Q & A with surgeons

I had my six-week follow-up visits with my surgeons today. They were pretty quick, but I got my questions answered. I met first with Dr. C., the neuro-otolaryngologist (ENT).

Me: Is there any chance of my hearing coming back?
Dr. C: It's not likely, but we'll check your hearing at your next appointment once you've healed more fully. Then we can also talk about how you're doing and if you want to explore a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA).

(Note: This preempted my next question about another hearing test and the BAHA.)

Me: Do you guys do TransEar here, or just BAHA?
Dr. C: We don't really do TransEar. I'm learning more about it, but I doubt that it would work well enough to make it worth it. And I would be uneasy about recommending it for a person with diabetes - if you had an ear infection, it could transfer to the bone much quicker and be more of a problem for you.

(Note: The BAHA hearing device consists of a titanium rod that is surgically implanted into the bone behind the deaf ear. An external processor picks up the sound and the vibrations are transferred through the bone from the deaf side to the hearing side. The TransEar works similarly to this, except that the entire device is external; no additional surgery is required. A hearing aid, inserted far into the ear canal on the deaf side, picks up the sound and directs it toward the bone so the vibrations can be conducted to the hearing side.)

Me: I am still experiencing some eye jumpiness when I am moving quickly or turning my head quickly. Is there something I can do to help fix this, or is it more of a "give it time" thing?
Dr. C: Since you're now missing the vestibular function on one side, your brain has to be retrained to take over for it. There are a couple of things you can do. One would be to go to a vestibular therapist who can help you practice these movements in a controlled way that will help your brain learn how to respond. What happens to a lot of people is that they get into a rut and stop pushing themselves, so their brain doesn't get a chance to practice. If you perform activities that involve hand-eye coordination where you're also moving your head, it will help exercise your brain. So you could try ping pong, badminton, and tennis to gain back some of the vestibular function.

Then I ran down to the fifth floor to meet with Dr. T., the neurosurgeon.

Me: What exactly is in my head? Can you explain how it was put back together?
Dr. T: We drilled out the bone behind your ear to remove the tumor. Then we patched the hole in your skull with a titanium mesh plate. Above that is the muscle layer, and then your skin, so you shouldn't be able to feel anything strange under there. Let me take a look at your incision. [Dr. T looked at my incision.] It appears to be healing well.

(Note: This preempted my next question about how my incision looks.)

Me: What is the process for my hand returning to normal? I've noticed that it's not really numb anymore, and that it feels extra-sensitive. Is this a good sign?
Dr. T: Yes, generally when this happens, it goes from numb to hypersensitivity and then eventually back to normal. It is good that it is progressing.

Dr. T. said that he'll see me again in one year and that I'll get another MRI scan at that point. Dr. C. said he'd see me when I come to see Dr. T. again, but I don't think he expected that it would be in a year. I'm going to ask him if it would be good to come sooner than that; I'd like to get the hearing test in more like six months or so.

I guess the takeaway from my appointments is that I'm doing well and that my lingering issues are just that - lingering - and they'll need some more time to resolve themselves. I can help my brain learn to take over more of the vestibular function by becoming more active and purposely pushing myself to do more things, and I could enlist the help of a vestibular therapist as well. I'll see how I do with my single-sided deafness over the next few months before I decide if I want to explore a hearing device (my guess is that I'll be ok without one).