Hi Kare,
I have a relatively small AN in my left ear. Had balance issues and had an MRI in 2013 where they found the AN. After serious consideration of all three options, I finally chose to W & W and the tumor grew slowly until this July, when it shrank around 31%!
So what could cause it to shrink? There are only two explanations that make any sense to me.
The first is that in the June, 2014 issue of the Acoustic Neuroma Association Notes newsletter, there was a study done by a noted researcher Konstantina Stankovic from Harvard. Here is a link to the study, which is quite technical but shows the care and detail of the study. The ANA Medical Review Board reviewed the study and recommended that AN patients consider it (with their physicians approval).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458444/figure/F1/The bottom line of the study was that taking a daily baby aspirin (81 mg) tends to retard the growth of an AN. So I started with the baby aspirin regimen and annual MRI's to check the growth. The AN grew slowly (typical) until my July results which showed the reduction from 9,6 x 10.7 x 8.0 mm (in 2016) to 8.2 x 8.6 x 8 mm in July, 2017.
The other possible explanation is the power of prayer. I know there are many people praying for me to overcome this condition. In addition, one of my HS classmates prayed over me at my last HS reunion in Sept, 2016. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, and am convinced that it helped.
It appears that you have chosen to have gammaknife radiosurgery. Please let us know the outcome of the radiosurgery. We are all in the same boat here, and we all care about the condition and status of other AN sufferers.
For information purposes for others reading this post, Dr. Stankovic will soon be conducting a clinical trial comparing the results of a 325 mg aspirin taken in the morning and one in the evening against a placebo. She will be looking for AN volunteers to participate. I will be considering it, and hopefully others will as well. My only concern is that I don't want to take a placebo if an aspirin may cause further reduction in my AN..
Rod
