July 16, 2008

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—Due to his sheer mass, Derek "Moose" Glass, 26, is considered by his friends and relatives to be "stronger than an ox," when in actuality the 5-foot-7, 275-pound bartender is just fat.

"I bet that guy can lift that desk over his head," friend Hank Ebbert, 27, said of Glass, who at that moment was lying on his couch finishing his fifth bag of Combos while watching Spike TV's Pros Vs. Joes. "Man, I bounced right off of Moose during a collision at home plate last summer. That guy is solid muscle after you get past all that [fat]."

Ebbert went on to say that Glass was deceptively intelligent, though, in fact, the morbidly obese Glass has a below-average IQ, and is just quiet.

July 17, 2008

July 17, 2008 |

May 8, 2008 | Onion Sports

A New Haven-based investor group recently announced the formation of the United National Football League, saying their 22 professional teams will focus on developing talent when play begins in January 2009. Here are the league's other noteworthy features:

In addition to playing football, UNFL will also be an international peacekeeping force

A pass will be considered complete if a receiver grabs it on the first bounce

Provides a league for those standout high school players too stupid to get into the University of Miami

Trampolines

In the event that a game goes into overtime, the league will automatically go bankrupt

Specially designed protective cup adds hilarious "Boi-yoi-yoinng!" sound to nut-shots

The commissioner's mom just bought this awesome glow-in-the-dark ball, so the league will use that

Can pretty much guarantee Doug Flutie will try out

To increase excitement, scoring, and make games move faster, field will be shortened to 12 yards

Guys will still run around and hit each other, but you will not know their names

Hello again.  For the first time in over a month I am actually sitting at my own desk in my own home writing on my own computer; and while the pedicure and swimming pool (especially the pool) were nice places to be, nothing beats being back home.  It all means I am that much closer to being back to normal and putting this adventure behind me.

It was 4 weeks ago today that I underwent the surgery that will forever impact the remainder of my life.  I can't believe it's been 4 weeks!  The time has flown by so quickly.  Needless to say I am so happy to have the worst behind me AND it looks as if everything will have been worth the trouble.

Before leaving LA on Friday I returned to the House Institute for my first post-op hearing test and a meeting with Dr. Brackmann.  Both those events couldn't have gone more positively.  The hearing test revealed that my left ear is just 3 decibels below where it was pre-op.  Just 3 decibels!  And the news gets even better.

Dr. Brackmann told me he expects my hearing will improve over the next few weeks as the swelling continue to subside.  He says my hearing will be at worst 90% of where it was pre-op and that 100% is not out of the question.  This was amazing news considering I had a 40% chance of losing that hearing completely.

In fact, I feel even more fortunate after that meeting Friday because of the reaction from Rita, Dr. Brackmann's assistant.  Rita was the first person I ever spoke with at House and is truly a spectacular lady.  She has been keeping up with this blog (Hi Rita) and when she saw me Friday she walked up to me and said, "Four times! Four times!" 

I was confused at first but then she told me she was referencing my blog and the fact that my hearing had gone out 4 times prior to my diagnosis.  She then added that I was so lucky to still have my hearing and that nobody goes through that much hearing loss and still saves it in surgery.  Wow, did that make me feel ecstatic and relieved all at once.

As for my facial weakness; I still can't smile but my face is improving.  In fact, Dr. Brackmann was more than optimistic when he examined the movement that has returned.  "I'm 100% positive you will get it all back," he told me.  And there's been plenty of improvement to back that claim.  I can now close my left eye about 90% of the way, I am starting to regain a little movement in the left corner of my mouth, and I can raise and scrunch my eyebrow a noticeable amount. 

I am still experiencing dizziness but even that continues to subside.  On that 1 to 10 scale I'd say I'm now at about a 4.  In fact, when I am just hanging out, I feel great, it really only becomes bothersome when I try to move around.  In other words, I'm still a couple weeks away from being ready to man the sidelines at Redskins Training Camp but I am getting close.  (BTW: I’m totally bummed about Phillip Daniels going down, he’s such a great guy BUT I did cover Jason Taylor while in Miami and he also is a great guy, so I'm psyched he is aboard).

The only other issue I am experiencing is related to my facial weakness.  The vision in my left eye is blurry quite a bit.  I called the doctor today and he said this is related to the weeks of no blinking and constant need for eye drops.  It’s likely this will itself now that I am (almost) blinking regularly again, but wants me to go see an ophthalmologist just in case.  So stay tuned.

So that's pretty much that.  Now that I am home again, and the majority of this is behind me, Sacha and I can finally starting focusing on Baby Benz.  We went to her doctor today and everything looks good.  We can't believe we're going to be parents in just 3 months.  

But that's a whole new topic best reserved for another day.   Instead of journeying down that road I'd prefer to address the "Why I chose the House Clinic" topic I've been putting off.  Though it almost seems silly to even need to write that topic anymore considering the results I've had speak for themselves.  Nonetheless I will offer as much insight as I can.

