ANA Discussion Forum
Archive => Archives => Topic started by: marystro on July 04, 2006, 09:52:50 am
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Hi everyone,
I am so glad to find this forum. Support group does help!
I found out I had "muffled" hearing about 6 months ago. Finally went to see a ENT who immediately ordered an audiogram. 2 weeks ago I go the result with 25% hearing loss in the left ear. Then he ordered an MRI last Friday. I got the result yesterday that I have AN of 2.3 cm with 2.1 cm in CPA region. Symptoms I have are the hearing loss and hissing sound in my left ear. He gave me House Clinic information and I called them.
Dr. Slattery at House called me back within 1 hour. I am impressed with his patience, understanding and control of the situation. I also made an appointment with Dr. Doherty at UCSD (since I live in San Diego). Does anyone know Dr. Doherty (who will be joining UCSD's Dr. Jeffrey Harris) this month? Is she from House? I heard there was a Dr. Doherty at House before.
Researching all the sites on AN. I am so scared at this time about surgery and even radia-treatment. But if I don't do anything and it continues to grow, it will not be good!
Mary
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Hi Mary,
Welcome to the club. I just registered a couple of days ago. I was diagnosed on May 10th but it took me some time to talk about my diagnosis with others. I am sorry I don't know the doctor you are talking about. I see you are from San Diego. I visited there a couple of years ago and the weather was incredible!
I hope you are doing okay and trying to gather lots of information I am sure. I am scheduled for surgery on July 26th. Everyone is so caring and supportive. If you have questions please ask and you will get answers. I think I have asked so many questions that I am just overwhelmed. My an is 18mm as of May but I had a second mri on 06-30 and I am waiting to see if their has been any changes. I vomitted during the first one with the contrast so we did a second one which went much smoother.
Hope your 4th is a blast.
Lisa
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I guess I am going through emotional roller coaster. On one hand I want to be positive but reading all the treatment options and potential complications, it gets scarry sometimes! According all the websites I visited, AN sounds like a very serious condition and if not treated it will be fatal. However, I am so afraid of losing my hearing and facial functions with the surgery route. I am not sure if radia-treatment is for me with an AN of 2.3 cm. Just very unsettling...
Discouraged,
Mary
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Hi Mary
I'm wondering if you have established a growth pattern by having more than the one MRI?
Maybe you know sometimes the worst damage comes from treatment itself.
There a potential drawbacks from treatment or, no treatment immediately.
Did Dr. say how far from the brain stem it is? Judging by what your report, I'm guessing about 1.75 cm.
Please try not to make snap decisions upon treatment even if HEI was one opinion.
Mind if I ask your age?
Russ
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Hi Russ,
I just turned 50 and am in excellent health. I even brought my cholesterol level down by 40 points over the last 9 months and blew my doctor away! I am a very optimistic person in general and very outgoing. This AN thing just threw me off course. I even made a summer resolution to learn how to swim now that my 8 yr old son Alex is in the swim team.
I will not make hasty decision and will want to weigh all my options. Don't know how far it is from the brain stem since I just got the MRI written report and read it to Dr Slattery at House who asked me to fedex him the MRI film tomorrow. He wants me to have an ABR test (not sure what it is yet). He will call me back by Friday once he gets the MRI and continue phone consultation with me. He is very in control and knows what to do.
I am also scheduled to see Dr Doherty at UCSD locally 7/26.
I am just going through so much emotionally the last 36 hours. I guess it is normal.
Thanks so much all for you out there supporting me!
Mary
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Hi Mary,
There may be a few exceptions out there but I think all of us that have been diagnosed with an AN go through an emotional roller coaster as you're doing now. The "ride" will continue as you go down the path of understanding the two different treatment options. One day an appointment with a doc or after doing some research you'll learn something that will depress you while after the next appointment with someone else you'll discover something that will make you feel much better.
