Dave's Progress

Post date: Dec 11, 2012 10:40:51 PM

This is a post to try to keep everyone up-to-date with how Dave's surgery/recovery is going.

Just some details:

In October, Dave was diaganosed with a condition called acoustic neuroma (another name is Vestibular schwannoma). This is a growth on the nerve that goes from the ear to the brain. It can cause hearing loss and balance problems. It is more common in adults than children. They usually happen in just 1 ear, which is the case here (his right). It happens to about 1 in 100,000 people. There is really no reason as to why it develops on some and not others. This is a non cancerous formation and blood test confirmed that no cancer was detected. The condition was confirmed using a MRI on his head. We were referred to the MAYO Clinic in MN.

At MAYO we met with two doctors, one was a Ears/Nose/Throat surgen (Dr. Brian Neff)and the second was a Neuro surgen (Dr. Michael Link) in November. Additional specifics were told to us, this growth is usually slow growing and there was a good chance he has had it for sometime. If left untreated it would continue to grow and eventually cause severe nerve damage and pressure onto the brain. It was suggested that we deal with this in the near future but that it was not an emergency. We were given some options as to deal with this, which was good news compared to many that travel to MAYO. (that we are thankful for)

Radition and Surgery was offered as possible solutions, each with there own pros and cons. After much deliberation and prayer it was decided to proceed with removal of the growth. The surgery is scheduled for the 6:00am 17th of December 2012 at Saint Mary's Hospital in Rochester.

Saint Mary's

1216 2nd Street Southwest

Rochester, MN 55902

(507) 255-5123

We were advised that this will be a lenghthy procedure (approx. 7hrs). Following Dave will be in ICU for the rest of that day for precautionary purposes. He will remain in the hospital for few days recovering, we were advised 3-6 days. After, we are planning on returning to Newcastle to continue recovering and to be home for the holidays. (no eggnog this year) Home rehab could be up to 3 months.

Denise will do her best to post up to date information as it becomes available. She can be contacted directly via her cell phone but please only via text as she will be busy. Her phone number is 605-488-0302.

Sun. Dec. 16 - We left Newcastle at 6:00 am this morning and arrived in Rochester at 6:00 pm tonight. My sister Gloria Horvath drove with us from Salem. She will be here with us until Tues. Dave's sister and brother (Wanda Hohn and Russell Ehlers) are on their way up here now and will be with us tomorrow morning. We had a nice supper at Olive Garden and are watching Sunday Night football. Dillon and Rachel are staying with classmates during this time. I will continue to update you as more information becomes available. DE

Mon. Dec. 17 - It is 7:30 am CT and Dave has just walked down to the surgical area. It is about a 7 hour surgery and they will be cutting a C shape around his ear and work from there. We are playing the waiting game now.

8:20 am CT - Dave just went into the operating room

Monday 12:00 noon - The prep was finished at 9:40 am, they are still working on opening the area behind his ear. The doctors have been doing this for over two hours, because of all the nerves they are going real slow. They have not called yet to tell us that they have actually started to remove the tumor. When they get ready to close it will be a two hour closure time. The nurse said this is a very slow surgery. Our family has moved up to the neuro-intensive care waiting room with about 3 other families waiting for their loved one to get out of brain surgery.

Monday 3:30pm - Just visited with Dr. Link and Dr. Neff, the surgery finished about an hour ago and Dave is in recovery. He is responding well moving around and opening his eyes. He will come up to the neuro intensive care unit in the next hour. The surgery went well. The hearing nerve was not cut but the nerve did not respond to the hearing test before the surgery and is not responding after. Dr. Link thinks he may have lost more hearing since we were here in Nov. The facial nerve was fine and his face isn't drooping in the recovery room. The tumor was about 1/2 inch in diameter. The doctor said it is a waiting game to see if the ringing will go away. He will be in ICU for tonight and sometime tomorrow move to a room. They will try to get him out of bed on Wed. He is going to be very dizzy until his left balance ear nerve takes over. We hope to be able to see him in the next hour or so.

Monday 5:00 pm - Dave was brought to his room. He is tired, and dizzy. He was making jokes though which is a great sign. He can't figure out why his neck hurts so bad, the staples and incision might have something to do with that. He took more pain meds. and is sleeping now. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers today.

Tuesday, Dec. 18 9:00am CT - The nurse said Dave had a good night, although at this point he is disagreeing. He has a very bad headache and sick to his stomach. The pain meds in his IV do not last as long as oral pain meds. He was able to take some oral meds and keep it down at about 4 this morning so he rested well until about 7. The surgeon (Dr. Link) came in this morning and said the motion sickness was normal, if he lays real still it is better. They are giving him dramaimen (?) for this in his IV which is helping. He has eaten some crackers and drank juice this morning. He told the doctor that the ringing in his ear fades away and then comes back so maybe this is a good sign. Dr Link said that the ringing in the ears would be a wait and see game, if it would completely go away. He can not hear much of anything in the rt. ear at this time, but because of the swelling in the ear, this may improve.

Dave will be moving up to 9th floor into a regular room sometime today. They are going to wait until tomorrow before trying to get him out of bed because of the motion sickness. He keeps telling me I am soooo tired.

