ANA Discussion Forum
Watch and Wait => For those in the 'watch and wait' status => Topic started by: microsoftfree on March 27, 2009, 06:55:53 pm
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I hope it's okay to ask a question here since I haven't even been diagnosed.
I have been reading about people in W&W for several years? So does that mean that the older you are, if the AN is small and not growing, you may never have to do anything about it? Is this at least a possibility?
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Absolutely!
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Since surgery always has some risk, and the results of radiation treatment can be gradual, factors such as age, overall health, current symptoms, size of AN and growth rate can be considered while choosing your treatment...
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I'll be 60 in May!! ;D ;)
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I have been reading about people in W&W for several years? So does that mean that the older you are, if the AN is small and not growing, you may never have to do anything about it? Is this at least a possibility?
It's definitely a possibility. Theoretically, the older you are, the slower your AN grows. I say "theoretically" because that's generally - but not always - true.
The important thing is to monitor your AN through periodic MRIs to see what it's doing. You might want to discuss this with your doctor and see what he recommends.
Jan
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The wait for the diagnosis must be the most gut-wrenching. At least if you know you have an AN, size, location, etc. I would think that the W&W wouldn't be as bad?
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Wait and watch was a blast! I pretended it didn't exist. I wrote it a good-bye poem after the second annual MRI, telling it that it would not define my life. I did that when I finally got my inflammatory arthritis under control, too. It works! Mind over matter and all that.
As I've said before, when Dr. McKenna told me I'd have to have it out some day, I walked out of his office and said, Oh, no I won't! Unfortunately, he was right. But I got through raising my children, moving to my final resting place, finishing construction (well, a little more painting to do, but I do that when I'm not on this forum), meeting the man with whom I want to spend the rest of my life . . . All of that might have been disrupted by the process I /have been/am undergoing in these past and future months.
Nancy
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I hope it's okay to ask a question here since I haven't even been diagnosed.
I have been reading about people in W&W for several years? So does that mean that the older you are, if the AN is small and not growing, you may never have to do anything about it? Is this at least a possibility?
Becky ~
I'm not sure that 60 is a 'Get-Out-Of-AN-Surgery-Free number. I was 63 when I received my AN diagnosis - and my doctor told me it had probably been growing for "10 or 15 years". He immediately scheduled my surgery. I suspect that the aging process may slow AN growth a bit but generally, as I understand it, if your AN is not growing you probably have no or few (and relatively minor) symptoms, making 'Watch-and-Wait a viable alternative. I also believe that surgeons are somewhat reluctant to perform this kind of lengthy, arduous and sometimes problematic surgery on elderly patients. This becomes especially important if the elderly patient has other medical problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Hypothetically, if your AN remains 'stable' (doesn't grow) and you don't suffer from AN-related symptoms, I doubt a surgeon would 'push' surgery on you (well, I would certainly hope not). However, 60 is not 'elderly'. :)
Jim
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Jim, I don't know if I want to hate you for bursting my bubble or thank you for the compliment! ;D
Becky
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Becky,
First of all, of course it's OK to ask a question on the board !!! I think the only qualification for being on the board or asking a question is having heard of the term "acoustic neuroma" or "vestibular schwannoma"!!
It seems to me that all options are available to any age person, that the options are only truly restricted by the presense of a threatening symptom ... eg, positiioned so that it is pushing on the balance or facial nerve such that your life is dramatically effected, or something like that.
Just my two cents ...
Take care,
Dana
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I was just reading some information today and it said that once the An reaches 10mm it will very rarely stop growing. Under 10mm can be very slow and dormant for years.
This article woke me up again as I have not thought about my 15mm for a few months since my MRI but I know I need to do something soon before I will have possible complications at 20mm. I'm 68 in excellent health and growth after 10mm is between 1mm and 2mm a year so waiting till something else kills me is not an option. Now days when they mean older I would not worry with a 15mm if I was 85 and up maybe.
I have looked at tumor shrinking research and even tried Propolis but can't get any real positive information about stopping the growth.
Hope this helps.
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I agree - and age doesn't really matter with these suckers.
The key item is small and preferably intracanicular. It seems the larger tumors or those mainly in the CPA have more of a tendency to grow.
I am 37 years old - and my ENT has some faith that my tumor will never grow and I might not need treatment EVER. Obviously, if I was 60+, with a small intracanicular tumor, he would be more confident on the nEVER . However, there is a strong belief on his side that I mightn't ever need to seek treatment, and that this sucker mightn't grow much at all, but definitely less than 1mm/year. (Hearing will disintegrate - so this isn't a free ride!)
So, as long as symptoms remain mild (I had a recent spell with dizziness, more than likely AN related, but very mild), he is pretty confident I just might make 10 years. I should most definitely make 3-5 years as long as symptoms stay at bay.
My first 6 month MRI is in late May so we shall see.
The GK radiation oncologist put forth the same opinion. My appointment with the neurosurgeon is at the beginning of June.
Good luck
Ann