It is true if an AN is allowed to growth indefinitely that at some point it's size will compress everything around it and be fatal, but that doesn't start to be an issue until it gets larger than 5-6 cm. Your AN at 2.3 is just slightly larger than mine and at a typical growth rate of 2 mm / year you have probably had it 10-12 years. It would probably be another 10-15 years before it even got close to a life threatening size, so you have lot's of time to figure what you're most comfortable doing.
The conventional rule for where radisourgery is a viable option is less than 3 cm, so you are well within that parameter and certainly have a choice available to you.
Since you have already contacted HEI for a surgery consult I would suggest you also seek out a very experienced radiosurgery doc. The docs at House are certainly among the best in performing surgery but they will not give you a very unbiased view on radiosurgery in my opinion.
neither Radiosurgery or surgery given guaranteed outcomes or come with zero risks. One difference between the two is that surgery results pretty clearly track with size while radiosurgery results do not appear to be size dependent. The larger the AN , typically the rates of hearing and facial nerve preservation drop with surgery while they do not alter much with Radiosurgery. You will find many valid opinions on both options from a lot of very smart people, but it has been my observation that results between the two options are fairly similar below a size of 1 -1.25 cm. From that point up to the 3 cm level radiosurgery hearing and facial nerve preservation rates typically become more favorable. Obviously above 3 cm most people end up with surgery so comparisons become meaningless.
As you do the research, the choice you're most comfortable with will eventually become evident, but there is no one "silver bullet" that will make the choice clear which reflects the multitude of opinions out there on both routes.
Best of luck
Mark
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Mary,
   I totally relate to how you're feeling. I cried uncontrollably for 2 days. I asked god why me? How do I prepare myself for something so serious. Just take each day one at a time. I like to be informed but I too became overwhelmed with too much information so quickly. Everytime I went to the doctor I became more afraid and just told of the possible side affects. I think the people on this forum are the ones who can really help us. A doctor does not personally know what to expect but just based on statisics is able to tell you what could possibly result from the surgery. I wake up each day and think to myself- I am going into surgery to most likely lose my hearing but I feel fine right now. How can I do this?The second ear surgeron I seen explained more about the facial paralysis and got me all upset about it. You can take in so much at a time and then you have to let it settle before taking in more information. Please feel free to share your feelings. I wish I would have came on this site sooner, but I just bottled things up. I work in a dental office and I am so afraid of facial paralysis. I have to be confident with my job and need to be professional. I have been an emotional roller coaster too just thinking about the what if's. I think you just focus on the postive but try to be prepared for some side effects just in case.
  Are you thinking about surgery? Just curious.
      Lisa
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I am not sure which treatment yet until I talk to the doctors. I just found out this yesterday from my MRI report and am not prepared for information I have read. I like Mark's reply saying that I have time. I will let the group know after my phone consult with Dr. Flattery (House) this Friday. Keeping my fingers crossed.
You guys are awesome!!! Alex said you all care about me :D. Thank you!
Mary
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I dont know if that was the same Dr. Doherty that was at House ... if it was ... I liked her a lot ..I remember her because she would come and visit me early every morning ...
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Hi Mary,
I spoke to Dr. Slattery myself just last night. I felt very comfortable talking to him. I was just diagnosed a few weeks ago, and have been riding the rollercoaster, too. I am considering surgery because I don't want to risk acquiring more symptoms such as balance problems or facial paralysis. Right now, I only have a hearing loss.  I have pretty much decided that if I am going to have surgery, I would choose the translab approach because of the lower risk of facial paralysis (my biggest fear). Dr. Slattery told me that if I were a member of his family, he would recommend that approach for them. I knew then that I was making the best decision for ME. I asked the Dr. if I would be alright to wait until January to have it removed. He said that I should have another MRI in September (3mos. after my first) to see if there was any growth. He told me some tumors can double in size in 6 months! I had not read that anywhere before.  :o
Anyway, keep researching, and then decide what is best for YOU.
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Do you think Dr Flattery may be pressuring you to get surgery since it's his specialty? Double in size in 6 months is scary thought. I really dread surgery. How big is your AN?
