Hi there Judy...
My antecedent history of living with my AN is well chronicled in the 'Top Tips' thread. In a nutshell there was no 'magic bullet' for the reduction in the dimensions of my AN. I made the decision to rely on conservative management of my condition after very lengthy research and medical advice following my initial diagnosis of a 2.5cm AN in 2002 aged 57 years.
I have since maintained a healthy lifestyle including moderate exercise, a healthy diet, and increased water intake. In February 2022 I will be celebrating 20 years since diagnosis as I head towards my 78th birthday in April. Throughout the past two decades my AN has reduced in size to the current 1.3cm and has been stable for many years. I now have MRI scans with contrast every three years and my only symptom is total hearing loss on my affected right side which is of no problem to me.
Treatment options are of course a personal choice but from the outset I resolved not to have any form of invasive treatment if I could possibly avoid such, based upon regular MRI scans and the advice of a neurosurgeon in whom I have complete trust. In my opinion any form of surgery runs a greater risk than conservative management. I have always maintained a positive mindset in that I have never accepted that I have a 'brain tumour' per se but that I have a small benign growth on my audio nerve with consequential hearing impairment. I am now at the fortunate stage whereby my AN condition is no longer a prominent factor in my life and I have periods of many weeks when it does not even enter my thought process.
Overall this strategy has worked for me and I am sure it could work for many others.
Best Regards
Derek