Hello and welcome, Susan ~
I'm sorry you have to deal with an acoustic neuroma diagnosis but I'm glad that you found the ANA website and these discussion forums. You'll receive tons of good information and advice here from folks who have been exactly where you are, today: diagnosed, worried and a bit frightened about what will happen. The good news is that you have a benign tumor that is treatable. Whether that treatment comes in the form of surgery or radiation is yet to be known but your consult on Friday should give you some direction. Please don't take as 'gospel' what any individual doctor may tell you is the 'best' treatment for you. Doctors sometimes harbor biases. Those that prefer surgery will find lots of reasons why you shouldn't consider radiation. Some will use your relative youth as a rationale. Those physicians that prefer radiation treatment for ANs will likely discourage you from undergoing surgery, listing all the possible problems that could ensue, such as infection. Both schools have some valid points and both have some skewed information that supports their bias. Fortunately, there are many doctors that treat acoustic neuromas that will honestly present both radiation and surgery as viable choices. I hope you'll find doctors like that. Meanwhile, please consider these forums as a resource and ask any question, no matter how seemingly insignificant. We're not doctors but we do have a wealth of collective practical experience dealing with an acoustic neuroma and it's inherent challenges.
You've already received much information and advice on this thread and I won't attempt to add much more to it, except to advise you to 'take a breath' and try to focus your energies on what you'll want to ask the doctor (write it down) and that, if treated, an acoustic neuroma is not fatal and life can go on pretty much the same once it has been treated. Although some lifestyle changes are inevitable, in most cases, they're relatively small. In some ways, you'll probably be a better person once you've gone through your treatment, only because an acoustic neuroma can often force us to rise to the occasion and deal with something that is a type of test of our character. Of course, there are probably easier ways to build up our character, but this is what you have to face and although it may present some challenges, it can be conquered. Most of our members have done so or are in the process of doing so.
We're here to help, advise and support you as much as we're able. Consider this website/forum a safe harbor as you go forth to do battle with this intruder.
Jim
