Thanks for your replies. I'll try to answer most of your questions...
The issue now is that after 3 days discharged from the hospital from gall bladder surgery, he is having a hard time walking/standing. I've been asking what he thinks is the reason and he said he feels that his knees are generally weak. Not jumping into conclusion but I like to assume it is because of lying down in the hospital bed for a week, and barely being mobile after being discharge and not because of vertigo (he is too lazy, but we insist that he sits and do some steps now and then). Aside from being stubborn
, he is eating normally, being very talkative at times. From the looks of it, right now the AN is not affecting him as much as the operation. He has NEVER been hospitalized all his life and I guess recovery or perhaps his mental/psychological state is taking longer than usual to go back to normal. I can say that he is genrally okay AN wise, except for the fact that he is too lazy to move.
Perhaps his strong physical shape delayed the more serious effects of AN, doctors advised that he go thru the observation phase first. MRI after 6-12 months and check to see if it is growing. I am eager for him to recover from this operation, that way we could observe how much AN is affecting him. I've been reading posts on the net and stuff and having a 3.0cm bulk in the head, comparing to his current state, I do believe his general health poised as a big factor in delaying the effects. Of course, we just can't keep crossing our fingers, 3.0cm is huge already.
Doctors advised that IF he decides to undergo surgery, they will remove part of the tumor and attach a sort of a hose to drain some liquid (??), then gamma knife afterwards. The details are sketchy at the moment because our priority then was the gall bladder. The issue is, we are in a third-world country (Philippines) and the options are limited compared to doctors/hospitals in the US. As soon as he gets better we are going to consult some doctors here who are trained to treat AN, there are only a few here who specialized on such.
He is actually thinking of just keeping it in his head. He is more worried about the effects of operation, and having observed him recovering from a more 'basic' gall bladder operation, I do think he will have trouble with the recovery period from AN surgery (if ever) mentally and psychologically. Until now, he doesn't like to walk and is so lazy (but we're watching him closely). Yeah, every individual is different. Maybe his body is like a 50 yr old too, pre-operation. Post-operation, he just got lazy but in good spirits. He is complaining that he can't eat what he wanted to eat, etc.
About the lifting of weights, he likes to do carpenter work around his house. So now and then he climbs over... everything. Setting up tarps, going up the ladder to do some carpentry, moves furniture a lot now and then.
Oh, I'll be posting more details soon. We still don't have the actual MRI scan (some hospital procedure, takes a while to get them.. 3rd world
).
Right now, with regards to AN I can't wait for 6 months to have him undergo MRI again just to check if it is growing. Oh, and he doesn't have the headaches for now. It was more frequent before his gall bladder operation.
Just a few questions, will AN be painful? I read somewhere that AN isn't usually the cause of death to most elderly people (except when it reach brain herniation size), is there some truth to it?
Here are some of the impression details-
Pertinent FIndings:
Mass lesion is seen in the left C-P angle measuring 3 x 3.8 cm. with cystic and solid components.
There is moderate enhancement after contrast infusion.
The left internal acoustic canal is widened.
Compression effect is noted on the IV ventricle.
There is very mild dilatation of the III and IV ventricle.
Increased signal is noted in both ethmoid sinuses.
Polypoid signals are seen in the sphenoid sinus.
MRA shows no significant stenosis of the major intracranial vessels.
IMPRESSION:
Left CP angle tumor, consider an acoustic neurinoma
mild hydrocephalus
ethmoid sinus disease
sphenoid retention cyst
That's all for now. Question, if you are familiar with all the findings and impressions, is there anything that's not supposed to be happening? I mean, all the more serious symptoms just started 3-4 months ago. Hearing from one ear started to decrease like 3-4 years ago, one side cheeks/facial numbness started like 2-3 years ago, headaches maybe just a year ago, some minor problem swallowing about 6-12 months ago, and some mild wobbling while walking started just 3-4 months ago. That is why I was surprised that the tumor is already 3.0cm!
Thanks for the feedback. I like to hear more, and more questions too so I can give you guys a better idea what's happening.
John
