Hello - and welcome, Barnello ~
Your reaction to receiving a diagnosis of an acoustic neuroma is normal. It's a relatively rare condition so few people have ever heard of it. The good news is that these tumors are non-malignant and treatable with radiation and/or surgery or, in some cases, both. Unfortunately, they're in a sensitive location and require a doctor with experience in treating ANs. Ironically, overall good health seems to have no bearing on whether you develop an acoustic neuroma. Most of the folks that post their experiences on these forums were in good health when diagnosed. I was.
The first neurosurgeon I saw, recommend by my Primary Care doctor, was inexperienced with ANs and seemed disinterested in my case. I quickly moved on and found a neurosurgeon with decades of experience in AN removal. He was very confident that, using debulking surgery followed by FSR (Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation) he could successfully deal with my large tumor without doing damage to the hyper-sensitive cranial nerves surrounding it. His expectations were proven correct. The surgery went well with no complications and the radiation appears to have halted any possibility of growth of the remaining tumor. My numerous pre-surgery symptoms disappeared almost immediately following the surgery. Subsequent MRI sans have shown necrosis (cell death) and some minor shrinkage.
Jan's ('
leapyrtwins') suggestion to send for the ANA information packet is worth following. I did that when I was first diagnosed and the information was very helpful. As you continue your research, you'll learn more - but sometimes you may need to step back and stop researching for a week or so because you can be affected with information overload, which is counter-productive. The most important point I wish to make to you is to be sure you contract with a doctor (neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, etc) that has extensive experience with acoustic neuromas. That is crucial, whether you chose surgery or radiation. Other posters will reiterate that point, I'm sure.
We're here to answer your questions if we can, offer practical advice (we're not doctors) and most of all, encourage and support you in whatever way we can.
I wish you a good journey as you begin the road back to wellness and normalcy.
Jim
