hello,
i had an AN of 1.3cm; had it surgically removed sept 2003 in los angeles at the house clinic by drs. brackmann and schwartz. i was a 'poster child' (even though i was age 58 at the time!) surgery went very well. a hometown (portland oregon) neurosurgeon recommended dr. brackmann. i'm convinced he's the best of the best; his assistant told me he's done over 5000 AN surgeries and has trained many other neurosurgeons in procedures that he and his house clinic colleagues have developed. in my opinion this is a big deal and there's no sense in going with anyone but the best.
i chose surgery over radiotherapy because of insurance considerations and because i didn't want long term insomnia worrying about it -- i just wanted to get the problem resolved.
my post-surgery effects include 1) dizziness: mild to moderate depending on how tired i am, 2) fatigue: yes i'm old, but i think the AN did exacerbate. i'm retired (not because of the AN), fit, have exercised regularly both pre-and post-surgery, but believe i'm 30 percent more tired than before 3) tinnitus, roaring, and therefore distortion of hearing 4) discouragement over the above symptoms. the hardest thing about this is the permanence of it all -- you like to think things will resolve, but i'm coming to realize that these will not, and some days i get sad. part of the task of this diagnosis, and i guess of life itself, is to work hard at finding the pleasurable things in life. some days it's harder than others. 5) astonishment at being alive. consider the alternative, etc. i'm anti-religious but know that i had blind good luck in finding the best treatment, having insurance, having a fabulously supportive spouse and family.
i wish you the best. your life will change, but it will certainly be livable and enjoyable, and you will probably appreciate it more as a result of this turn of bad luck.
