As an 'aging parent' myself, I would be grateful for an adult child of mine that was looking out for my health. Fortunately, my wife does that. My adult son, who is single and lives nearby, thinks I'm going to live to be 100 and isn't overly concerned about my health. I assume that's because, while growing up, I was almost never sick, except the occasional cold or flu. He was a bit worried about my AN, until he found out it was a benign tumor and saw me in the hospital, complaining about the food and wanting to get out and have a decent meal. He laughed and remarked: "You're fine. Perfectly normal". I did recover quickly and my son pushing me to do things with him that we both enjoyed, such as mini-golf, probably helped. However, I assume that if I suffered from persistent dizziness, I would see a doctor. My wife would certainly urge me to do.
I know that 'dizziness' can be brought on by high blood pressure. My mother (divorced from my father) suffered from dizziness for some time but kept it a secret (I lived 100 miles away and only saw her every few months). When she finally told me, I immediately got her an appointment with a doctor. He diagnosed her as having extremely high blood pressure and ordered medication and bed rest. I couldn't stay with her (she lived alone) and I suspect she didn't get the bed rest and may have stopped taking the medication. Unfortunately, my mom suffered a stroke a few months later and died in the hospital. She was 66. That was 31 years ago. I'm now approaching the age she was when she died. Fortunately, I'm in good general health. My blood pressure is normal and I do see a doctor occasionally. Ironically, my pre-op testing actually showed that, technically, I'm in better shape than I realized. This was encouraging because I generally eat what I like (in moderation, of course) and have never been a big fan of exercise. My son often reminds me that my father lived to age 92. He died from what I consider neglect, in a nursing home, from prostate cancer. My son has decided that I'm good for at least another 20 years, so he isn't too concerned about my health. I'm no health 'fanatic' and don't obsess over every little twinge or minor pain but since my AN experience, in which I feel I 'ducked a bullet' I'm a bit more cognizant of my health. I keep my weight where it should be (21.6 BMI), sleep at least 7 hours a night and get as much 'natural' exercise as I can. I try not to be sedentary for more than a day. I stopped smoking 20 years ago and, although I'm not a total abstainer, I drink very little alcohol. So far, so good.
Of course I have no idea what is the cause of Pembo's fathers dizziness and I don't mean to frighten her - or anyone else. I'm just noting that 'dizziness' can be the manifestation of a variety of possible causes and even though she had an acoustic neuroma, anyone in her family that complains of a possible AN-related symptom doesn't necessarily have an AN. Fortunately, high BP, should that be the cause of her father's dizziness, can be controlled with medication and, with some effort (diet, exercise) brought down to safe levels. Whether AN's are hereditary is an open question at this point. I know of no one in my family that had one and I think this is fairly common for AN patients. That's probably why the medical community doesn't see a genetic component with AN's. Of course, they could be wrong. I hope we'll find out one day soon so these maddeningly located little benign tumors can possibly be stopped before they begin, with medication or other means. Meanwhile, Pembo's dad is in my prayers and I'm looking forward, with her, to learning about the results of his examination.
Jim