Mary
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Hi Mary:
Welcome to this exclusive club.  You will find that the people here are friendly and helpful.  I understand how upsetting this is as I am fairly new to this also.  I was told my diagnosis on March 13 of this year. Not so long ago.  I had never heard of Acoustic Neuroma or Gamma Knife surgery, which is what I ended up doing on April 18.  My ENT that I was finally refered to did not discover my AN as he did not order an MRI (with contrast and SHAME ON HIM, by the way).  Last summer I did not have facial numbness. It wasn't until I went to my family doctor the first of Jan and told him that I was experiencing some numbness on the left side of my face, near my ear, that I was sent to a neurologist who ordered the MRI. Took me over 6 weeks to get that office visit tho! That was a long wait.) Finally!  An answer to the ear problems I'd been having since the late fall of 2004.  The nurologist passed me off to the neurosurgeon who sent me to Dr. Modha, who recommended radiosurgery for me.  He just looked at me and said "Microsurgery is a very big deal."  I asked him, "If I were your mother, is this what you would recommend?"  He said, Yes.  So, I put my trust in him and went with the Gamma Knife procedure.  It went very well, and I go this month for a 3 month MRI.  The information was overwhelming for me, and I'm still learning about this stupid thing in my head, but it really boils down to only three choices - Watch and Wait, Microsurgery, or Radiosurgery.  You have a medium sized tumor so watching and waiting doesn't seem much of an option.  Microsurgery is performed on many patients and their outcome can be just fine. Experience of your team is important. Does your gut scream at you "Just get the darn thing out of there!"  Is that important to you or can you live with it inside your head, but dead, dead, dead after radiosurgery. Surgery takes 6 weeks to recover from, sometimes months depending on what happens to your balance.  Radiosurgery took me about three weeks to get back to normal (whatever that is for me! ;D). But then, I'm 60 if that made any difference. I took a steroid drug to help with swelling and that wasn't much fun, but the effects of that lasted about 8 or 9 days. Insomnia is a common side effect.  I chose the "zap it" approach and others on this board have done that also - but perhaps by a different procedure - Cyber Knife, fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (FSR), Proton Beam, and maybe some of them will tell about their experiences.  Quite a few on here have had highly successful surgeries and are very loyal to the facility that they went to and will be happy to tell you their stories.  HEI in Los Angeles comes highly rated.  Emotionally, it's nice to come here and see that you aren't alone in the world.  This is supposed to be sort of rare, but I'm thinking - I don't think it's THAT rare!!  In March when I first signed on, I was like number 993 or something like that, and now there are 1,174 members!  So about 180 people came on this board since the first part of March!!  That's just the ones who have a computer and come looking.  There must be many more out there who never bothered to find this place.  Anyway, you are not alone and the "why me" thing will fade, in time. I told my doctor, "I can't believe I got something like this, I'm such an ordinary person."  He looked at me and said, "Well, it's an ordinary tumor."  I thought, well, okay...everybody is going to get something in their life and this is our something.  At least it's kind of interesting. I also have diabetes - that's so boring!!  And even tho this is the most freakin' annoying thing I've ever had, it's a whole lot better than something else we could be talking about.  So, it's the worst thing that maybe has happened to us, but it's not the worse than can happen. We have to take the time to go through the stages - all the classic stages of grief, and then we are supposed to end up with acceptance. All of us do that in different ways and some of us take longer than others to get there, but that is the goal.  In the meantime, find the doctor that you are comfortable with and talk about your options and what makes the most sense to you and what gives you the outcome that you desire. Then just go for it. Sorry I was long winded today....guess I was in a chatty mood!!  Hang in there, Mary!!  It'll all be fine. 8)
Sue
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Sue,
This is so good to hear from all of you. I took my son out for a little beach ball game in the park just now. It was great! This thing makes me re-think my purpose in life. I am trying to make the best of it by enjoying the moments I can with my family. I used to be a workaholic (am still somehow). Now my family is priority no. 1. I am in business development with a large telecom company. I have done quite a bit of international travel in my life. Now I prefer to stay home if possible. On the bright side, I can tell my company that I need to be home due to my medical condition and I think they will be ok. Sometimes, something happens for a reason. I am still optimistic. Feeling a bit better than earlier today.
