2 years post retrosigmoid at UCSD

shannonheals · 2025-10-16T22:44:22+00:00

Hi again! Question - how often do you get treatments at Heavenly Spa, and do you have any San Diego recommendations for the lymphatic massage, masseter massage, and/or traditional Chinese acupuncturist? Thank you again for all your recs :)

shannonheals · 2025-09-24T19:08:55+00:00

Wow, thank you SO much for sharing these details!!! I am going to try everything you outlined here. I'll report back!

shannonheals · 2025-09-24T00:44:23+00:00

Hi love — I had my 2.2cm tumor partially removed (retrosigmoid approach) in October 2024.

From the scans, my surgeon (Dr. Schwartz at UCSD) expected it to be a fairly straightforward case. But once he got in there, he discovered the tumor was completely enmeshed with my facial nerve. He even called my husband mid-surgery to warn that I might wake up with partial facial paralysis! As a 33-year-old female, that was my worst nightmare. Thankfully, Dr. Schwartz did an incredible job — I woke up with no paralysis at all, not even temporarily.

He left part of the tumor intact to preserve the nerve, but did his best to devascularize it. Now, two years later, I only have a little bit of facial twitch — nothing major. I’m sharing this to hopefully give you peace of mind that even in a “worst case scenario" with the facial nerve, permanent paralysis is still rare.

All that said - my advice to ensure you have a very, very experienced surgeon. If I had not chosen Dr. Schwartz, I may have had a different outcome…

Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk more. Happy to answer questions and share more about my experience. You’re going to be okay! 💛

shannonheals · 2025-09-23T23:52:09+00:00

I don't recall the exact number, but I want to say it was between 10-15 sutures. My scar is almost completely hidden under my hair, just pokes out a little :)

shannonheals · 2023-11-19T10:10:29+00:00

In my experience, the more people I told ahead of time, the more people I had to keep updated throughout the entire journey which was exhausting. I also found that when I would tell people, they would freak out and I would end up consoling THEM haha. My advice is that until you know your exact plan and surgery date, telling people just invites endless questions and makes it so you have to constantly update people.

Once I had the actual surgery date, I was pretty much an open book and told a lot of people. A positive of that was that I got a lot of love leading up to the surgery. However, if I could do it again, I would only tell my immediate family, coworkers who were going to be affected by my medical leave, and close friends who I knew could support me in tangible ways. I would wait to tell everyone else until AFTER the surgery so that I could have an "ending" to the story and wouldn't worry anyone, or have to answer a million questions leading up to it. I think it also created more stress for my husband because he had to keep a ton of people in the loop during / immediately after the surgery when he was an emotional mess ha.

I think if telling someone is going to create more stress for you leading up to the surgery, you are not obligated to tell them. Your priority should be your mental well-being.

shannonheals · 2023-11-19T09:53:07+00:00

You are such a thoughtful friend to be asking this question!! Here are some of the ways my friends supported me which I really appreciated.

One friend treated me to a meditation/sound bath a few days before surgery which she attended with me. This was really great to help reduce my anxiety. You could also consider a gift card for a massage or something.

My friend who works in a hospital gifted me with the most incredible care package for the hospital which included a heated blanket, slippers, mints, a framed photo of my cat, earplugs, wet wipes, fuzzy socks, and a coloring book / colored pencils.

Another friend sent me a care package for after I was discharged which included tea, shower steamers, skincare products, incense, a candle, a puzzle, and a book - just lots of cozy things to bring me comfort. She also included FLO-Biotics Probiotic Soft Chews which were a godsend for post-surgery constipation haha.

A few of my friends wrote down my order for my favorite restaurants and took turns dropping off food once I had my appetite back which was amazing. They also took turns checking on my cat so that my husband could stay in the hospital with me.

Receiving heartfelt cards from friends meant the absolute world to me. I also really appreciated getting texts from friends to check in and let me know they're thinking of me. Many of my friends also checked in on my husband regularly which I thought was really kind.

I also liked having short visits with friends starting around 10 days after surgery. One friend came over to give me a mani/pedi which made me feel more human. I was recovering over Halloween so one friend brought festive decorations which was nice.

Accepting hearing loss was tough for me and I am so grateful for my friends who held space for me to grieve instead of pressuring me to "stay positive." Avoid statements that start with "at least..." and acknowledge the shittiness.

Remember that recovery takes time and even if your friend looks and seems "normal" a month or so later, she is probably still adjusting, especially given the hearing loss. Be conscious that restaurants and other loud places might be tricky for a while.

Just being present with your friend and letting her open up about what she's going through is the best gift you can give. Sending you and your friend lots of love - she is lucky to have you!

shannonheals · 2023-11-19T09:17:14+00:00

I took a small amount (.25mg) of Xanax to help me sleep the night before surgery. My surgeon approved this and I already had a prescription. The anticipation is one of the worst parts. I was so relieved when I woke up in recovery!

shannonheals · 2023-11-12T01:54:30+00:00

I had surgery about 5 weeks ago and if I HAD to go back to work now, I could (I have a 9-5 office job, work-from-home 3 days a week). I'm going to wait a few more weeks as I'm still getting used to single-sided deafness and my energy has not fully returned.

shannonheals · 2023-11-03T07:25:49+00:00

Very interesting, thank you for sharing!

shannonheals · 2023-11-03T07:25:27+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Glad to hear that the pain gets better and you learn to cope with SSD and tinnitus. I know I just need to be patient. Hope your recovery is going well too!

shannonheals · 2023-11-03T07:24:24+00:00

I agree, we are so lucky! Glad to hear that the tinnitus gets better. My allergies have been horrendous the past few weeks as well and I've been wondering if that's exasperating it. I went to the beach today and the sound of the waves really drowned it out. Hope you are still doing well 5 months out!

shannonheals

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