temporary
facial paralysis or weakness, and a noticible difficulty arriving at work
early in the morning.
So who’s got the chisel?
I haven’t decided yet, but probably Dr. Mangham of the
Seattle Ear Clinic or his associate Dr. Huang. Dr. Mangham chisled out
KOMO TV anchor Kathi Goertzen’s similar tumor.
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