When I was diagnosed with my Acoustic Nueroma I was completely freaked out.  (In fact my first posting on the ANA web forum was entitled exactly that).  I knew absolutely nothing about AN's and even less about what I should do about the tumor. 

The day I was diagnosed Dr. Fitzgerald told me I should undergo a radiation treatment called a Gamma Knife.  (I will get more into GK in a second) I then asked him if the GK would endanger my hearing and he replied, "Yes, you'll likely suffer some permanent hearing loss, maybe even total loss.  But it will go away gradually, “as if that last sentence was suppose to make losing my hearing ok.  Needless to say, that option didn't sound very appealing.  But what other options existed? 

My first phone call was to my brother-in-law, Mark, who is a plastic surgeon in Upstate, NY.  Mark's help throughout this entire process was immense and I feel very lucky to have a doctor in the family.  I sent Mark a copy of my MRI and he confirmed the AN diagnosis and went to work researching the tumor with his friends in the medical community.  A few days later Mark called me and told me everyone he talked to said, if it was them with an AN, they would have it surgically removed and they'd do it at the House Clinic in LA.

From there it was off to the internet to do some major research.  Again the ANA website and forums page (www.anausa.org) were invaluable (and thank you to all the people there who were quick to offer their opinions and experiences as I began my journey down this road).  It quickly became apparent that there were three options available to people diagnosed with an AN:

1) Watch and Wait

2) Radiation Treatment (Gamma Knife or Cyber Knife)

3) Surgery

-Watch and Wait is exactly what it sounds like.  As long as the tumor is not causing any problems just let it be and keep an eye on it with regular MRIs.  Given my previously noted hearing and vertigo issues I did not view this as a personal option.

-Radiation Treatment was a pretty appealing option.  Though I will admit, I'm still not 100% sure I understand the real differences between CK and GK (and that confusion made this option a little less appealing).  Both CK and GK basically involve a pinpointed beam of radiation being aimed at the tumor in an effort to kill it. 

The biggest pro of the GK & CK is the non-invasive nature of the procedure.  Both treatments require a simple doctor's office visit.  They zap the tumor and you go home... and hope the tumor was completely killed AND that your hearing and facial nerves were not damaged.  

And therein lays the problem I had with radiation.  These treatments haven't been around for but 20 years (less for CK) and early on the radiation levels being used were so high they were all but guaranteed to kill those nerves, along with the tumor.  Over the years, in an effort to avoid killing the nerves, the radiation levels have been dialed back, but now there's a debate on whether the levels being used are enough to completely kill the tumor.  And since there's a limited pool of data there's no way of knowing what the long term success for this treatment is 20 or 30 years down the road.  Not to mention the potential implications of having your brain exposed to radiation.

-Finally there's surgery.  The surgery option comes with a number of bad sides, which are pretty obvious considering you are opting to have your skull cut open and let a surgeon operate inside your head.  But surgery has some major upsides as well.

Perhaps the best thing about surgery is it's permanent.  Only 2 in 1000 people will ever have their acoustic nueroma come back after having it surgically removed.  

Secondly, with surgery, patients know immediately post-op if their hearing has been preserved (and in most cases their facial nerve as well).  Thus, there's no waiting and wondering, am I losing my hearing?

Had I been 59 instead of 39, I likely would have chosen radiation.  However, every doctor I talked to (most of whom did both forms of treatment) told me if they were me, it would be surgery all the way.  As much as I would have preferred to not have my skull cracked open, I had to agree.

The last thing I would have wanted would have been to get radiation treatment and find out 15 years from now that the tumor was growing again and I needed surgery.  I decided it would be better to have surgery at 39 instead of 54.  

Plus, I wanted the thing out.  With radiation there are yearly MRIs to worry over while doctors try to see if the tumor is growing again.  I didn't want to have to worry about this thing down the road.  Getting it out, as tough as the process might have been, seemed like the best option for me.

So after much research, consults with doctors and sleepless nights, I knew which treatment option to choose.  But where should I get it done?  Yes, my brother-in-law recommended House, but what about the great hospitals near DC.  Surely Johns Hopkins would have to be an option.  So again there was more to stress over and more research to do.   

Again, the ANA website was huge.  I was able to use the site to find a handful of doctors around DC as well as find lots of commentary on the House Clinic.  I ultimately narrowed my choices to a pair of doctors at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore and House.  The big advantage to the doctors locally was that I was able to meet with them in person.  Both seemed excellent and had over 200 surgeries under their belts.

But Dr. Brackmann and the people at House have 10x that experience.  And they made a good impression from the start.  Dr. Brackmann reviewed my MRI and gave me a free consult over the phone.  From the very beginning he made me feel as if I was a good candidate to save my hearing.  Additionally, he was unbelievably diligent at getting in touch with me.

Just after I initially sent my MRI to House, Sacha and I went to the Bahamas on vacation.  I told Dr. Brackmann’s assistant that I would be unreachable for a week and not to have Dr. Brackmann bother calling until I got back.  Somehow he never got that message.  I know this because he actually called me EVERY day that I was in the Bahamas and left a message.  What Doctor calls someone 6 consecutive days, Saturday included, when they get no response.  Wow!

