If I thought that last year 2010 was a big wild and crazy year I was right but then 2011 started and we were off and running to see Dr.’s and once again. We both started out the year thinking that things could only get better from here and that we have a lot to be thankful for. I had more test to take and Dr.’s to see to make sure that things where heeling and that I was back on the right track.
While I was heeling and getting better every day I noticed that the T.V. was way too loud and being sick and having meds on board that I did not need made me bitchy so I griped at poor beloved telling him to turn it down in a rather not so nice way. He told me that when he turned the T.V. down he could not understand what they were saying on it. This is where the not so nice comes in I said then get a hearing test with my teeth gritted together. You know that talk we have all done it when we are being short with someone. Well, that got beloved up and to it I made and appointment to see the Dr. for his hearing. On and off over the years he has had issues with being dizzy for about 5 years and we had seen ENT 30 min away so we asked the Dr. if we could see him again all the Dr.’s could figure with the dizziness is that beloved’s blood pressure meds are the cause of it. She agreed to it and we went over to see him and he set up a hearing test for beloved. To be honest this whole time I was thinking that my beloved has had hearing loss from being in the Navy, going to drag races even though he has ear plugs in, loud concerts with his brother and was due for a hearing aid. The Dr. did some in office tests which included having a scope go up the nose and down the throat an tuning fork test behind the ear on the bones, then made another appointment to send beloved next door to have the hearing tests performed at the hearing center. He asked us to come back for another appointment for the results of the test. Well beloved can hear tones but, he cannot understand words in the one ear so right away the ENT knew that this was not good that there was possibly a tumor and he ordered an MRI. We went back to the ENT for the MRI test results and sure enough he had a VS tumor (Vestibular Schwannoma) growing on the nerve that controls hearing and balance and it is pushing on the brain stem. Hhhmmm This is the cause of the dizziness as well as the hearing loss Gggrrr I am so mad that it has taken at least five years maybe more and many trips to the Dr. and the ENT to find this out. I know that Dr.’s are only human but this is scary for both of us at this point. The Dr. sent us to the university hospital there are no other Dr.’s that do the surgery to remove this kind of tumor in our area.In Feb. we went to UH for testing for me and I got the all clear on the seizures I had the EEG and the only thing they seemed to have picked up was a louder signal for normal activity. Which they figured would happen seeing as how I now have had a hole cut into my skull. We also set up for beloved to see the ENT and the Nero surgery team. We found out that he needed surgery to remove this VS tumor and that is was at a size that had been growing for some time close to ten years and that it was the cause of the dizziness and the hearing loss. The bad news is beloved will lose all the hearing in that ear he may suffer from facial paralysis on that side and balance issues for life.
I went back in and had seen the epileptologist and he at this time does not see a need for me to take the epilepsy meds and I can be weaned off of them. Yippee This makes me very happy because those meds are the cause of the emotional storms I go through and drag DH and my sister through. Bad news is that it can cause seizures while coming off them and you cannot drive. Well, that was not going to work because DH now needed me to drive him around I told the Dr.’s because he is having brain surgery on the 21st of March. So, the plan is stay on the meds and take care of beloved and drive him around to appointments then go off of them when he is heeled and can drive again. I tried I really did but, I knew that I could not take those meds and deal normally with everyday life so I slowly went off them without telling anyone at first. I needed to be off them to help be there for beloved and be his strong person his shoulder to cry on. I mean really I knew what it was like to have brain surgery and be freaked out I had just had it six months before. Up until this time he had never had any surgeries so he was freaked one because it was near the brain stem and two because he was scared that he would not wake up after surgery. Everything went well surgery took longer than they thought there was a delay getting him in and then it was a bit bigger of a tumor than they had thought and they had to take their time so that they did not cause him any facial paralysis. He was off work for five weeks for recovery and to regain his balance. Oh yes beloved could now have screws loose as well, we are a couple of zipper heads. LOL I thank my sister for being there for me it was her husband’s birthday she stayed through most of the surgery. I also thank beloved’s older brother and sister in-law they stayed the day with me and late into the night until we could see him. His brother and I were a mess. We finally got to see him it was after midnight after a while with him they headed home and I set up with him until I could not stay awake any longer I had to leave because you could not sleep in the NICU rooms unless you are the patient. We went home four days later.
Beloved is totally deaf in his right ear so if you want to talk with him you should be on his left side to make sure he can hear you. His face did have issues for a bit but I made sure that we got him into therapy for that when they said he needed it for balance as well. All of that is better now the face is normal and he will always have a balance issue to deal with but as long as he is careful and aware he will be fine.
I June I walked in the Relay for Life walk this was my second year on our family team. I did 25.5 miles in 24 hrs. not bad for a fat old lady. LOL Beloved came and walked with me for a few hours as well. I walk for all family and friends that are battling cancer and those that we have loved and lost to cancer as well....
We had a great summer we finally put in the front yard I did most of it while he recovered, we enjoyed our 18th anniversary in July. Went to my sister annual BBQ took beloved’s brother and wife because they have now become closer with my sister and her family. We went on a family trip with my sis and her family to their coast house stayed the weekend with them and did some fishing it was great fun. I spent my summer with my sister youngest three days a week again and we watched her when they went to NM on their hunt. We also got the chance to take her to a museum and enjoy a day of fun there with her and see what it is like to see things through the eyes of a child. Went to the drag race with his brother and his wife.
Then beloved went in for day surgery that is number two if you have made it this far. Beloved went in for what they call BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) this surgery was a breeze compared to the VS surgery he was in and out within a few hours and we went home. He does not yet have the hearing aid just the pin the sticks out of the skull that will hold the hearing aid. He will get the hearing aid in Jan 2012 the bone has to heel around the pin that they placed in the skull bone. Then once he has the hearing aid on the pin it will gather the sound and send it through the skull bone to the left ear and beloved will be able to hear things that off to the right side of his body again so his left ear will be doing double duty hearing for both sides.
We also found out that my sisters oldest (22) still has cancer and will need another surgery and more treatments. We will be there and do anything we can for the little mama she is like my own child her auntie has always thought of her like her own.
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reflections:0)
House of Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge....
Aunty Amys Embossing arts took away part of the image. 