Mary
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Do you think Dr Flattery may be pressuring you to get surgery since it's his specialty? Double in size in 6 months is scary thought. I really dread surgery. How big is your AN?
Mary
I am sure that surgery is recommended for me because of my age (44) and health (good overall). He explained that as I get older, the risk from surgery is higher, so if I'm going to have it, I should do it now while I'm young ;) and strong. With radiation there is no guarantee that it won't come back. He said if I were in my 60's, then radiation would be the better option. My AN is considered "medium" at 15mm x 17mm. I really liked his advice about waiting just a few more months, and having another MRI. I dread surgery, too. It is on my mind every second of every day! But even more than that, I dread the long recovery and the burden placed on my family and co-workers.
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Rest ass;ured you can get though this. I made it almost a year now. My surgery was about five hours. My recovery was 6 weeks when I went back to work. Only side effect is a loss of hearing on the surgery side. Otherwise i as good as i was before even better. i now appreiciate things more.
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Hi newbies,
I agree with the "experienced posters on here" and would add a little of my story to throw in the pot.
Almost 4 years ago, I started to have hearing loss on the phone (no other symptoms) - had an MRI and as told I had a 2cm ANB and must remove it. Like a fool, I didn't do the research that I should have and went ahead with surgery. I had the middle fossa approach (no longer done by the top surgeon here). Well, if any of you thought that surgery would cure all - not in my case. Around 9 mths agao, my AN had returned - Absolutely fantastic!!!!!
It is now around 19mm. Since my surgery, I have had a headache every day and on a number of days they are debilitating - like i want to bang my had on a brick wall.
The surgeon here has now told me to do nothing - watch and wait. If it grows to a bigger size then consider options. I guess I am lucky in that i don't have facial paralysis or dry eye but after exploring options and reading posts on this board, I will be going for gamma knife (don't have FSR in Oz.
I will not go for surgery - once was enough for me.
Mark and Sue have identified the options available to you - sometimes it depends where the growth is in relation to your brain stem as to the best treatment option. When you see a radiation person ask them, how much bigger could it grow before radiation is not an option / as effective.
cheers
Laz
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Research is helpful. At least you will be more knowledgeable to make hopefully the right decision. I just had a brief anxiety attack for about 30 sec, I think. I calmed down and breathed deeply. I am ok now. Must be the anxiety with this thing. Need to stay in control and be strong.
Mary
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Hi Again Mary,
It's very easy to have an anxiety attack over this!! It's not everyday somebody tells you that you have a brain tumor!! Wasn't even on the radar...I said somewhere on here, that it's like the Roadrunner cartoons....you are just minding your own business and trying to carefully cross that railroad track and you look both ways and nothing is coming and then WHAM. Ya kind of stagger around for awhile, but you regain your footing eventually. I still can't believe it some days. Every morning I wake up and that hissing in my ear tells me that it's still there. I think that's what was hardest to come to terms with - that the tinnitus will probably be there until the day I die. It's so irritating. Like a mosquito that won't go away. It's tiring, you know. It will eventually become just background noise and people get used to it, but I've had it since winter of 2004 and I'm tired of it and want it to GO AWAY. I'm grateful it isn't any louder because there are cases of very severe tinnitus and I do believe people have killed themselves because of it. An extreme measure, but I can sort of understand it if this was twice or three times louder than what I have now. It can be unbearable for some people. Anyway, we all have our down times. I hope you will begin to feel more and more optimisitic about your future.
Sue
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So I hear that the radio cut off is 3.0 cm. Mine is 2.3. Is there hope that I can just undergo CK or GK to preserve my exisitng hearing (25% loss) is not bad. I can live with the hissing. I am a healthy person but just so afraid of the risk of head surgery! If there is no long term result on CK or GK because it is so new but if I can be good for say 10 - 20 years, who knows what new technology will come out then. I just turned 50 years old this past April.
