Decision Anxiety

[v357139]

Hi all.  This is for all those having trouble deciding what to do.  Just passed my 10 year anniversary since successful Translab surgery.  It's telling that it passed without me remembering - I have moved on with my life.  What a difference from when I was trying to decide.  I drove myself crazy.  My anxiety was so bad I had trouble eating and sleeping.  I lost 50 pounds.  Friends who saw me were very concerned.  I was a shell of myself.  But I made it through.

So for those who just cannot decide, are sick with worry, and think they will never get through this.  I am living proof that there is hope.  You will get through this.  If I can make it, so can you.

If you are in this situation, please feel free to reach out.  I know exactly what you are going through, and I would me more than happy to listen.  I also did a mountain of research, and would be glad to share.

Hang in there.  Do your research, then let your gut decide.  You will make it!!!

[solotraveler]

Thank you for posting this, I needed to see a hopeful post like this today!!! This definitely gives me hope.  I have been in extreme anxiety just as you describe, I am no longer the person I once was and I feel like I’m grieving my old life that I want back so badly.  My mind sometimes goes to dark places thinking everything will go wrong when I have surgery.  The dizziness I have is also severely impacting my life.  I postponed my surgery in part because I want to find a new surgeon I feel comfortable with and the other part is dental issues on my tumor side that keep snowballing into worse dental pain. I’m glad I canceled my surgery because I ended up needing a root canal which failed and now may need dental surgery, I’m glad I’m not going through this while recovering from brain surgery at the same time.  The dental issues also are connected to nerves and definitely make my symptoms worse, the worse my tooth hurts, the more dizzy I am and my ear rings louder. With everything going wrong it’s hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.  I keep thinking well it’s one thing after another, non stop bad news, so why would the result of brain surgery ever be good news? I start viewing surgery as the end of my life ending in worse health issues.  Very negative thinking but I think the way I’ve just been dealing with so much bad news and bad luck it’s hard to have any hope left.  Thank you for taking the time to post this and I’m so happy you are living a healthy life! I may ask more questions directly if that is okay with you?

Sandy

[Roggae]

Hi Sandy:

Just checking in since we joined around the same time/dealing with same anxiety. I settled on UCSD. Went to a local doc just to see what they had to say and it reinforced my decision to travel. Surgery scheduled 01/30. Worked out insurance and they’ll let me travel out of area but still in plan. Not looking forward to it at all because I know they won’t get it all, but I do feel good about my choice and that the uncertainty about these decisions is behind me. We’ll see what life brings next. I hope you find the right docs and please LMK how and when things move forward. Best of luck and sending you good wishes. Geoff

[Greece Lover]

Sounds like a great decision. good luck!

[solotraveler]

Hi Geoff,
I’m glad to hear you’ve made your decision and feel good about it! It sounds like you are in really good hands.  Out of curiosity, why won’t they be able to remove the full tumor?
The anxiety is so hard! Do you have a support system helping you through this?
 My mood sometimes goes so low that I just want to never get out of bed. I watched a few inspiring documentaries that helped my mood a bit and put things in perspective (Any One of Us and The Crash Reel are my favorites)  But there is still that fear of a surgery looming out in front of me.
I hope you will continue to give updates and I look forward to a post surgery announcement from you telling us all how well it went! My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Sandy

[Roggae]

Hello again: it’s in a tough spot so unlikely to get it all. This was a consistent message across 4 surgeons. Maybe I’ll get lucky. I’ll definitely report back.

[MorganofTarth]

Opened this post expecting to read about someone like me who's currently going through decision anxiety, so it's refreshing to see a perspective from someone who's a few years post surgery. Thank you for posting!

[drumfest]

Thank you for posting this.  My tumor is now growing and all the experts recommend treatment at this time.  I've done much research too, but it's still very difficult which way to go (radiation or surgery).  They both have their pros and cons.  I've had three ear surgeries on the impacted side and don't wish to go through a fourth and most difficult one.  I like the radiosurgery simplicity, but don't want to have dizziness rear its head in the future if I leave the tumor pressing on the adjacent structures.  I currently have a small amount of dizziness in the am hours typically & it gets better after noon.  Lastly, I'd like to save what's left of my hearing as I'm a professional musician & have been for the past 30+yrs.  Very tough decision!  Anyway, thanks again for posting and if anyone would like to reply, please do.

Good luck to all on your journey.
D

[UkulelesAreAwesome]

I needed to read something positive like this. I already had radiation 18 months ago and they're already talking about surgery. It's worse than the anxiety I felt when I was diagnosed. I had treatment options then. There's only one option now.  I'm angry and do not want surgery and don't want vestibular rehab again and am tired of my life being run by a tumor.

[v357139]

I know how it feels.  Email me if you'd like to talk.

[v357139]

Thank you for posting this.  My tumor is now growing and all the experts recommend treatment at this time.  I've done much research too, but it's still very difficult which way to go (radiation or surgery).  They both have their pros and cons.  I've had three ear surgeries on the impacted side and don't wish to go through a fourth and most difficult one.  I like the radiosurgery simplicity, but don't want to have dizziness rear its head in the future if I leave the tumor pressing on the adjacent structures.  I currently have a small amount of dizziness in the am hours typically & it gets better after noon.  Lastly, I'd like to save what's left of my hearing as I'm a professional musician & have been for the past 30+yrs.  Very tough decision!  Anyway, thanks again for posting and if anyone would like to reply, please do.

It's always tough choice.  Might help to ask the radiosurgeon about your specific radiosurgery concerns, and see what his replies are.  I had the same concern about mine pressing on the brainstem.  I asked the radiosurgeon about it and he gave me his answers.  I found evaluating his answer helped me to make my decision.  PM me if you'd like to talk.  Let us know how it goes.

[Lessconaga]

I stumbled upon this thread and couldn't help but chime in. First off, kudos to whoever shared this valuable resource. Mental health is no joke, and having a hotline like mentalhealthhotline.org can be a game-changer for anyone going through tough times. Remember, it's okay not to be okay sometimes, but reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Now, onto the topic at hand. Personally, I believe that spreading awareness about mental health resources is crucial. It's like shining a light in the darkness, letting people know they're not alone and that help is just a call or click away. We all need a little help from our friends, right?

As for my take on the question posed in the topic, I think it's vital to destigmatize mental health issues. Just like we take care of our physical health, we need to prioritize our mental well-being too. It's all about finding that balance and taking care of ourselves inside and out.

[stevehernes]

I think you made a right decision!  I have a passion for cleaning—it’s something I genuinely enjoy and find relaxing.