This is the Dan my friend Mark F mentioned. First welcome to the club, you will find people here are great and want to help each other. I was the opposite of you, hearing loss and tinnitus was how my VS said "HI".  The decision to leave watch and wait is personal, only you can make it. I stayed in WAW for several years. The tumor grew one reading and my decision was to address it.  I could live with the symptoms I had and I did not want them to get worse.  I used the word I for a reason, my doctor did not make the decision, it was mine.  This is the one medical issue the patient has the say in what is done and when.  My surgery was going to be 7 months post decision - no hurry.  Long story short is I quit/retired in June 2023 and focused on this issue.  I had surgery penciled in for July.  Saw my ENT late June and he did not pencil it in and it was rescheduled for September 2023.  After that, according to my wife, I became obsessed with researching this tumor and spent many hours looking in to it.  At the end of that journey, considering my situation (age 62, small tumor, sitting nice for one and done radiation, life out look and many more) I decided to go radiation.  It was best for me.  My ENT was not happy but was part of the radiation treatment team. I share this comment from one of the many doctors I talked to, "No decision is a bad decision, make the decision you are comfortable with and move forward, do not second guess yourself."  If you want my research please reach out to Dan4att@gmail.com. For me the treatment was a none event and I moved on with life.

Unlike Mark, 6 months and 5 days after treatment I was rolled in to the operating room for a little open heart surgery.  That aside I was walking 5K plus with in a week of surgery.

Good luck on your journey and it is your journey to make.  Reach out if you have any questions or just need to express yourself.

Dan

Couple things.  First welcome to club nobody wants to be in.   To answer a few of your questions, I had vertigo bad, balance was terrible.  I work as an electrician and I actually fell of the ladder a couple times. Do not accept that this how life will be.   Your first step is to determine if it's growing or not.   If it's not growing you would probably benefit quite a bit from Vestibular therapy.   I didn't because growth made it a constantly changing target.  If it is growing or symptoms keep changing then you need to do something, it is only a matter of time until you hurt yourself from a fall.  I also developed swallowing problems, so choking became a real concern.  Now what you do is entirely up to you.  I did the surgery, Dan on here did the radiation.  We both had great results.   Do your research, weigh the side effects and pick which is most comfortable for you and stick with it. Don't let anyone, even the doctors, change the direction you want to go in.   You didn't mention age or activity level.  But I will tell you the best thing I did was stay as active as possible.  I was a runner and I ran as long as I could, and when my balance didn't allow for it outside, I used a treadmill with handrails, and when it got to where that was even a problem, I walked a lot.  I truly believe that staying active helps with the recovery process dramatically.  6 months after my surgery I running a 5k again and I was 56 years old.  You are in the scary part right now.  Right after diagnosis, all the uncertainty and stress.  It does take a toll on your mental health as well.  Focus as much as possible on what you can still do and not on what you can't.

I appreciate this question.  Have things improved for you?  I don't have any hearing aids yet.  But before I launch into getting any, I definitely want to know people's experience.  My AN was discovered in late November, and ten days prior I seemed to have a sudden decrease in my hearing.  I have ringing tinnitus but also the echoing of sounds in that same ear.  Whenever I use earplugs or even earmuffs or anything, the tinnitus is worse after removing them, and even my good ear is getting tinnitus from my attempts to help the tumor ear.  (I think from the physical pressure of the earmuffs and such?  Or because the good ear has to work harder?)

Dear mrgrta,

I was newly diagnosed on November 26, had my neurosurgeon appointment on Dec 17, and Gamma Knife on Jan 8.  I personally decided on quick action and could not travel (because I have an echo of sounds in my affected ear and it makes travel super loud and hard--it will take me time to rehabilitate from that symptom, but I am hopeful).  The best option in my area was Gamma Knife--with a world-renowned oncologist and 5-star neurosurgeon.  The medical care team was superb.  They said I could resume normal activities the day after the treatment, but that wasn't the case for me.  I am petite and even the fasting required for the procedure was a challenge to recover from.  I did experience vertigo and fatigue for nine days afterwards; I also may have more hearing loss, but I am back to normal energy levels and the vertigo is gone.  I will have a follow-up MRI in 3 months. Everyone's story is different, and I trust you will make the best decision for you!

ANA Virtual Patient Education Event
Hosted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
February 7, 2026
12:00 - 5:00 pm ET

Please make plans to attend our upcoming virtual patient education event hosted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Join us for a series of presentations and the opportunity to pose your questions to this expert team.

Topics include:
Treatment Options
Hearing Rehabilitation
Management of Facial Weakness, and more

All are welcome, and this is a free event, but you must register in advance.

https://anausa.org/programs/patient-event-osu

If you have questions, please contact stephanierommer@anausa.org.

Best regards,

The ANA Team