Our family left this morning to go home. Hope the roads are ok.

Denise is doing good this morning, last night I slept the best in over 2 weeks, so I feel rested. My cell phone is turned off when I am in Dave's room in ICU. Thanks for your prayers and support. Denise E.

Tuesday, Dec. 18 1:00pm CT - Dave is in a regular hospital room. He took the trip well, kept his eyes closed so the motion would not make him sick. The doctors and nurses have gotten the pain and motion sickness under control with meds. He is doing much better with this since I typed this morning. He ate some pudding and drank apple juice for lunch and it has stayed down.

Tues. Dec. 18 8:00pm CT - Dave stood this afternoon and sat in a chair to eat supper. He has had all the tubes and IV fluids removed. Now he will start working on his balance. Dr. Link's coordinating nurse came and visited a long time with me about what to expect and to look for in his recovery, working on building up his balance will take alot of time. The headache will take weeks to stop but it is tolerable now. He is doing much better than this morning.

Wed. Dec. 19 8:30am CT - Dave is sitting a chair and eating breakfast. He is quite alert, when the nurse asked him if he needed anything else how about a lottery ticket, because I am going to have to pay your salary. The night nurse was soft spoken and he finally told her that if she had noticed all his staples on the rt side of his head, this means I can't hear on that side, these remarks were good to hear. I have chosen to sit on his right side, that way when this is all over I can say remember in the hospital you agreed to this or that. I am going to try this. (ha! ha!) He said his head is sore but not throbbing. We will start walking today. Dr. Neff (ear, throat, nose doctor) came in this morning and said he is ahead of schedule and doing well. The Dramamean (?) is helping with the motion sickness. Rochester is in a Winter Storm Warning for tonight and all day tomorrow. If the weather is bad when he is discharged we will just go to the hotel and wait the storm out. DE

Thurs. Dec. 20, 7:30am CT - Dave had a rough night, his stomach has not felt good. The doctor said this is from all the medication and the steriod they are giving him. The steriod is used to reduce the swelling of the brain. He will be on this for about a month. Dave didn't get much sleep last night but did a lot of walking. He is walking well but is still unsteady at times. He is off all pain meds. His head and neck are sore but not in pain. They have talked about letting him out this afternoon. Rochester has 6 inches of snow with more on the way, and the wind is starting to pick up. We are in a blizzard warning. No school for the kidos here and surrounding areas. If he gets out today we will go back to the hotel and stay. DE

Thurs. Dec. 20 1:00 pm CT -Dave was released from the hospital at about 11:00. He is tired but is doing well. We are staying at our motel tonight and will leave when the weather clears tomorrow. We are just taking it easy today. He is ready for some sleep out of the hospital. His stomach is doing much better. Dave just go a call from Clyde Shomacke from MI. They are on the way to Huron SD and stopped to visit. We have not seen them in about 10 years. DE

Fri. Dec. 21 10:00 am CT - Dave and I are going to stay in Rochester one more night, so he can build up his strength for the trip home. Yesterday was hard on him, the motion of riding in the car is going to be a challenge for him. This will also give us one more day for the roads to clear too. This morning at breakfast, Dave says I can't even peel a banana, it is kicking my butt. Everything that we just take for granted with our balance is work for Dave, he has to really think about it first. Enjoy your holiday break and thanks for all the support and caring words. DE

Sat. Dec. 22 9:00 pm MT - Dave and I left Rochester at 8:00 am MT this morning and got home at 6:30pm MT. The drive was long but Dave took it real well. He slept through alot of the trip. I was thankful he wasn't awake for most of the drive through the Black Hills. He gets dizzy easily. We will start the recovery at home now. Merry Christmas to All! DE

Thurs. Dec. 27 7:00 am MT - Dave has had a small setback since I last typed. On Christmas he broke out with a rash/hives all over his body. We called the after hours question line at Mayo. They felt it was because of something that he ate. He is now taking Benadryl to get it under control. The swelling is down and he feels better today. The ringing and plugged ear feeling is there. DE

Sun. Dec. 30 7:00 am MT - Everyday gets alittle better. We are struggling at times with nose bleeds and dizzyness. His incision looks good, next week we go to Custer Clinic to have the staples removed. The rash is getting better. The doctor had him start to reduce his steriod medication for brain swelling. Yesterday was his first day without this medication. Dave has had visitors for short amounts of time, give us a call if you would like to come and visit. DE

Wed. Jan. 3 6:00 am MT - Dave went to the Custer Clinic yesterday and had his staples removed. There is some swelling at the bottom of his neck probably from the rash that he has. The doctor gave him medication to help with the itching and rash. She thinks it is an allergic reaction to the flu shot that they gave him in the hospital, since he is no longer on any other meds and it has not improved much from 4 days ago. He is still sleeping alot but is talking more than even 3 days ago. He has the ringing in his ear all the time now and no hearing in his right ear. Dave does not have any facial problems and his balance is coming along well.

