BARRIE'S STORY - An acoustic Neuroma patient

15. SLEEP

I had problems during the early days of my recovery trying to get comfortable to sleep. My preferred side to sleep, before the operation, was my right side but after the operation this was not possible. My head was quite sore for many weeks and my facial palsy also made it difficult to sleep on my right side and so I therefore had to sleep on my left side. This led me to appreciate the only benefit I have found from the operation. When lying on my left side my good ear is on the pillow and my deaf ear is upper most. This means that I cannot hear anything and with my right eye closed I have instant darkness. The flip side to this benefit is that I cannot hear an ordinary alarm clock. Early on this was not a major problem, but as my recovery progressed the need to be woken by an alarm clock became a pressing problem.