General Category > AN Issues
I guess you CAN read too much....
mac84:
Was just diagnosed last week and have been reading everything I can to help me at least know the questions to ask when I have my first consult.
I would suppose that most here have had the same experience: Your thinking moves in certain directions as you read more about other's personal experiences with surgery and radiation, then you add to that the more technical discussions of the cyberknife, gamma knife and the various invasive surgeries....after a while you are either more at ease or start feeling like it's a toss up.
I guess I fall into the camp of wanting to know as much as I possibly can but sometimes too much detail will scare you death! Especially if you've not even been to the first consult yet!
Thanks again to all on the forum....it IS helpful!
arizonajack:
In another post you mention that it's 1cm, you're 48, you still have your hearing, but you have tinnitus.
1cm is considered small. Mine was 1cm long (bean shaped) when I had Gamma Knife in January 2013. Unfortunately, by then I had lost all the hearing in the AN ear.
It's really a toss up whether you'll keep your hearing or not.
Anyway, you are right, there's a lot to learn, and a big decision to make.
My only words of caution is that time is not on your side. Oh, I'm not saying make a snap decision, just saying that waiting 6 months or a year can make things worse because these things grow and don't get better by themselves.
mac84:
Arizonajack, thanks for the reply...
You are correct...1cm is what I've been told. I am hoping to get to Vanderbilt in the next 2 weeks and then another couple of opinions quickly thereafter. Then I'll make my decision and move forward...I'd rather be "doing" something on it.
ANGuy:
Keep in mind that surgery or radiation can make things worse too. The way I see it, all three paths have the same risks and potential benefits. You could end up better off, the same, or worse with all three. That is, unless your tumor is large and impinging on your brain stem etc, then your decision is easy.
My viewpoint now, being 47 with a 1cm AN diagnosed in 6/14 is that if I can put off the risks of surgery for ten years, that will be ten years less I will have to live with the damage that surgery can do. It will mean ten years of research and development of improved techniques, maybe even a "cure". Of course, I've only had the one MRI so far. One Dr. says I'll never make it ten years and he sure knows what he is talking about. His teammate says it is entirely possible that I may never need surgery and taking one MRI at a time is a reasonable approach and he sure knows what he is talking about as well.
I'm not advocating WW for you, or anyone else. I may be on here in December after my next MRI talking about my upcoming surgery. I am not any more knowledgeable about any of this than any other member here, and probably a little less so. I just wanted to give my current viewpoint on this stuff, which is worth what you are paying for it ;D
Mickey:
Hi AN Guy, mac 84! Sounds like a similiar situation. It was 7+ 1/2 years ago. 1CM AN around 58 years old. I choose to W+W. Well anyhow I`m still at it "stable" going for mri`s every 2 years now. I feel better than I did when first diognosed. What I can say is get on to the W+W Brigade posts which will give you a good idea of what is being done for a number of years by a bunch of us. Best wishes, Mickey
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