When we finally did talk, Dr. Brackmann emailed me pages upon pages of research the House Clinic has done on its surgeries as well as how they can predict hearing preservation.  Dr. Brackmann put my odds at 60-40.  The guys in Baltimore said 50-50 and offered no such paperwork.

In the end, the abilities to, possibly, save a few bucks and be close to home, were no match for the efficiency and experience of House.  My hearing and future were too important not to go where I had the best odds of success.  And I will never regret that decision.  (In fact at the end of my meeting with Dr. Brackmann last Friday I thanked him for his positive impact on my life and took the picture which I’ve uploaded to the site).

So that’s pretty much it.  I’m anxious to get back to blogging about actual sports.  I will offer a few more updates on my condition but from here on out my comprehensive writing about my AN on this website is pretty much finished.  I hope the information I’ve shared over the past few weeks will be helpful to someone else down the road.

Thanks again to everyone who has contacted me in one way or another.  I truly have been blessed by the outpouring of support.  And boy do I have a lot of emails and phone calls to return.   

Now, thats a name I am sure not too many people in Adams Morgan are saying while enjoying a beer and talkin' sports? This is the last name of The Heavywieght Champion in a sport more compelling, technically challenging, and just overall better (in my opinion) than stale ole' boxing. The sport is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Do a Google Video Search on this Russian fellow, whos first name is Fedor...and check out some of his fights (none a true loss). Starting as a Russian military champion...then to Japan and PRIDE...winning all the way. He had his second fight this past Saturday with a beast named Tim Sylvia (two time former UFC Champion) a champion himself. Fedor disposed of Tim in less than a minute- UNREAL! This guy would beat any boxer, mixed martial artist around today or ever for a really fun debate!

I hope this sport catches on in the DC area as much as it is sweeping the rest of the nation...a great sport that deserves coverage! BTW- Go SKINS!!

www.awisemove.net

Greetings Sports Fans:

    It did not take long for a quiet off-season to turn into a busy first day of training camp. The move came out of necessity after Phillip Daniels hurt his knee in the very first drill of the very first practice. He is out for the season. That weakened a pass rush that was pretty weak to begin with.

     Cue Jason Taylor. A disgruntled Dolphin who did not care to swim with the Tuna. The Tuna is Bill Parcells, the new Vice President in Miami. Parcells didn't care for Taylor's off season activity of dancing rather than practicing with his teammates. Taylor didn't care for the way Parcells and his coaches treated him like a third round draft pick instead of a six time pro-bowler who is the NFL's active career sack leader.

   Taylor may only play for two more years, the length of his contract. To get him, the  skins gave up a second round pick next year and a sixth round pick in 2010. I think it was totally worth it. You never know what future picks will turn into. We know what Taylor can do. He had 11 sacks last season, he has 117 for his career.  When the skins play the Giants in the season opener and Taylor lines up on the left side and Carter on the right that will be an imposing tandem.

Kudos to Vinny Cerrato for acting so quickly. I think the move has tremendous upside with very little downside.

See you soon

Feldy

While listening to the midday news today they were talking about Danica Patrick and Milka Duno having a catfight during the indycar race yesterday. I would like to suggest that they should know what they're talking about. It wasn't during the race. This happened the day before the race, after practice. Milka was driving at a slower pace than Danica, and was actually trying to race her into a corner several times. They were only practicing, so Milka should have let Danica by since she was practicing at a much slower speed than Danica. She was jeopardizing the practice session by nearly causing several accidents. Afterward, Danica approached her to tell her as much, but Milka wasn't having any of it, and threw a towel at Danica. You can't call it a catfight. It's no more than what male drivers have done on numerous ocassions, but because both of them were women, the reporters wanted to sensationalize it.

1982, 1987 and 1991.  If you ask any Redskins fan the significance of those years, they will without even thinking twice say, "the years we won the Super Bowl".

Well, I'm writing to the world of FOX Bloggers and my fellow Redskins family to publicly say, I believe Coach Jim Zorn(JZ is what we were calling him today at Redskins Park) could possibly make us put all of those Gibbs memories in storage for a while.  I think Coach JZ is on the verge of greatness as a head coach.  I believe we are witnessing  history in the making.  All of the pieces are slowly coming together for him and he could see a success similar to Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio or San Diego's Norv Turner last year, in just his first year.  Now some may say, KoKo you're luncheon.  You're a Skinz fan.  Of course you're gonna think that.  My response:  Being biased is great, try it sometime!

I like everything about Coach Zorn from how "unconventional" his methods are considered to how he appears to answer questions by the media from the heart without using the "jedi-mind tricks" Gibbs would use on reporters.  I like how he deals with the players, as far as treating them like men.  It will be interesting to see how he deals with "potential"  player problems and Clinton Portis antics. The one question I would have is whether or not he can drop the "hammer of reprimanding" when necessary?  He seems like a nice guy but can he turn into the HULK when necessary to demand perfection or are we dealing with a Bruce Banner all the time?

