Yes, it was an "Acoustic Neuroma".
Here is an email she wrote before the surgery for the back story. But I
think Mike's explanation is pretty dead on.
She wrotes back in July of 2008:
I'm writing to you all on some news that I prayed would go away. However, it
will be removed on August 7th in Detroit's Providence Hospital by my ENT
specialist surgeon and the Neuro-surgeon. They team together in this 6 to 8
hour surgery to remove this little tumor in the ear canal, where it is
growing. It has filled the canal and bulging into the spinal fluid of my
brain. It has to come out ASAP. I will have to sacrifice the rest of the
hearing in my right ear to save the facial nerve at all cost. The little
canal holds three nerves that control balance, hearing, and the nerves on
the right side of my face. The crickets moved in in January, they are very
loud and disturbing. It's actually the hearing loss I'm experiencing. I have
been losing my hearing in the right ear since January, I have one more test
before the surgery on balance. I will not be able to drive after the balance
test. Like pouring water in your ears and blowing air in the ear.
>From the MRI they are able to tell that it is there, but they can't tell if
it is eating away on the nerves, all in twined with the nerves or just
pressing on the nerves. Hospital stay is 5 to 7 days. Home recovery is 6
weeks or more depending on the balance issue. I have to sacrifice the
hearing nerve to save the facial nerve. If the facial nerve goes than I will
be paralyzed on the right side of my face. My eye will not close, mouth will
not smile or show any expression. The odds are not so good. But at all cost
I want the facial nerve to stay in tact. Symptoms are already showing up at
an incredible speed. Aprils hearing test was about 45% hearing loss of low
tones, yesterdays hearing test was a whopping 85% loss. It is going fast, my
balance is also effected, I can't close my eyes and expect to stay in the
same spot. I can not walk a straight line, or can I hurry to walk fast. I
can't stay up with the moving without loosing my balance.
Julia came up to attend this appointment with me. (Two nurses are better
than one.) We put 510 miles on the truck. She has been wonderful support.
She also helped me with some of the questions and the medical choices I had
to make. In the end we all agreed on the surgery to save the facial nerve.
After the surgery and recovery I will get a BAHA like hearing assisting aid.
They put a tytanium screw into the skull just up and behind the right ear to
pick up the sound wavy signals coming in on the right side of my head and
then transmit them into the left ear. Boosting my hearing on the left. It
also will help with the balance issues. This devise is then snapped onto the
outside of the skull. It is the size of a half a domino. The bone they take
out can not be put back in. So I will have a half dollar size soft spot
behind the ear forever. This little tumor is not cancerous. It is a slow
growing tumor usually, but it isn't for me right now. It is growing fast.
It will not grow into the bone so the only place it can grow is into the
brain. I'm praying that that doesn't happen and the removal of the tumor
will be fast. I already can't hear anything in a crowd, low voices are non
understandable in a room of three or more people. I hear noises and can't
tell where they are coming from and it scares me that I'm going to be hit or
something.
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