Mary
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Mary,
Below 3 cm ,as your AN is , radiosurgical treatment would be intended as a cure. It is important to understand the difference in how "cure" is defined for each treatment. Surgery obviously intends to remove all of the AN and leave nothing behind capable of regrowing. Based on studies I've reviewed over the years, one could give this about a 95% probability. The caveat is the caliber of the surgeon used with the most experienced having a higher percentage than those who do them less frequently. Cure with radiosurgery is defined as killing all the cells in the AN so they can no longer replicate. In many situations there may be some degree of shrinkage following treatment, but the goal is to kill it and leave the carcass in place on the assumption that no more damage can be done. Control rates for radiosurgery are fairly consistently listed as around 98%.
The biology of radiosurgery and the long term results can bascially be traced back to the Gamma Knife which was first used in Sweden in 1969, so there is basically around 30 plus years of history to the treatment. Newer machines ( CK , Novalis, etc) all use the same biological approach as GK so while their specific results are shorter term simply because they are newer, the premise they operate on is the same as GK.
Mark
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Mark,
Thanks for your continued support during this extremely difficult time for me. And thanks to all others also. You are a great group!
I just contacted Dr. Chang's office and left them a message. I hope to hear back from him soon. I will also call my ENT to see if I can get MRI scan forwarded to several doctors' offices (definitely Dr. Chang, Dr. Slattery and Dr. Doherty whom I will see July 26 in San Diego). Not sure if they can make copies of MRI scan? I do have copy of the written report but like Dr. Slattery said, picture tells a thousand words. I want to have unbiased opinion without being pushed for surgery nor radio-treatment. Although I prefer the decision to be radio given my fear of surgery.
Your analytical approach to this AN treatment is very useful. Your information gave me a lot more knowledge to deal with this. I am just hoping my AN would not grow at an alarming rate that I would be rushed into decision hastily.
Mary
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Mary,
You are entitled to copies of your MRI. All I had to do to get mine was call the radiology dept. of the hospital where I had the MRI. I only had to give them 24 hours notice, and I could get as many copies as I wanted. (No charge) Mine were on CD's, and I actually could view it on my computer. I sent one of them via FedEx to House Ear Clinic, and got a call the very next day. Surprising when you consider I live all the way across the country in Maine!
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Hi all,
I just saw the MRI scan and got 4 CDs today. Another one fedex'ing to Dr. Slattery. Reality hit hard when you actually see the tumor. It's 2.3 x 2.1 x 1.7 protuding into the brain fluid area. The brain even looks a little loop sided even it is not touching. It's really scary when you see some foreign object in your brain. I feel some slight tinkling sensation or may be it's my nerves. My ENT told me it's normal to have tinkling sensation and feel anxious. He asked me to let the experts deal with it so I don't get all wrapped up emotionally. I also told him I joined this group. His comment is "little knowledge is good but still need to have the specialists work this out". He also said you never know the speed of growth which may take years or months but don't wait another 6 months. I need to see a neurologist ASAP. I am trying to get a neurogist to see me locally this week or next week. You never know what card you are dealt with. Life is precious :( :)
Mary
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I was really oblivious to the whole thing .. after my MRI my GP told me I have a AN .. and it was treatable and gave me a name of an ENT to go see ... at the time, I thought nothing of it .. I said to myself oh good I have a an answer to all these issues and it is treatable . I even went on vacation of all places "Hollywood" ... then I came back .. and SAW the MRI :o .. and started looking on the internet about it ... and a month later, I was back in the LA area. but staying at House for surgery!
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Hi Joef,
I have an appointment on July 25 with Dr. Doherty who I think is moving from L.A. to San Diego. She is joining the USCD Medical Center and is covering for Dr. Jeffrey Harris when he is out. How was your experience with Dr. Doherty when you were at HEC?
Mary
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Does anyone out have Dr. Steven Chang as their doctor at Stanford? I know Mark has but just want to see if there is anyone else.
