YesterLoad

Yesterday was kind of a headache - just getting into info overload, waiting for the appointment and preparing my list of questions. The first of course was “Will it hurt?” This for some reason was shrugged off. The next question was “Are you a member of the Skull and Bones secret society?” This was answered with “If I tell you, I’ll have to operate to remove your memory of the answer.” This was followed by “Is this like buying a car – should we operate on a Wednesday instead of a Monday?” At this point I got a long slow pointed look. Of course, this paragraph is a manifestation of artistic license.

Here is the skinny: The tumour will be removed via the translabyrinthine approach: The mastoid bone behind the ear is removed and the inner ear is opened. This exposes the internal auditory canal directly. All hearing is lost with this approach. The translabyrinthine approach is, therefore, used only for those cases where hearing loss is already severe or the tumor is so large that hearing conservation is not a realistic goal.
From http://www.earspecialtygroup.com/acoustic_neuroma_frm.html

There is no hydrocephalus at present (abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain), which is as Martha Stewart might say, a good thing. There is an estimated 25% displacement of the brain stem and some swelling, which is of course cause for some concern. Dr. Chen will consider partial ‘debulking’ (great word) if it means a greater chance of preserving the involved nerves.

What can be hoped for at this point is that the cystic portion is of very light consistency and that it is easily and quickly removed. Also, we need to hope that the solid portion of the tumour is not ‘sticky’ or ‘gummy’. This type of consistency will mean it will be more difficult to separate the tumour from the brain stem and surrounding nerves. Unfortunately… the swelling mentioned earlier may indicate the tumour is sticky and therefore stubborn. There is no way of knowing until surgery - fingers crossed.

Dr. Chen is young, experienced, and in his prime. He also says he has ‘great stamina’, which to me seemed like too much information until he added the words ‘for this type of long and complex surgery.’