As most of my readers know, in October, 2018, I was diagnosed with a benign vestibular schwannoma, or acoustic neuroma as it is also called. It is a tumor that arises off of the vestibular nerve that controls gait, balance, and the main nerve for hearing that connects to the brain. My tumor was a big larger than large, displacing my brain stem, causing shortness of breath, temperature control issues, some hydrocephalus, and necrosis of the tumor. At diagnosis, my situation was deemed critical enough to report to the ER, as it could have been life threatening. There’s a phone call you hate making to your parents, let me tell you.

On November 29th, 2018 my tumor was removed after being on decadron, a steroid, to relieve brain inflammation all that time. My shortness of breath and temperature control issues were managed, but my dizziness, facial numbness, tinnitus, massive fatigue, and hearing loss were not. In fact, the only thing that is not permanent, even after surgery, is facial numbness. I have facial paralysis turned facial synkinesis, but most facial function is returning through time, soft tissue mobilization therapy and neuromuscular retraining. I am permanently deaf in my right ear as the nerve was severed. My tinnitus is permanent because my brain thinks it can still hear. It’s trying to make sense of the sounds it can feel. I do still have occasional dizziness because I worked hard in vestibular therapy, but I’m no longer a fall risk. I have fatigue and brain fog, especially after being around noise. Single sided hearing is a challenge, as sound discernment is often not possible. That may be playing a part in the fatigue and brain fog.

All that being said, while I was recovering from surgery, and after my fabulous not so fashionable neuro-surgical hair cut, I needed to know what I needed to eat and be nutritionally sound to heal well, and to grow my hair back as quickly as I could. I sell hair clips as my business, after all, and hair is needed for demonstrating that.

9 Nutrients for Growing Healthy Hair

In the course of that nutrition research, this e-book, 9 Nutrients for Growing Healthy Hair got written, and it is has literally been how I eat. What else did I have to do, besides lots of vestibular therapy, but focus on writing an e-book and my nutritional status?

I’d love to share it with you. Let me know in the comments if this helps you! I hope it does. You can access it free here.

The good news is that i stayed healthy all the time I’ve been recovering from surgery. My muscles have grown stronger through exercise and therapy. My head where my incision was made healed nicely with no infection. My physical/vestibular therapists have been working on myofascia release in order to prevent cervicogenic dizziness, no scar adhering to my scalp, and to relieve scalp and craniotomy tenderness. My brain mri shows only continued brain stem healing and only scar tissue and a small piece of tumor left to preserve my facial nerve. My facial paralysis is healing.

Diet is not a cure all, nor does it necessarily mean someone will never be sick. Exercise is not a cure all, and maybe it will help in the prevention of future illness.  Good nutritional status does give the best shot at best healing.

I do hope good nutrition continues to help my hair grow! The shaved sections of my head now have hair that is at my ear lobe. My goal is to have grown out my surgical hair cut by November, a full year since surgery. My hair styling technique is very boring while I wait for that to happen.

Goals are good. Good nutrition is good. Exercise is good. Keeping it all in balance-that’s good too.

Blessings,

Deb