Yesterday was a pretty full day. I had my first visit with the surgeon who’ll be performing the procedure at Vanderbilt, and his colleague who’ll also be performing part of the surgery. Here’s what I know:
It’s an acoustic neuroma. We pretty much knew this going in, but it could also have been a meningioma. Both are treated essentially the same, so it doesn’t really matter beyond being accurate in diagnosis.
I’ll be having surgery. I don’t have a definite date yet (should hear back today at some point) but it will be in late October. All types of radiation were taken off the table for all the reasons I’ve mentioned in previous posts, and the increased risk for regrowth down the road. Radiation would also complicate matters if it came to surgery at some point down the road. Surgery now is the only way to get the tumor out (radiation only stops the growth, and only in some instances causes the tumor to shrink).
Waiting is fine. This type of tumor is so slow growing that it shouldn’t pose any problem or risk to wait for the surgery. Why am I waiting? A couple of reasons, I suppose. First of all, the surgeons both have to coordinate their efforts, and their schedules. Because the surgery is so long (starts at 7 or so in the morning, and runs well into the evening) they both only do one of these, at a maximum, per week. The first opening for one of the docs was in late September. By setting a date a little further out, I’ll have a bit more control over the timing. The other reason is that I’ll have added benefits through my employer after my one year anniversary in October. It’s a pretty significant increase in how my salary continuance and short-term disability will be handled, so it just makes financial sense to wait.
There will be some complications. First of all, my hearing on the right side will be gone – it was simply off the table to even talk about saving it. If we go in, the nerve and other important connections are cut to get to the tumor. I could later consider some type of bone anchored hearing device, but that’s not really restoring hearing. It simply reroutes sound vibrations on the right side of my head to my good ear on the left. Frankly, this won’t be a huge change as I’m at about 64% hearing in that ear anyway. While I can hear sounds, I can’t make out what I’m hearing. If people talk to me on that side of my head they sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher. I’m thinking about getting a little sign that says “out of order” to hang over that ear with a little arrow pointing to the other side. Or maybe I’ll hire an ear concierge to direct people to the other ear. (“So sorree, monsieur. Thees ear ees, how you say, out of working?”) I’m considering my options.
There’s also a risk of partial facial paralysis or weakness. It’s a given that I’ll have this short term after the surgery (maybe a couple of weeks). The bigger question is the long term effects. The tumor has pushed this nerve back, and has kind of splayed it out behind it. The surgeons will be trying to peel the tumor off this nerve without damaging it, which is difficult (I’m told) because the nerve is fragile. This particular issue is why the surgery takes so long. The upside is that I’ll have the best Halloween costume ever if my face is droopy after the surgery. See? Perspective is everything.
Recovery time is hard to estimate. It could take anywhere from a few weeks, to a few months if all goes well. It just depends on how my body handles it. I’m looking at about 4-5 days in the Neuro ICU after the surgery, and then some recovery time at home. I may have some rehab to deal with depending on how this affects my balance.
These guys are good. The two doctors that are working on my case are the best of the best. Vanderbilt is one of the top acoustic neuroma centers in the world, and this makes me feel very, very comfortable. Both doctors were super nice, and fielded all our questions with patience, ease, and great information.
And finally…
None of this information factors God into the equation. He has the ability to step in and take care of any or all of this at any given moment. He also has the right to not intervene and instead use this for His own purposes. I’m completely fine either way. I’m going to post about this later, but I want you to understand that God’s goodness doesn’t depend on His willingness to heal me…or you, for that matter. I refuse to measure His greatness, or frankly my faith, by whether or not I have this surgery. It’s irrelevant. God is God. Period. I trust Him wholly and completely, and I want to encourage you to do the same. Don’t impose your will or desires on God and then use them as a litmus test to determine His power, faithfulness, love, or mercy. Instead, make your petitions known and be patient. God is good…all the time.
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. ” – Lamentations 3:25-26
