In November of 2014, I had a tumor removed from my brain. Hearing loss was my only symptom and the only reason it was detected when it was. I have no idea how long I had been struggling with this hearing loss or when it even started. I just know I put my finger in my good ear to scratch it in the summer of 2014 and noticed that the volume on the TV went way down. It was a light bulb moment for sure.
I made the appointment with an ENT and had a hearing test, from there an MRI which showed that I had a 1.48 cm tumor sitting on my hearing and balance nerve. I weighed my options and had my surgery in November of 2014 at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. Surgery went great, only took 5 ½ hours and 5 days later I got to go home! All of the tumor was removed, there has been no facial paralysis, I still have “some” hearing in my left ear and I am not having any bouts with vertigo. YEA!
Every day since November 20, 2014 I have been working to return my life to “normal.” Well I am fast approaching the 2 year anniversary of my surgery and returning to normal has turned into creating a new normal. You expect things to be difficult during the first few months after surgery. I mean, they did cut open my head and remove something. Not a minor surgery by any means.
In my new normal, I understand and accept that roller coasters or rough rides of any kind are OFF LIMITS. Oh and none of those that twirl and spin rides either. I did ride on Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and I even did the Star Wars simulator ride at Hollywood studios. A time or two when I thought the simulation was a little extreme, I just closed my eyes. Worked like a charm.
In my new normal, I have to be very careful with sneezing or coughing. If either sneak up on me and I’m not prepared for a “controlled” sneeze or cough, I suffer the consequences afterwards. The entire back of my head feels like it is going to explode. It takes me 20 to 30 minutes to get things calmed down. I have learned a lot of massage techniques for my head when the headaches come.
In my new normal, I also understand that my balance is different and I have to be very careful when going up and down stairs and I really don’t want to trip. I have lost my balance a few times by tripping over something, usually my own feet. Once I am knocked off balance, unless someone is there to catch me, I will fall. A couple of weeks ago we went to Disney World with the family. We were all standing on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom watching the fabulous fireworks at 10:15 p.m. when I decided to move over a little. I tripped over the train track in the road and was headed down. It felt like I was moving in slow motion and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. However, my husband who never moves very far away from me, caught me and I did not fall. My hero.
Dancing was another area I was worried about. Keith and I love to ballroom dance and I love for him to spin me. That did not come easy, let me tell you. We have worked on it and I’m very proud to say that I can do the double spin again. Of course Keith is right there to keep me moving in the right direction.
I have not gotten back into running yet. In fact, my entire desire to walk, run or do any form of exercise has been non-existent. Yoga is completely off the table because it still bothers me when I have to bend over. Downward dog would be so bad right now. I have to be careful just bending over to pick up the dog food bowls twice a day.
I have been working for almost a year now to get in control or eliminate the headaches I have been getting since the surgery. I am pleased to say that it appears I am on a good path with the headaches right now and I am trying to add back walking every day. My headache regime is meds from neurologist, head and neck message every other week, chiropractic treatment and best of all, acupuncture. I truly feel that the acupuncture has been the catalyst to make everything work together. The headaches are mostly manageable now, fewer and farther in between. I am looking forward to the day when someone asks me about my headaches and I can say, what headaches.
There are still a couple of things I have not tried yet because I just don’t know what will happen. Tennis is one of them. Since jarring things or sudden movements make my head hurt, not sure what will happen if I hit a tennis ball with the racquet. The other sport that I dearly love and have not tried yet is bowling. I had just gotten a new ball and shoes right before my diagnosis. Fear has kept me from trying that as well. I will continue my journey to create my new normal, taking each day one step at a time. Who knows what will happen next.