Saw the Neurosurgeon today

[tatianne]

I saw the neurosurgeon today, Dr. Morh from the Jewish General Hospital here in Montreal Quebec.
I was quite impressed with him, he was very kind but straight foward and to the point at the same time.
His opinion was that I wait another year and have another MRI done to see if the growth has continued. He feels that the growth was very minimal and there is still a chance it could stop growing for a while and this could give me more time to decide on a treatment.
Important things I learned from him:

-I have a 10% chance to loose my hearing completly at any given time, he said even a small blood vessel breaking could cause a hearing loss.
-He said that GK is an option for me, although he is reluctant because studies go back only 30 years and Im only 31, meaning that we not sure what would happen to me after 60 and he thinks thats too young to not be sure about.He said he does have some patients how have chosen GK and are doing very well with that treatment.
-He told me with GK i still have a 50% chance of loosing my hearing within the first few years after treatment.
-He told me with surgery i also have a 50 % chance of loosing my hearing completly.
-My AN is in the IAC and is not in any way close to doing any real damage.
-He feels that my facial function at this time is not even to be concerned about, although he feels that preserving this function is a main goal.

Finally he said that both treatments seem too big right now for the small AN that I have. He said GK right now would be like me killing a fly with a canon ball...too big too soon.
Surgery as well, too big too soon, not worth the risks at this time.
He believes the more time we can wait the better it will be for me and GK will have more years of research under its belt.
He also told me that he has a daughter my exact age and if it was her in my shoes he would advise her to wait another year.
I asked him how many AN surgeries he has done, he told me over 500, is that considered to be a lot of experience...it sounds like a lot to me. He also said he has 70 AN patients on wait and watch right now, most being much older then me.

So all in all he really didnt advise me towards any treatment right now, he seems cautious but supportive of both GK and surgery and I really felt like he knew his stuff
so
I think I will wait another year.
What do you guys and girls think ...
Thank you,
T

[Boppie]

I had the same type of discussion with my own 31 y/o daughter today.  She was asking what would happen if she had an AN and I ended up with the conculsion that I'd want her to wait if it was small like yours. 

My only fear is that young people will lose their jobs regardless of the treatment type for ANs.  I have read about this happening.  This seems so unfair and will be a big issue in the future to reslove.

[PatientNo14]

I share most of his views about GK and surgery. You have plenty of time to take your decision. Take advantage of it to learn more. Knowledge will help you to reduce anxiety. My decision is taken. I'm ready... Good post, very informative. I appreciate it.

[Sue]

Hi Tatianne,

Such a nice post from you and very informative.  Far cry from when you first came on here, huh?

Sounds like your doctor is doing right by you.  That's good to know.  You tell your doctor, though, that by the time you are 60, medical breakthroughs will have solved the AN problem for good!  At least it's something to hope for, I think.

Sue in Vancouver USA