ct-scan

[Guest guest]

Jen,

I just got back from the Doctor a few minutes ago. He was cleaning my ear because I had surgery on Feb. 1. My experience was not bad. It hurt some the first week but that is about all. I was scared to death because I had a c-toma removed 20 years ago and that one went well and figured that this one wouldn't. It did go well. I played on my computer every day including the day of surgery !!! The only real problem I had was the Cipro didn't like me. It kept me up to all hours of the morning. When I finished that everything was fine. You will do fine. Don't worry to much.

[Guest guest]

I'm having surgery in 1 week and I posted a earlier message that I am

very scared!!! I don't know if I feel better or worse, after reading

all these other stories. When my doctor told me that I needed

surgery, he sounded like it was no big deal-he said by looking in my

ear he could tell that I had cholesteatoma and that it had perforated

my eardrum. He said I didn't need a c-scan-now I'm thinking that I do

need one, although I've read that sometimes it doesn't show whats

really there. So I just called my Dr. and asked for a c-scan-I'm

waiting to hear back from him. I'm very worried because I think I've

had this for a long time,I've had ear problems since I was very

little and last january I was to have the surgery for cholesteatoma

but found out that I was 2- months pregnant. From what I hear it can

grow alot in just a short time. My Dr says the surgery will take

between 1-4 hours, but I've read in other messages that alot of

people are told that and 4,5,6 and sometimes 7 hours later they are

done. Right now my ear bothers me alittle bit, I get headaches once

and awhile, but I'm so afraid that after this surgery I won't be the

same.I have a 4-month son to take care of, and I hear some people say

that they couldn't drive for almost 2 months.If anyone can help me

calm my nerves I would greatly appreciate it-Has anyone out there had

a good experience with the surgery?

[Guest guest]

Hi " Jen " ,

My surgery wasn't a bad experience. My surgery was long (5 hrs)and I had

some dizzyness afterwards but nothing the medicine couldn't handle. The

lenght of the surgery won't bother you, you'll never remember it! I have no

dizzyness anymore, it lasted only for a week and then only on and off. I

had no adverse reactions to the anestetic. My neck was really sore for

quite a while but nothing I couldn't cope with.

I went back to work one week after the surgery and could drive just fine -

just turning my neck was difficult.

Now I'm mostly back to normal. Only difference now is I have a scar behind

my ear that no one can see without really looking for it and my hearing is a

little less than before the ctoma destroyed my hearing but much better than

right before the surgery. My ctoma had destroyed the bone between the ear

and the brain but had not entered or caused any of those problems.

To wait when your pregnant was a good choice. Who wants to endager their

child? It is a surgery you should do, and you can deal with whatever you

must when you have to. To not do anything ever, is to ask for trouble. You

do what you can, as you can. If the doc doens't want to do a CT scan, I

wouldn't be too upset. If he checks everything and place while he's in

there that will cover all the bases. The CT scan only shows relative

densities not compostition and the Doc may not feel it will help him any,

since he is doing the surgery anyway.

I hope this has helped some. Be sure we will all be pulling for you and

waiting to hear how it all went.

God bless,

Jane

>From: " jenherr2002 " <jenherr2002@...>

>Reply-cholesteatoma

>cholesteatoma

>Subject: Re: Ct-scan

>Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 15:28:26 -0000

>

>I'm having surgery in 1 week and I posted a earlier message that I am

>very scared!!! I don't know if I feel better or worse, after reading

>all these other stories. When my doctor told me that I needed

>surgery, he sounded like it was no big deal-he said by looking in my

>ear he could tell that I had cholesteatoma and that it had perforated

>my eardrum. He said I didn't need a c-scan-now I'm thinking that I do

>need one, although I've read that sometimes it doesn't show whats

>really there. So I just called my Dr. and asked for a c-scan-I'm

>waiting to hear back from him. I'm very worried because I think I've

>had this for a long time,I've had ear problems since I was very

>little and last january I was to have the surgery for cholesteatoma

>but found out that I was 2- months pregnant. From what I hear it can

>grow alot in just a short time. My Dr says the surgery will take

>between 1-4 hours, but I've read in other messages that alot of

>people are told that and 4,5,6 and sometimes 7 hours later they are

>done. Right now my ear bothers me alittle bit, I get headaches once

>and awhile, but I'm so afraid that after this surgery I won't be the

>same.I have a 4-month son to take care of, and I hear some people say

>that they couldn't drive for almost 2 months.If anyone can help me

>calm my nerves I would greatly appreciate it-Has anyone out there had

>a good experience with the surgery?