All and all, I think Coach Zorn will have a huge impact on Redskins history, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.  Also, be prepared to celebrate winning a few trophies along the way.  We may have finally found someone else to praise as a headcoach besides our beloved and immortal Coach Joe Gibbs. 

KoKo Bagginz

Die Hard Skinz Fan

"there are safeties in numbers, long-live 21".....  

Today, I was at Redskins Park with my son, my sister, my nephews and best friend.  It was hot as h*ll but if you're a die-hard Skins fan, the temperature didn't matter.  Only the "maroon and yellow". hahaha.  Sorry, I had to.  That was my first time ever at Redskins Park and it went from being "exciting" to "depressing"(because of Phillip Daniel's injury) to now being "aggressively optimistic" .  Honestly, I feel almost "Smoot-like" as far as  trash talking because of the recent signing of Jason Taylor. 

People please give Daniel Synder and Vinny Cerrato their props for making this move.  I've always been pro-Dan, maybe not pro-Vinny but definitely pro-Dan.  I never understood how an owner can get so much criticism by providing a head coach whatever he tells the owner he needs to win.  Besides, am I the only fan that wants to see what this man will do with a Super Bowl trophy in his hand?  He is doing all he can to make that a reality.  I loved how the Skinz operated in the Draft this year.  When was the last time we had 10 picks in a draft?  It's so obvious they both learned so much when Joe Gibbs was here.  I admit I was a little worried about us selecting a punter but I won't judge.  I just felt we could've bolstered our defensive line depth by drafting a defensive end or tackle, instead of a punter.  But I won't criticize.  I mean the punter we got was the winner of the Ray Guy Award.  Plus, I'm thinking this will be a year of touchdowns and interceptions, with barely no punting.  Yep, we're either gonna put up 56 points on you or Jason Campbell will throw 56 INTs.  It's that simple. I'm kidding.

SIDENOTE: I know everybody loves Devin Thomas.  I had to hear a thousand times how cute my sister thought he was.  It drove me crazy.  However, to my people who know football, be on the look out for Malcolm Kelly.  This dude is the real deal.  You heard it here first.   

Anyway, Dan and Vinny thanks for snatching up Jason Taylor from the Dolphins.  You went out and got arguably one of the best defensive linemen playing today.  More importantly, thanks for not giving up our entire 2009 draft picks doing so.  I think this proves they both are learning how to build a winning organization.  In the past, I would've had them both offering our 2009 and 2010 first rounders and LaRon Landry for Jason.  My, my, my how things have changed.   We're on our way yaw'll.

Hail To The Redskins.  11-5 at the least now.

KoKo Bagginz

"there are safeties in numbers. long live 21"

ps- I also expect Andre Carter to go to the Pro Bowl this year simply because of the double teams Jason Taylor will command...what do you think?

Meeting Information:

Tuesday, July 29th at 6:30PM

Silver Spring Library, 8901 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD

Come out to learn about Team In Training® (TNT), the world’s largest endurance sports training program.  You will hear from staff, coaches and team captains about what to expect, how to prepare and how to be successful.  Our exciting winter events include the PF Chang’s® Rock ‘n' Roll Arizona™ Marathon and 1/2 Marathon.  WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend, and UMC El Tour de Tucson (cycling).  Please contact our office at 703-960-1100 or visit our web site www.teamintraining.org/nca for more information.

Sorry I haven't written anything in almost a week but I have been focusing on devoting my time to recovering and enjoying the chance of getting to know my in-laws.   My wife's family has been so terrific to me the past few weeks, I can't even begin to thank them enough for taking such good care of me.

That fact leaves me more than a little sad right now because Sacha and I just pulled out of her mother's driveway and are beginning our trip to Los Angeles (where we will spend our final night on the west coast before flying back to DC tomorrow).  I am happy to be going home because it means I am that much closer to closing the book on this medical experence but I will definitely miss the nights eating as a big family at either my mother or sister in-law's house (not to mention stealing fresh strawberries daily from the plants in my brother-in-law tony's garden).

As for the latest on my recovery, things are pretty much the same as they were in my last blog.  I am still very dizzy when I walk and I still have very noticeable facial weakness on the left side of my face.  There is some good news with both, however.  I am noticing more muscle control in my face returning on a daily basis.  I can now close my left eye three-quarters of the way and can raise my left eyebrow ever so slightly.  The progression here is very slow but has been steady.

As for the dizziness, that too seems to be slowly improving.  I no longer need a cane to walk and would say that on a scale of 1 to 10 my worst dizziness is at a 6, compared to an 8 a week ago...   though I still definitely have a ways to go.  Overall though, I feel pretty good about how far I have come considering my surgery was just three weeks ago today and docs said recovery would be 6 to 8 weeks.

Two other good notes: I have absolutely no pain and I am now sleeping through the night without taking any sleeping pills!  Both of these are wonderful developments.

And perhaps the best news, the hearing in my left ear is terrific!  The water balloon type feeling I was experiencing after surgery has cleared up considerably and I can hear crisply and loudly.

