I went down to San Antonio this past Wednesday for a follow-up with Dr. Jimenez. He walked into the room, looked at me and said "you look great!" I took that to mean I am healing. I am still very tired all the time. I do have some symptoms that now come and go compared to being persistent. Other symptoms are less pronounced than they were originally. Dr. Jimenez wants to wait a full year before he tests for permanent impairments. He said I have to return for future check-ups and after the 1 year point, I will be "fired." He did remain optimistic that I will continue to improve. I CAN now go to the gym, lift a few weights, do some cardio, lift things, and bend over to pick up stuff that I dropped. I am able to return to taekwondo on a full-time basis as tolerated.
I know that I still have a long road ahead of me, but for now I am still fighting the good fight! Much love and well wishes to all of us who are battling CM.
-M
That's great news, Weeblevii! I'm so happy for you. After more than 12 years, I still have symptoms that come & go, but following vestibular therapy, they have really improved. I had very poor balance pre-op & that really did not improve much post-op until I started working with someone specifically trained in balance disorders. Post-op I had been sent to work with a neurophysical therapist & that built up strength, but not much else. I kept going to the ENT to get tested, but he kept telling me all my tests were coming back fine (tilt table test, caloric test, hearing tests & a few others). It turns out the problem wasn't with my ears, but my cerebellum. My brain wasn't processing sensory input as it should & was re-routing the processing to other parts of my brain, causing impairments in language processing & speech being slurred. Once I went for the specialized vestibular therapy, the slurred speech resolved (it was minor, but I work in linguistics so it was a big deal for my job), my ability to "hear" spoken words improved, my balance improved & the pain in my head and neck substantially lessened. It took me nearly 3 years to find a neurologist that knew about brain-based balance disorders. I really wish I'd known about the treatment earlier & could have worked on it shortly after the surgery, but at least I know about it now. The vertigo can get triggered by certain things (falls, fender benders, jerking movements from carnival rides or a swerving car & such) and when I don't keep up with the exercises, it gets worse, but otherwise you'd never even know I had a problem 95% of the time. If you're still struggling with pain &/or dizziness at the 6-month mark, you may want to ask your neurosurgeon or neurologist about vestibular therapy or "balance therapy".