>

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

My son, had a 6 hour surgery and was home watching movies by 9:00a.m. the next morning with no complaints at all. I am sure the incision was a bit sore, but he did great!! He was fatigued for a couple of weeks, had minor dizziness for about a day and was annoyed by the packing. He never expressed having any pain unless his ear was bumped accidently.

It has been almost four months so his second surgery will be anytime now. We can only hope and pray that he does as well this time.

Don't panic, and remember that he did just fine. You will too!!

-----Original Message-----From: jenherr2002 [mailto:jenherr2002@...]Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 10:28 AMcholesteatoma Subject: Re: Ct-scanI'm having surgery in 1 week and I posted a earlier message that I am very scared!!! I don't know if I feel better or worse, after reading all these other stories. When my doctor told me that I needed surgery, he sounded like it was no big deal-he said by looking in my ear he could tell that I had cholesteatoma and that it had perforated my eardrum. He said I didn't need a c-scan-now I'm thinking that I do need one, although I've read that sometimes it doesn't show whats really there. So I just called my Dr. and asked for a c-scan-I'm waiting to hear back from him. I'm very worried because I think I've had this for a long time,I've had ear problems since I was very little and last january I was to have the surgery for cholesteatoma but found out that I was 2- months pregnant. From what I hear it can grow alot in just a short time. My Dr says the surgery will take between 1-4 hours, but I've read in other messages that alot of people are told that and 4,5,6 and sometimes 7 hours later they are done. Right now my ear bothers me alittle bit, I get headaches once and awhile, but I'm so afraid that after this surgery I won't be the same.I have a 4-month son to take care of, and I hear some people say that they couldn't drive for almost 2 months.If anyone can help me calm my nerves I would greatly appreciate it-Has anyone out there had a good experience with the surgery?

[Guest guest]

At 03:28 PM 2/21/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>.If anyone can help me

>calm my nerves I would greatly appreciate it-Has anyone out there had

>a good experience with the surgery?

Yes! I managed to save most of my hearing and didn't have much pain. I

felt very happy knowing that the c-toma was out. My surgeon was wonderful,

I got great care in the hospital and best of all, I knew that I wasn't

going to die from an infected cholesteatoma. I was driving by postop day

three. I had absolutely no complications.

Diane

[Guest guest]

" jenherr2002 " <jenherr2002@...> writes:

[snip]

> had this for a long time,I've had ear problems since I was very

> little and last january I was to have the surgery for cholesteatoma

> but found out that I was 2- months pregnant. From what I hear it can

> grow alot in just a short time.

From what I understand, it can grow quite aggressively in children -

but in adults it _generally_ grows a lot slower (I suspect I've had

mine for 15 years, since I was about 15, but the c-toma hadn't invaded

anything major during that time), so I'd be surprised if the delay

during your pregnancy has made matters worse.

I think it's quite normal to feel scared this close to your surgery -

I was absolutely terrified, but I also hadn't yet found this mailing

list :-)

Good luck with your op., and keep in touch :-)

--

Pete

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Kurt, for your caution to me about CT-Scans. I

will raise the question with my onc. Also thanks for

the compliment on how I take care of myself; I hope

you're correct! Carolyn, age 77, dx 9/04,w & w

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Bee,

I am on the program and having success.

The doctor wants me to have a CT scan tomorrow because when he did a bladder

scope a few months ago, he saw something possibly pushing into my bladder (he

said that it could have been a full colon...) but wants to be sure.

There's a part of me that wants to re-schedule again because I don't want that

iodine injected into me for the contrast. Yet, I would never want something

potentially more harmful, like a tumor, to go unchecked at an early stage. I

have a responsibility to my two young boys to take care of 'me.'.

Is there a way that I can support my body if I do this tomorrow - there's a

drink I have to have in the beginning and the injection during the ct scan.

On a side note, I am on levoxyl and cytomel and have hashimotos.

Thank you!

Stacey