Before flying home tomorrow I will find out just how good my hearing really is.  I am scheduled to see Dr Brackmann at the house institute at 10:45 AM and get a full inspection, complete with hearing test.  I am very optimistic this is going to come out well.  I will post an update upon my return to DC.

So that's pretty much it for today.  I will post more, including the "why I chose house institute" info early next week.  Have a great weekend everyone.  Both Sacha and I look forward to seeing all you East Coasters soon.

Is this really an issue in Sports, if so do you think the problem is widespread as I had no idea that we as people have come this far that we have let gangs into all we do.  Tell me what you think, here is the link to this story

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-nflgangs&prov
=ap&type=lgns

I liked Brette Favre when he played most of the time. I still thought he was overrated. He has not been the best quarterback in the NFL. He hasn't won a superbowl since the late 90's. His last 3 playoff games, he has thrown an interception at the end of the game that caused the packers to get beaten in the playoffs. He always manages to throw bad passes that make you wonder what was he thinking. Yet he is never held to the same standard as other quarterbacks.  He is not better than Brady or Manning.  Having said all that, please just retire already. He had a good year last year. But the 3 before that he should have been gone.cut.released. He was selfish because for the last 3 seasons he has held the packers hostage with his retirement plans. Then this year after that  playoff performance, he had the tearful press confrence. He changed his mind a few months later. Then decided he was going to stay retired. Then he wants to come back after the packers had moved on. Meanwhile he goes on TV talking about he doesn't trust the packers anymore!!!!  Now he is is just being a baby. He got the most out of his playing days and toooooo much credit for what he did so get over it and retire already.  I know all those sports guys who love him and give him a pass everytime he throws a horrific pass that gets run back for a touchdown... really think he gives them the best chance to win. Win what? He has had the last decade to give them the best chance to win , and he has not gone back to the big game. So move on, let Aaron Rogers have his time. He gives the packers the best chance to win without the drama and circus that has become Brett Favre. Peace out number 4. See you in the Hall of fame.

Dear Peter Angelos;

I am writing to voice my concern about the methods you are using to prevent Washingtonian's and Washington National fans everywhere from seeing their home team.  I have a subscription to MLB Ticket on DirecTV and the Nationals are being blocked.  The only time the Nationals are NOT BLOCKED on MLB Ticket is when they play your equally uncompetitive Baltimore Orioles team. 

I can view the Nationals on ESPN when that happens, i.e., every Blue Moon!  I can understand why you, as own/manager of MASN have decided to punish the Nationals franchise (hoping they would fail) because ever since the Nationals have been in Washington the attendance at Camden Yards has fallen by an average of 10,000 persons PER GAME!

So you have taken the opportunity to put a "strangle hold" on Nationals fans.  That is mighty big of you and I can only hope that the future attendance at Camden Yards will continue to dwindle.  The Nationals only bright spot this year is their stadium, BUT what will you do when D.C. has a competitive team?

Thanks again, Mr. Angelos you ambulance chaser!

Friday July 11, 2008

11 AM

Hello again.  Before I get into any updates I would like to thank everyone ho has reached out to Sacha and me the past couple weeks.  All the phone calls, text messages, emails, greeting cards and replies to the blog have been overwhelming.  We feel so fortunate to have so many people reaching out to us.  I personally feel humbled and extremely blessed.  Thank you all so very much.

A couple of quick notes that I neglected to mention in my previous entries that people might be curious about:

-Doctors say they did get the entire tumor extracted in the surgery.  I will have to have a follow-up MRI one year from now to be certain it is gone, but they are very optimistic.

-Following extraction the tumor was sent to pathology to confirm it as being benign.  It was.

-The tumor was 1.3cm when extracted.  I was measured at 1.2cm in the MRI, so it grew 1mm in the 3 months between MRI and surgery.

As for the latest on my health… I am feeling stronger and stronger as each day goes by.  I continue to try and push myself a bit more each day to build strength and help my brain continue to adjust from the constant state of dizziness.  It is a slow climb but I feel I am making progress.

I am sleeping a bit better through the night.  It still takes me a while to fall asleep but today is my last day of full strength steroids, so hopefully that will start to improve as well.  At least now the, “pop,pop,pop,” sounds I was hearing have subsided, so I don’t have that to contend with any longer.

Yesterday Sacha and I went to visit the University Of San Diego campus, where she attended school.  We walked around the campus for better than two hours and, though I did rely on my cane quite a bit, I was able to climb a few sets of stairs and enjoy the day. 

We then drove around San Diego, through Mission Beach, and La Jolla.  We even stopped and walked on the beach for a bit.  I have never been to most of these places (I was in San Diego in ’98 to cover the Super bowl but never got to the beach) and was glad to be able to take all of it in.  Though, it all added up to a pretty full day.

As for the latest on my face… unfortunately there’s not much to report here.  My buddy Tim Ring says I wasn’t that good looking to begin with so not to take it so hard!  I do still feeling some twitching here and there and feel like I am able to move my lips a bit better each day but the progress here is definitely slow.