Mary
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Hello Mary,
Welcome to the AN site, I'm sure the info here will help you much, I know it has helped me!
I'm pretty much in the same boat you're in, little over 2cm and researching my options. After getting feedback from various doc around the country (sent them my mri on cd) they all said I don't have to rush this thing, which at least they all agreed upon :) I don't live near a doc that I can visit in person, so I'm researching and planning on visiting a few before making my final decision, and anticipate treatment in August. Although, I've already decided to avoid surgery if at all possible, because the risks seem as bad as the AN to me and I'm not fond of anyone cutting on me...so I'm fairly certain I'll have ck and try to preserve my hearing, which I'm lucky it is still perfect (main symptom facial tingling). At first, I was really upset about the an, but now I really feel forturnate because it really could be a lot worse (tumor). I recommend that you learn all you can, research the docs, and be positive as it seems a lot of people have an's treated and come out just fine!
Melinda
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Hello Melinda,
Great to hear from another fellow newbie! I am looking forward meeting with Dr. Chang (Stanford) on Friday and will hand carry my CD to him. Then I am meeting with Dr. Bush from San Diego on Monday. I think Dr. Slattery is going to call me Friday also. I am positive and that things will work out. This all happened so fast since I found the MRI result just Monday. I probably need to slow down a bit to catch my breathe (just went out to do a little basket ball with my husband and son - it was fun).
I'd like to hear from you your decision. Knowledge makes decision making more effective.
And it's great to have a bunch of folks in this group to cheer you on. We need that more than ever!!! ;)
Mary
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In case anyone is interested, I met Dr. Chang and his team at Stanford today. Really nice bunch of relatively young professionals. Very encouraging in my case. At least, I was not sent to the operating room to get surgery as Mark predicted. Given the less appealing optoins of surgery and GK, my still good hearing (can still listen to the phone on my AN side), I am almost certain that I would like CK be my treatment choice. The only question I still have is if this were such a great medical advance, how come I do not find more people in this site choosing CK over other treatment options? Just curious to hear your opinions.
Mary
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Mary,
I think the answer to your question has several elements not all related to CK compared to all other possible treatment options:
1) The true medical advance of CK is really not related to AN's but the ability to provide a true radiosurgical option to tumors beyond the skull. If one considers the huge number of people having CK for lung, prostate, Liver, spine, stc tumors as protocols are developed it's utilization is pretty dramatic beyond the AN community we all see here.
2) Of the people who have the choice and take the time to explore both AN treatment options, each makes a personal choice based on the information they are given and what sources they get them from, some choose surgery , others radiosurgery
3) Of the people who choose radiosurgery , not all take the time to research the differences between the various machines or are limited to the machine available to them based on the doctor / medical facility they have selected or insurance. GK , Novalis and others are also effective but give up certain features. GK is very accurate but lacks the ability to do FSR and requires a frame. Others can do FSR but sacrifice accuracy compared to GK. CK combines the best of both essentially.
4) I have been participating in this board for almost 5 years and for a while I was the only CK patient and one of only a few radiosurgery patients on it. There are certainly more of both that have actively participated in the past couple of years. Shoegirl, Phyl, and Jamie come to mind quickly as other CK patients that post. I would guess there are around 15-20 folks I know of that started on this board when they were diagnosed and were treated by CK but are no longer active. Fundamentally, this forum serves two communities of AN patients. Those that are newly diagnosed and looking for help in choosing their option and those who have been treated and are looking for support or suggestions on post treatment issues. Based on my observations, very few of those treated by radiosurgery of any type seem to fall in that latter category. So, my theory would be that those folks tend to move on with their life and lose interest in staying involved in a forum like this.
It's hard to prove any of the above scientifically, but it reflects my intuitive belief based on reading posts here for a while.
Mark
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Mark,
As usual, you reply is always informative and impressive. I am happy and lucky to have your continued participation in this forum.
