Watch and Wait > For those in the 'watch and wait' status
Top Tips For The 'Watch & Wait' Brigade!
Derek:
Hi there 'Irish'...
Congratulations upon the initial success relevant to the recent surgical removal of your AN. You are obviously aware that you will require regular MRI scans and expert medical advice which, as has already been stated, is in itself a form of 'watch and wait'.
You have indeed been very fortunate that to date you have not had any adverse post-surgery problems and I do hope that the situation continues for you to an eventual total recovery.
Of course any form of medical intervention has attendant risks be it microsurgery or radiosurgery which is the main reason why those who choose to 'watch and wait' do so acting upon professional medical advice and regular MRI scanning in order to avoid any remote possibility of such adverse and often permanent problems from occurring.
One aspect of your post that shines like a beacon is your positive decision to decide upon microsurgery which you obviously elected following extensive research and I believe we can rightly include the undertaking of 'thorough and extensive research prior to any ultimate treatment decision being finalised' as a 'Top Tip'.
Derek
Jim Scott:
Irish211:
Thanks for your positive, detailed, informative post.
Like you, I had microsurgery (+ FSR) for a large AN (4.5 cm) last year (see my signature) and have experienced an excellent outcome, for which I'm truly thankful. However, to be totally honest, had my AN been small enough to treat without surgery, I would have. Had it been small and not growing, I would have been happy to 'watch-and-wait'. While, as you learned, surgery is not always traumatic and can produce a non-problematic outcome, as yours and mine did, surgical AN patients can, as Brucifer mentioned, have problems, post-treatment. Those problems may be mild - or severe. A lot depends on the doctors skill, location of the tumor and it's size. Frankly, no surgeon or radiation oncologist can guarantee the outcome of either approach - or both, in my case. This makes AN patients wary and willing to closely monitor their small AN with annual MRI scans, even if that means an MRI every year for ten years or more. Frankly, I would do the same thing in their place. As it is, even with surgery and radiation and a clearly shrinking AN showing definite necrosis, I'll still have to undergo MRI scans every year for many years. I don't mind, it's certainly the prudent thing to do, but I see little difference between this mild inconvenience and expense to monitor a dying (and hopefully dead) tumor and watching-and-waiting a tumor that may not grow or may even die on it's own some day.
I celebrate all good surgical and/or radiation outcomes for AN patients like us but what approach to take in dealing with our AN is strictly a personal decision made by the patient, one hopes, with knowledge, caution and a physicians supervision. Surgery may not always be as scary as some assume but 'watch-and-wait' is not an unreasonable approach to take, when feasible. I respect the AN patients decision to do so and don't feel as if they need to be 'talked out of it' or viewed as wimps for not undergoing surgery that may not be medically necessary - for them. As we are all individuals with a different 'story', our individual decisions on how to deal with our condition should always be respected. I'm sure you do and are only attempting to be encouraging. However, I feel that we have to allow for other folks individuality and their medical decisions, made sensibly, as most are - even to 'do nothing' - must always be respected, as they respect ours. I'm just sayin'. :)
Jim
Derek:
I am a fairly strong willed character, with rational thought processes and who is well able to apply common sense and logic to most of lifes challenging situations. I also appreciate the important significance of self belief and where applicable, the application of religious faith in furtherance of dealing with the aspects of extreme physical and emotional situations such as dealing with the AN problem.
I would be interested to learn of any other positive therapies that others practice and which might be of ultimate benefit to the rest of us who cope on a daily basis with the acoustic neuroma condition and with other similar traumatic situations and problems.
Derek
SharonN:
Maybe I just have my head in the clouds, but once my neurosurgeon advised the "watch and wait" approach, I rarely even think about my AN until January, when I have my yearly MRI. So far it hasn't grown in 4 years, though after my next MRI I'm going to have them compare it with the first one to see if the change from year 1 to year 5 will show something. If the change has been almost imperceptible each year, perhaps the accumulated growth will show something different. Anyhow, I'm almost 65 and have been doing most of the suggestions for a long time just to maintain my health as long as possible. Many years ago, when it was the fashion, I learned Transcendental Meditation, and when I'm stressed I use it.......and it works! At least it helps.
My doc said that since I have no symptoms other than tinnitus (and I have it in my non AN ear too!) and diminished hearing in the affected ear that watch and wait was appropriate. He said that any surgery option would take a minimum of 15% of the hearing in my affected ear, which would effectively make it almost useless. So I hope I never have to do it.
Derek:
Great post Sharon and worthy of a 'Top Tip'
I have to say that I have never previously considered the aspect of Transcendental Meditation but having looked it up on Google it has generated my interest and I intend to carry out further research.
Derek
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