I spoke to a wonderful woman named Ann Lucas yesterday about all this.  Ann lives in Indiana and three years ago she had the exact same surgery (Middle Fossa) for an Acoustic Nueroma under Dr. Brackmann.  Ann and I actually spoke prior to my surgery when I sought her advice after learning of her on the Acoustic Nueroma website (www.anausa.org).  Her tumor was similar in size to mine and she was kind enough to speak with me about her experience at House and her outcome with the surgery. 

Our initial conversation was very helpful in making me confident I was making a good decision coming to LA.  Our conversation yesterday was equally beneficial as she talked with me about her post-op complications.  Exactly like me, her hearing was saved in surgery and she initially had full facial movement following the operation.  And, like me, she starting losing that movement a few days afterwards. 

Ann said she started getting her movement back very slowly and with twitching at first… similar to what I seem to be experiencing.  Ann said it was about 4-5 weeks before she really had most of it back, and seeing as how I am now only 15 days post-op that I should not be concerned.  Again, this all just reconfirms what the doctors told me but there’s something reassuring about hearing from the voice of experience.

So that’s pretty much the latest.  I did go to get a haircut yesterday and I am posting the pics online.  I am also posting additional photos online at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYt2zhu4cNmLo
A.  I decided to post these here because for some reason I can’t add any captions to the Fox 5 photos, so check them out there if you want.

With all that out of the way I am going to dive into more background about this tumor and how I figured out I had it.

As I have alluded to an Acoustic Nueroma is a benign tumor which begins as a small growth extending from the vestibular (balance) nerves in the auditory canal.  (I have included an MRI scan of my tumor with the photos so you can see what it looks like). 

As the tumor grows it fills the space in the auditory canal and can become intertwined with both the acoustic and facial nerves, which also occupy this very small space.  If the tumor does become wrapped up with these nerves hearing preservation and facial muscle retention become more and more difficult to save. 

Additionally the tumor, in most cases, will also begin growing away from the auditory canal and start extending its way towards the brain stem.  Long term, if left untreated, this tumor can result in even further complications, including death.

The good news, if there is good news, with these tumors is they grow very, very slowly… usually not more than a couple millimeters per year.  This allows patients who do have these tumors to make informed decisions on the best way to treat the tumor, without feeling a rush to make a hasty decision. 

The other good news is that Acoustic Nueromas are pretty rare.  The doctor who diagnosed me told me that autopsies indicate 1 in 6000 people have Acoustic Nueromas but of those, only 1 in 300 become problematic.  That’s 1 problematic AN in every 180,000 people.  The ANA puts the numbers slightly higher at 2 in 100,000, but in any case you can see this is not a very common issue.

Of course the downside to the rarity of these tumors is that finding the right treatment is a bit more difficult than with many other medical issues.  As I will get to when I discuss why I chose the House Institute, most hospitals still consider Acoustic Nueroma treatment more of a specialty than a routine procedure.  Again, thankfully that slow growth rate affords patients like me time to make well-informed decisions after proper research.

BTW: there is no known cause of Acoustic Nueromas.  Could it be cell phone usage? Could it be the time I tumbled down the basement stairs as a toddler?  Could it be all those shots of tequila on spring break?  It could be any or none of those, no one knows why these tumors occur. 

So, if you’ve been wondering if you too could have an Acoustic Nueroma, the odds are good that you do not.  Nonetheless, I want to share with everyone the symptoms I experienced which led me to (after a number of years) finally discover my tumor.

The first sign I ever had an issue arose in the spring of 2004 when I was still living in Indianapolis.  After a late night at the bars I awoke the next day to discover I had lost about 75% of the hearing in my left ear overnight.  I was pretty distraught and very confused.  I figured I had just drunk too much the night before and that it would come back on its own.  Still, it was very scary and strange to suddenly be near deaf in my left ear.

When the hearing had still not returned the next day I scheduled an appointment with my general practitioner, who got me in the same day.  That doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with me other than the hearing loss.  Ironically, he informed me he had, however, just attended a conference in which sudden hearing loss such as mine had been discussed and that there was some sort of new virus going around which attacked a person’s hearing nerve and manifested sudden hearing loss such as mine.

If this virus were not attacked within 72 hours of the onset of the hearing loss, it would be permanent.  I was happy that I had scheduled my appointment so quickly.  The Indy doc set me on a predisone taper prescription and I began taking the pills right away.  Within 3 days my hearing returned!  I was so relieved, and felt very fortunate to have my hearing back.  Little did I know my problems were just beginning.

It was nearly another year before I had any further issues.  By the summer of 2005 I was living in Denver and everything seemed to be going great in my life when out of the blue the events from the previous year unexpectedly returned.  Only with a bit of a twist.  This time I was wide-awake when the hearing in my left ear shut down. 

I was sitting in my apartment one morning, again after a night out at the bars, when I heard a loud, high pitched ringing in my ear.  The ringing continued for a few hours and as it wore on the hearing in the ear diminished markedly.  By the afternoon I had again lost 75-80% of the hearing in my left ear. 

