Ok. Here's the update.  After talking to the neurosurgeon today, we are moving forward with surgery.  I don't have a date yet, I was told I would have an appointment to meet the other surgeon who will also be a part of the team first, then we would schedule.

At first he started out saying watch it for another 6 months, but when I started telling him about the progressive issues I've had with balance, that's when he started talking about the risks and possibilities of the surgery, and he said he realizes balance issues are no joke and that we would proceed with the surgery instead of waiting any longer. 

I told him I was ready, and that I felt doing now was less risky than waiting because I'm not getting any younger, and isn't it easier on him to get it out while it's smaller?  To which he said that was true. 

So here we are, I am going to get my surgery, see where that leaves me, and hopefully after recovery start actually getting better instead of constantly getting worse.

Hi Mark,

I am sorry you are going through this. I have a couple of remarks related to your questions.

I definitely had some word-finding trouble in the two years between diagnosis and surgery. After surgery, it was better, from my perspective. I also had some odd stuttering, which was new for me, and which completely went away immediately after treatment. (Could it have been stress-related? Sure. I really don't know the cause.)

I don't think I ever even asked a doctor about those issues, and whether or not they were symptoms of the AN. I probably was just too overwhelmed at the time, by the balance trouble, hearing loss, twitching in my face and tongue "numbness".

My balance is nearly normal post-trans-lab surgery. My facial twitching and tongue issue also went away after the tumor resection. (I had a small-then-medium-sized tumor.)

Choosing either radiosurgery or microsurgery was difficult for me, at the time. Definitely super stressful. Only after I chose microsurgery with trusted MDs, did I start to have some emotional relief. And after surgery, I had much more emotional relief. If I could do it all again, I wouldn't have waited so long for treatment, but it's OK.

I had surgery at 65 yo. My age was not a problem. (See my other posts, if interested.)

Hope you receive good information on Monday, and I hope that you can choose a good plan that makes sense to your MD/team and yourself. I remember someone on this forum remarking that the time before choosing a treatment plan was the worst time. For me, that turned out to be true, too. Wishing you well.

Best,
Skier

I will update everyone on Monday.   Thanks.   For information sake I'll let you all know that my neurosurgeon is at John's Hopkins.  I live about 2 hours away from there, but I chose them because of reputation, and the fact that they have an Acoustic Neuroma department.  I really like my surgeon, I don't always agree with him, but I do trust him.   Like the Michael J. Fox quote, the real expert is the person going through it.  Even the best surgeon can't understand what it's like unless he has had it himself. 

My husband has a 4 cm tumor, and it’s causing issues with mobility and hearing.  It needs to be removed very soon.

Please give me pros and cons about Baylor, UAB, and Vanderbilt.

Have you had experience with the doctors in any of those locations?

Also, what about lodging.

We live near one of the hospitals, but we will go to the one where he is the most comfortable with the doctors.

Thank you for any advice.

I wish I could take some of your anxiety away.  You are doing the right things, your son is not in any danger.  There are many living a full life watch and wait status.  I know it is much harder to relax when it is your child then yourself. Even today, 20 years past son's cancer, if there is a lump on his throat my wife grabs his neck to feel it.  He is almost a foot taller then her and 32 years old so it is a interesting site. The fear never leaves. With that said please try to relax and live life.  Good luck,  Dan