I had surgery for a 4.5cm left sided acoustic neuroma about 4 years ago. After surgery, I was left with grade 4 facial palsy.
My most recent MRI in February showed that the residual tumor is growing, so I know I will probably need treatment soon. It's around 2.5cm now. I am looking into radiosurgery, but I am also worried about whether I may need another surgery.
For the last week or so, I have been feeling dizzy. I also feel like my left facial palsy may be getting worse, especially around my left eye. The eye feels weaker and I am getting some blurred vision. I have also been very stressed and not sleeping well recently, so I am not sure if that could be making the symptoms feel worse.
My blood tests came back normal.
I wanted to ask:
Has anyone here had residual tumor growth after surgery and then noticed more dizziness or facial weakness?
Can stress and poor sleep make existing facial palsy or dizziness feel worse?
If the tumor is near the facial nerve or brainstem, does that usually mean radiosurgery is not possible anymore? Or can Gamma Knife/CyberKnife still be used depending on tumor size and location?
For people who had regrowth after surgery, how did your doctors decide between radiosurgery and repeat surgery?
I know no one here can diagnose me, and I will be discussing this with my doctors. I am mainly looking for personal experiences and suggestions on what questions I should ask my neurosurgeon.