Wed. Jan 9 1:00 am MT- I guess it is my turn to start to update this for all our friends and family. After last week meeting with Dr. Joy Falkenburg in Custer things began to take a turn for the better. I was put on a couple of different pills that really helped with the allergic reaction. No more rash or itching. I still have some swelling on the head but it seems to be a bit better everyday. I am not on any pain medication short of an occaional Tylenol. Mornings have changed to be the best time of my day. When I get a good night's sleep I feel fairly good for the rest of the morning. I usually take a nap just after lunch and that takes me through till evening. I have begun walking outside everyday for about 15 min. and that kind of takes the steam out of my engine. I want to do a bit more each day but don't want to push it. When I walk too much I still get a bit of dizziness but was told that is normal. I have been answering e-mail and have had a visitor or two over the past week or so. Feel free to do either if you wish. This is enough for now will update later.

Friday Jan 18 9:00amMT- Well another week goes by and it has been one month since I had people digging in my head. Not a whole lot to tell since my last post. I feel a little more energy each day as long as I get a good nights sleep. Night before last I tried to sleep all night without some medication, which was a bit of a mistake. I woke up twice during the night and was awake around 4am. This made my day kind of poor, I was able to do some school work in the morning but slept most of the rest of the day, until around 4pm. One thing that has happened is that I have retuned to the public eye. Last Saturday and again last night I was able to attend my son Dillon's basketball game. During the JV game I usually am pretty good but the second game is a bit of a struggle. The noises don't seem to bother me too much although the band played last night and when they start I have a real hard time hearing anything but that. Many people stopped and said they were happy to see me back, which is very nice, thanks. I still have much ringing in the right ear and hearing in that ear has not returned. I am still hoping once the swelling goes away the ringing will calm down. I have begun going through my fishing tackle box and sorting out what I want to keep and tie new walleye harneses. I don't have too much dizziness until I get tired then things get a little fuzzy and I usually get a tired headache. Mornings provide me with some lesser swelling and again more energy which is nice but come evening I usually ice to help with the swelling and kind of just hangout with the family. Have been watching much TV and still walk often I think I must be the Food Networks most dedicated watcher. I have been trying some new recipies for friends and family which forces me to be active and people seem to like what I prepare. Supper toight I think includes homemade flour tortilas into enchiladas yum. Take care until next time.

Friday Jan 25 11:18am MST-

Here I am again, and things are looking up this week. I have the most energy than I had since the surgery. Mornings are still best for me but it is extending into the afternoon a little each day. I have extended my walking each day (Thanks Paul). I am doing about a mile or so each day and trying to go a little further every day. Going to Dillon’s ball game this evening so got my walk done earlier today, hill on our road gets my heart pumping and I get a bit winded but it is a good feeling. Still puttering around the house and shed and getting some honey due jobs done (takes a while but I am hearing no complaints). I also, have been remote controlling into my work place and beginning to get some past work done. My work has been great in allowing me to do some work from home so I don’t have to use all my sick days up and get too far behind. Doctors told me shortly after surgery that I can think about going back to work part time two months out but I am thinking that maybe I could start a little quicker than that. I know, I know don’t push it, but I think I am getting a good measure of what my body can do and when I need to rest. If I feel too tired I will simply back off. Thanks again for everyone that have been following me I want to add some of the recipes that I have been serving the family while at home so check those out too. Later

Sunday Feb 10 7:37am MST-

Been a little while since I have added to this blog so I have some catching up to do. My progress is moving forward on a daily basis. I am walking more and more, I get about 3 1/2 miles in daily. I was advised that I will be part of a group of staff/students that will be hiking Harney Peak in the Black Hills this spring. It is a yearly trek the graduating 8th grade class takes, kind of a right of passage into highschool. I too was advised that this is not an easy adventure so I have some work to do (good motivation for me to look forward to). Had a local doctor's appointment last week, which went really well. Our doctor said that I am being as difficult and funny as nomal which was a very good sign. She said I don't need to see her for 6 months unless something changed. I do still have some swelling on the right side of my head and the scalp is still numb (like a visit to the dentist). It seems to be less in the morning. I have not regained any hearing in the right ear, however I still have internal noise on that side. I explain it like a AM raido static. It seems to be lighter in the morning and louder as the day goes on. When I am in a crowd of people it becomes quite difficult to recognize individual spoken words. I too hope when the swelling subsides so will the volume of this. Balance is pretty good for the most part. I have begun driving a car again and made a trip to Rapid City this last week and that went good. Last week I started going back to work a little more each day, I usually get my exercising in first thing in the morning and if the energy is still good I go in and work for a few hours. I have too been attending Dillon's basketball games in the evenings and that is great fun for me. The best news that was blessed upon us since the last time we spoke was that our daughter Rachel was awarded Wyoming's Middle School Volunteer of the Year, for her work with Breast Cancer Awareness. This award includes a medal, $1000 check, a trip to Washington DC, and quailfication for the National Award. The family will be traveling to DC in May. Here is the offical press release for those of you interested. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/wy-prudential-idUSnBw13YcwPa+112+BSW20130205 Well wishes for her can be directed to her via my e-mail ehlersda@weston1.k12.wy.us and I will pass them along to her. That is all for now and hope all is well with you and your family. Later