Most Sincerely,
Mary
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Hi Mary! I am newly dx as well and waiting to hear what the doctors recommend. The waiting is hard and the decision on what treatment may be even more difficult. I am a Kaiser patient and not sure what choices I will have. I can't see the specialist until 7/19 but did get a CD to send to House for a consult. I had high expectations that I would hear back from them based on what I've read in the forum. They have had the MRI a week now and two follow up phone calls by me!! and still no call.
Mark is the one who got me thinking about the alternatives to surgery and as you continue to research I think you will find their are more people that are choosing CK or GK than originally thought. There is another website that has some information, www.cyberknifesupport.org .
Right now the ANA forum is providing the best support for me as i'm in the waiting mode! Good luck to you.
Bev
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Hi Bev,
I am not sure Kaiser has CK centers. Since it's our brains and if it were me, I would look at all the options first before costs. I would then decide on the optimal treatment optoin. From what I heard CK centers just increased by leaps and bounds last year or so. May be Kaiser also has access to one. You should check it out.
Given my conditions, I'd like to preserve my hearing, my facial nerves and avoid surgery for non-invasive option if possible. That's why CK is what I am considering. What are you tumor conditions?
Mary
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Hi Mary,
Oh, we are certainly here, just as my CK mentor-in-crime, Mark, has noted.
It was once shared with me that many CK patients, post treatment, move along in life. Those of us that remain here still reach out for others that have questions about it... in my own way, it's me giving back for those that gave to me during the decision (and post-treat) process. I have no regrets at all about my decision, I honestly feel I have done what is best for me (and my situation). I feel that (for me) CK was the only true option.
Terrific team up at Stanford. Mark is our poster child (don't hit me Mark!) for Stanford and Dr. Chang and the magnificient work they do up there.
Any and all questions you have about CK... oh, please ask away... either here or on the cksupportboard or on email or whatever. No one is going to sway you one way or another... we will share our experiences, our issues, answer any questions. We truly are here for you.
Be well and hang in there! :)
Phyl
(btw, if you want to see CK in action, you can click on my frappr link below in my sig line... there are pictures there of me having my treatment....and have a good laugh over the Hannibal Lechter pic!) :)
Phyl
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I am sure that surgery is recommended for me because of my age (44) and health (good overall). He explained that as I get older, the risk from surgery is higher, so if I'm going to have it, I should do it now while I'm young ;) and strong. With radiation there is no guarantee that it won't come back. He said if I were in my 60's, then radiation would be the better option. My AN is considered "medium" at 15mm x 17mm. I really liked his advice about waiting just a few more months, and having another MRI. I dread surgery, too. It is on my mind every second of every day! But even more than that, I dread the long recovery and the burden placed on my family and co-workers.
UPDATE (from Jim):
Remember - if you are in basically good health going into AN surgery (as I was), have a well-experienced neurosurgeon and a crack surgical team doing the AN removal, you may not have all that many recovery problems. I didn't....and I'm 63 and had a 4.5 cc tumor removed via the retrosigmoid approach as radiation was not an option due to the size of the tumor. I have the occasional (and apparently minor-league) 'dry eye' experience on the 'AN side' (mostly late in the evening). A few eyedrops quickly alleviate this nuisance - which my neurosurgeon says will likely disappear within a few months. We'll see. I had a bit of a struggle, at first, to regain my normal balance and my walk but both are now basically resolved. These surgery after-effects were my only real obstacles to returning to normalcy...and that is just barely 5 weeks post-op and a month after leaving the hospital!
There is[/u] the real possibility of a return to 'normal life', following AN surgery, for many (if not all) of us.
Jim Scott 7/11/06
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I turned 64 a week after translab. My recovery was excellent and quick. I drove at two weeks. I recovered without a hitch. I am in very good health.ÂÂ
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I turned 63 a week after translab. My recovery was excellent and quick. I drove at two weeks. I recovered without a hitch. I am in very good health.
There you go!
Perhaps being 'older' is actually better in terms of a rapid, hassle-free recovery. Being in (otherwise) good health certainly is.