Hello everyone! I finally got the MVD surgery on November 25. I was so excited and scared at the same time! I could not believe how much it hurt those first few days afterward. I wanted to stay in the hospital with a morphine drip, lol. Wanting to be home for Thanksgiving, I left the hospital after 2 nights and came home.
I can just barely hear out of my left ear, which the surgeon says will get better. I also need to use a walker for my balance, which I'm not sure is normal. Maybe it is because of the ear problem?
My optical nerve got upset also, so I have to be careful how far I look to the side or else my eye freaks out.
I haven't had any sharp pains since the surgery, so I'm very happy about that.
Has anyone had severe balance issues after MVD? How long did they last?
I think I've heard of a handful here in the last couple of years, if it is still that bad, by week 3, I would call surgeon!
Don't forget that it can take a fullllllll year for everything to settle down alllll the way!! It took me two years to get down to 5% and now no meds, no lidocaine, no pain!
Hi Jenny
Wow, you did it! Great no sharp pains. It gets better every week.
No balance problems for me. I agree with KC, if your balance issues persist call your surgeon.
Get stronger everyday-
Bellalarke
Feafee I had balance problems for several weeks. I used a walker too and bought a shower chair because I didn’t feel steady in the shower. Each week my balance improved a little. It was a slow process. My trigeminal, facial and vestibulocochlear nerve were compressed which contributed to balance issues. I am 4 months post op, balance issued completely gone. If you are steadily improving, thats a good sign.
Hi Jenny, I had my MVD on 6/11, I too had problems with my hearing for the first 2/3 weeks and finally I got it back although some days my ear still seems to gets full bit after a few hours or so it clears. I think most people experience balance problems following their MVDs due to the nature of the operation however, yours does sound more extreme than most. I didn’t need a walker but I was using furniture, walls etc to help for the first couple of weeks. I am still experiencing some balance problems and haven’t even got dressed for the past 2 days due to this, the inside of my head also felt like jelly! I feel a lot different this morning but tomorrow may be totally different again, I think it’s just part and parcel of the recovery unfortunately!
Try not to do too much bending down as this can affect your balance and like others have said, if you are still having to use your walker go and get checked out by your GP as you maybe suffering with an inner-ear problem such as Vertigo which affects balance, either way it needs checking out.
Take care
Mandy : )
Thank you all!! My surgeon said it is nothing to worry about, haha. He said the nerve right next to the 5th nerve that he was working on is the auditory nerve and that it controls hearing as well as balance. He said it may take me a couple months or more to get back to normal.
I'm able to use walls in the hallway, but the way our house is, there are a lot of open spaces, so the walker really helps right now. I fell down my first day home from the hospital and I think that made me deathly afraid of falling again. Sometimes I think I might be doing better with balance, and then I take a few too many steps and I'm so glad I have the walker to keep me from going to the floor.
All things being said, I will take a deaf ear and some balance issues over the mouth pain. And knowing that the ear and balance will get better makes it all the more worth it.
