General Category > AN Issues
I guess you CAN read too much....
ewhitese:
Hi mac84,
I too found my AN through other ENT issues. I was dealing with sinus issues and during prep for sinus surgery the AN showed up on an MRI. I know I had symptoms for at least 10 years though. I remember a day, 10 years ago, when I first realized I had a hearing issue. I was cutting firewood with a chainsaw, I used hearing protection at all times doing so because the pitch of the saw engine and volume of noise is destructive. In spite of the hearing protection, the next day I noticed a numbness and slight hearing loss in the AN ear. It eventually went away on its own but the ringing remained. Over the next few years the hearing loss and tinnitus remained fairly constant and I just contributed it to the inevitability of working with heavy machinery. Fast forward 10 years to diagnosis.
I chose to go forward with Gamma Knife surgery after just two weeks of discovery and research. I realized that I had entered a growth faze because as the sinus issues grew so did the hearing loss. My AN was 10mm at time of surgery. I am sure even though not officially diagnosed that I had lived with the AN for those ten years. If the AN is stable and symptoms are mild, I would opt for watch and wait. I lived with a hearing loss for ten years with out any ill effects. No one noticed and I functioned perfectly that entire time I barely noticed a loss of hearing at all. Granted not knowing may have helped make my symptoms go unnoticed, we have a tendency to be hyper-vigilant once we know.
Size of the tumor is only part of the equation, location of your tumor is going to determine the types of symptoms you will encounter. Some patience here have gone through all the same procedures the rest of us have, and had no side effects and live blissfully unaware of all the fuss others complain about. If you can; get your physician to show you the MRI and explain the location and details about which nerve is effected, where in the skull is it located, best approach to deal with it. This information will lead you to questions you don't know you have and eventually lead you to an informed decision.
My experience with GK surgery leads me to say that if things are stable and you are functioning with out ill effects other than a slight hearing loss, watch and wait is a good option. If on the other hand you are experiencing changes and the symptoms are becoming noticeable and in some cases extreme then I would look at surgery options. I am sure that the attending physicians are the best people to help with this decision because they are privileged with information through MRI information and should be your most trusted advisors.
The surgery brings it's own set of issues, although some symptoms post op. will solve themselves as swelling or healing takes place, they are just as rough as the cause. I am 14 months post GK and have gone through some issues but have been regaining my old self in the past 3 months; minus hearing in the AN ear. I guess if you think of it as brain surgery I am doing well. I am 55 years old and my opinion is that putting off the surgery as long as things are working ok is a good option. I am no doctor and have no medical evidence to support my opinion so my thoughts should not be considered without weighing all the evidence and especially the guidance of your physicians who have dealt with more than just my case.
Good luck with your research, this site is a great place to find information, don't be shy about asking others for their research, many here have done a great deal of educating themselves and the rest of us on all the options and facilities out there. Of all the things we could be afflicted with, this one is a relatively low impact problem.
mac84:
Thanks ewhitese, very helpful info!
I can appreciate the part about functioning normally but also being 'hypervigilant'.....I find myself connecting some symptoms on that side now that I just never thought much of earlier. I can function fine like I am now but just worry that the hearing will continue to deteriorate on that side.
Kate62:
Mac84, I sent you a PM - please check your messages. Thank you, Kate
MDemisay:
Dear Mac84,
;D ::) You have hit on a very important topic! THERE IS A POINT WHERE YOU PUT THE RESEARCH OR READING DOWN AND RELAX!!!
Get away from it and do some active meditation or go on a mini-vacation where you become distracted for a while ..........
Then fully refreshed, you can return to it later and research as much as is humanly comfortable for you.
Do not avoid this research for too long however, but do NOT procrastinate on your decision like I did....delaying my decision on surgery for 6 months! You have to realize that I didn't want surgery so much that I found every reason too avoid it so much so that I almost took a radical approach of Gamma Knifing a tumor that no one else would GK! What stopped me was the test he prescribed a CT scan with Contrast he had done the majority of his GK based on his MRI information, it turns out that he had done only 2 based CT with contrast (I had decided at that point that I was going to be his"lucky" third!
But unlike you and others here, I did not have the VAST resources of the ANA to fall back on, at the time I had only myself and my fear and procrastination characteristic at my disposal.
The major reason I went into "tailspin research mode" in the summer/fall season of 2004 was because I wanted to avoid at all costs another brain surgery ( like that of 1974).
Fortunately for you, you have all of us here that will tell you to do your due diligence with research but do NOT stress out use periods of time to de-stress.
Brain surgery or watch and waiting is stressful for sure but too much research after a while can be depressing. Too little research nets poor results, however!
Do just the right amount for you! The way out of this is to write all interviews down and then put it all out in front of you on the floor. Group all responses in categories. Get up and walk away for a while.
When you come back to it, realize that this is the most difficult step in the whole process------you must decide to act. The way I accomplished this is by a whole lot of prayer and meditation it was a transformative process without the ANA. Fortunately for you, you have ALL of us! Blessings and prayers for you!
As you go forward in this process, remember that there are people who are going through this process too at various stages rely on us, surely, it is a very difficult process to go through but it is manageable!
Have you ever been in a tunnel? You are about to enter a long dark tunnel, that seemingly, never ends! I am at the other end of that tunnel in the light waving a flashlight! I am well aware that I sound nuts,but it does really get better!
You will soon discover a plethora of friends that are as far away as your computer or IPad or you may take comfort in a support group (as I did).
Welcome to your medical journey, I invite you to come back as often as you like and share as often as you like. It is very different for all of us, you may have certain insights that we have not considered.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Mike
mac84:
THANKS MIKE!!!
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