I immediately thought back to what had happened in Indy and thought, “How could I have this virus again?”  I had yet to establish a doctor in Denver at that point, so I headed to the hospital and sought treatment at the emergency room. 

Much like the doc in Indy, the doctor who treated me at the hospital could not find anything wrong with me, aside from the hearing loss.  I told him about the viral diagnosis I’d received in Indy and he said he had never heard of any such thing.  Still, he said he was happy to write me a prescription for another predisone taper if I thought that was what I wanted.  I agreed and went on my way.

For some reason I was a little slow to fill the prescription this time around.  I don’t recall the exact details surrounding this but I do remember that by the time I filled the prescription my hearing had already begun returning.  I’d guess the hearing loss lasted no more than 48 hours that second time around.

By now I was feeling pretty confused about just what was going on.  But at 36 years old, and in otherwise good shape, I pretty much wrote the events off and went on with my life.  I’ve never been very good about admitting when I am sick and always believe I can just power through… that’s not always good.

Thus when I first began feeling dizzy a few months later I never imagined the circumstances could be related.  It was Sept. 2005 and I was hosting the University of Colorado Football show, “The Buffalo Stampede,” with then CU Head Coach Gary Barnett.  I woke up one Wednesday morning and was suppose to drive from Denver to Boulder to meet coach Barnett to tape the show. 

When I got up out of bed my head was spinning.  I was so dizzy I nearly fell down on the floor.  I had not been out the night before, so this really was strange.  I didn’t feel sick in any other way so I was confused as to what was wrong with me.  It took me a long struggle to get myself into the shower and up and out of my apartment that morning.  I probably should not have been driving but I couldn’t skip this shoot.  Somehow, very slowly, I managed the drive to Boulder without getting into an accident. 

When I arrived for the taping, 30 minutes late, I apologized to the crew and Coach Barnett and told them I was feeling ill.  Nonetheless we powered through the taping in only slightly more time than normal.  Needless to say I don’t remember much about that episode or how I even managed to talk about football while I was in a daze the entire show.  Thankfully I did get through it.

After the show I drove back home and went back to bed.  After a long nap I awoke to still being dizzy.  By this point in my Denver stay I had befriended a local Doctor named Todd.  I called Todd and told him what was going on and he suggested I likely had some sort of sinus infection.  He wrote me a prescription for a nasal spray and some pills to help the dizziness.  I filled both prescriptions, spent the next couple days on the couch and by the following Monday was feeling pretty much back to normal.                                 

Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the dizziness.  Looking back on it now, I don’t think the dizziness ever really went totally away, I think I just became more used to it and more tolerant of it… but it was always there in one way or another.

I met my wife in May 2005 and remember the first time her mother came to Denver in October of 2005.  The three of us went to dinner together and in the middle of dinner I announced I needed to go home because the room was spinning.  Sacha was shocked because I had not really ever complained of being dizzy at any point prior to this.  I felt like a jerk because this was not the impression I’d hoped to make on my girlfriend’s mom. 

Then again, ironically, in the summer of 2006 Sacha and I were visiting her mom in Santa Fe, NM and a similar experience occurred while at dinner. 

What’s weird though, is that aside from those couple of dinners and the experience with the CU show, the dizziness never really seemed to bother me or even be noticeable on a regular basis.  I really can’t think of any specific “dizzy events” outside of that trio which occurred prior to the spring of 2007. 

Then in the spring of 2007 things started to get weird.  Sacha and I were scheduled to get married April 20, 2007 in Key West, FL.  About a month or so before the wedding I started noticing that I was experiencing “lightheadedness” on a nearly daily basis.  I would compare my feeling more to the equivalent of being tipsy than a room spinning type of thing. 

At that time I was working out pretty hardcore at the gym and on a fairly strict diet as I was trying to get into great shape for the wedding.  As the lightheadedness was more of an annoyance than an obstacle in my daily function, I just wrote it off as being a side effect of stress over the wedding and working out too hard.

Still, when I fainted in Church that Good Friday I knew I could ignore what was happening no longer.  (Very embarrassing, I needed to be helped out of the Church in the middle of the reading of “the Passion of Christ”… not a shining moment).  I scheduled an appointment with my new general practitioner who didn’t find anything wrong with me but suggested I take it easy.  She wanted to see me again when I returned from my wedding, if I wasn’t feeling better.

Then came the wedding and the Honeymoon, and I felt terrific.  No dizziness at all.  I hadn’t felt so good in years.  Of course, getting pampered for 10 days in the West Indies with a new beautiful wife can alleviate even the worst ailments.  

The good feeling was short-lived.  When I returned from the Honeymoon it wasn’t long before the lightheadedness returned.  Again, the feeling was much more like being a small bit tipsy and was not anything that affected my ability to work, drive, talk, walk or do anything in my normal life.  But it was there… everyday.

I found the dizziness usually would begin in mid to late afternoon and stay with me the remainder of the day.  When I went to sleep it would go away and in the morning I’d usually feel great, until mid afternoon when it would begin all over again.

