Good News for those diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma

Recovery from an Acoustic Neuroma

hal portrait

 2012

 

 The motivation behind this website is to share the relief and delight of a return to normality after the successful removal of an acoustic neuroma.
Diagnosed just before Christmas 1998, surgically removed in mid April 1999; eight days in hospital, eight weeks recovery at home, followed by two months gradual increase in part time return to work; back to full time normality in mid August.

 

Hugh Letheren

I had my acoustic neuroma surgically removed in April 1999 and I'm (still) feeling fine - I have been back to normal since six months after the operation!  I know that all this was now twelve years ago but believe that my experiences are still relevant to those who have had a recent diagnosis.

"Baha"
April - December 2009

I had the procedure for fitting a titanium screw to my skull in preparation for the fitting of a Bone Anchored Implant and Sound Processor, known as a Baha in April 2009.  I had to wait eleven weeks for the titanium screw to integrate with the bone but I have now had the sound processor fitted.  This causes sounds on my deaf left side to be transmitted through my skull to my good right ear.  I have had some ups and downs on the way but it now works really well.  You can read how it all came about and the whole story of the transformation here.

By chance, the BBC were filming "City Hospital" while I was in The Wessex Neurological Unit of Southampton General Hospital.  They did a before and after interview which went out a couple of days before I was allowed home.  As a result I have video footage of a significant part of the operation.  From this I have taken stills of the key moments and added a few post operative photographs - not for the squeamish!  Incidentally, I have transferred the video to CD ROM so that it can be played using media player.  Let me know if you think you might benefit from seeing it.  (Follow the diary link!)

Following the diagnosis, I kept a diary, recording the key events and sharing with my inanimate, emotion free computer, how I felt.  This was a cathartic and extremely valuable process for me.  The full diary is rather long and rambling but is available by e-mail to those who might benefit from it.  This is an edited version, without the anecdotes - hope it proves of interest.  Full diary here!