By late summer I’d scheduled another appointment with my doctor in Denver who suggested there could be some sort of blockage in my sinuses and that I go to physical therapy to try and alleviate the issue.  I agreed and underwent two weeks of unique exercises but they ultimately did nothing to help.

Then last Sept. I experienced yet another hearing outage.  This one was the same as the second.  There was a ringing in my ear and within a few hours the hearing was gone.  Much like that second hearing outage, this one also returned on its own, only this time it took closer to 96 hours.

During that 96-hour span I scheduled an appointment with an otolygist in Denver named Dr. Cass.  Dr. Cass ruled out this being a viral thing and suspected I may have Meniere’s disease.  He decided I should have a CAT scan to see what was going on inside my ear.  He wrote me a predisone taper, just in case, but I never took the pills. 

The CAT scan came back negative for anything unusual, which left only more questions than answers.    In retrospect, I was an idiot not to tie all my problems together and be more aggressive in diagnosing my troubles right then and there, but I had other tings on my mind… chief amongst them, the fact that I was not working.  The sports talk radio show I had been hosting ended shortly after my wedding and getting a new job was the most important focus in my life.  

Thankfully, it was about that time that talks began progressing with Fox 5 in DC.  Since the dizziness was nothing more than an annoyance, and the CAT scan was negative, I opted to pretty much put all that on the back burner and focus on the great career opportunity being presented by WTTG. 

Once I decided to accept my position at Fox, there were so many more important issues (I thought) than my health.  I needed to get my house sold.  My wife had a business to sell.  I needed to pack, find a new place to live and get prepared for a new job.  My feeling tipsy would have to wait.

And for the most part, it did.  While moving to DC did nothing to alleviate my lightheadedness, the problem never stopped me from being able to function at work.  Yes, it was still there on a daily basis, and, did seem to be getting a bit worse.  Still, I powered through each and everyday and told no one about the times I needed to step outside the office to clear my head or walked into the studio hoping to just get through the next 3 minutes of television without messing up.

I think I pulled it all of fairly well.  Even on the rare days when I was feeling not so good, no one seemed to notice.     

Then it all came tumbling down on a very important day in Redskins History.  The day the team introduced Jim Zorn as its new head coach is a day I will never forget… and it has nothing to do with Jim Zorn.  In the middle of the Zorn press conference the all too familiar loud, high pitched ringing in my ear began.  By the time the press conference was over I was again nearly deaf in my left ear. 

This couldn’t be happening again!  Needless to say it was tough for me to focus on work the rest of that day.  After the presser was over I returned to the station, put together a story for that night’s Sports Extra and bolted out of the office without much explanation. 

I sensed Dave Feldman was a bit agitated with me at the way I left work so suddenly on such an important day, and he was right to feel that way.  I felt terrible leaving the office but was so freaked out I just needed to go home. 

For the first time I knew there had to be something seriously wrong with me.  I could no longer make excuses for why things were happening.  Most people are not battling vertigo, no matter how mild, on a daily basis.  And most people do not suddenly lose the hearing one of their ears 4 times in 4 years… even if that hearing does come back.

This time the hearing loss was much slower to return.  I remember the following Wednesday was the day of the Roger Clemens steroid hearing on Capitol Hill and I was in attendance.  I was in the back of the room trying to follow the testimony while being deaf in one ear.  Somehow I managed to follow along, put together 2 packages for the 5 and 6 o’clock news and go live from the Hill without anyone catching on that I was dealing with some major concerns. 

While at the Clemens hearing I was able to (after 2 days of trying) finally get Dr. Cass on the phone back in Denver.  I updated him on my condition and asked him for a referral in the DC area.  He referred me to Dr. Dennis Fitzgerald at Washington Hospital. 

By the time I met with Dr. Fitzgerald the following week my hearing had returned but I was ready to get to the bottom of this issue.  Dr. Fitzgerald scheduled a full battery of testing… everything from hearing to sound waves to balance.  And I passed them all with flying colors.  That was when he finally said, “Let’s get an MRI.”

I had the MRI on March 10th.  The following Friday, St. Patrick’s Day, I met with Dr. Fitzgerald expecting he was going to tell me I would need more testing, maybe for allergies or something, but he did not.  Instead he alerted me to the discovery of the Acoustic Tumor.  He said he had sent over 200 patients in for MRI’s the past few years and that I was the first to come back with a positive one.  What luck!

From there we discussed options available for treatment of this acoustic nueroma and the fact that I had plenty of time to make a decision as these grow so very slowly. 

And that was that.  I did get a copy of my MRI and sent it to my brother-in-law (who is a surgeon) to have him independently verify the diagnosis.  After that I went into research mode to determine how I wanted to treat this issue. 

I will get into why I chose both surgery and the House Institute next week.  That’s plenty enough for today.

If you actually read all this, thanks for the time.  I hope this information might be helpful to someone out there who might be suffering from similar issues. 

BTW: One last note, as you can see from the pics, I am eating very well.  I am afraid by the time I get back to DC I’ll be up 20 pounds!  I cannot workout6 or lift anything more than 10 pounds for 4 weeks post-op and I’m only half way there.