April 18 marks my four year anniversary of Gamma Knife radiation to kill the invading brain booger. I did send in my report to you all
that at the last MRI, all indications are that the stupid thing is dead, dead, dead.
So for my official Four Year Report, this is how it stands with me: At age 64 it's sometimes hard to differentiate between normal aging and AN interference, BUT, since balance nerve is unhappy there are lingering effects...
1. Minor balance issues.
Nothing that I can't live with.2. Minor Brain Fog/Cognitive/Memory issues.
Haven't been sent to Memory Care Facility yet so that's a big plus!3. The Tired Factor -
Well, you all know how that goes - getting tired makes things a bit worse. And since trigeminal nerve, poor thing, also was a casualty in the Attack of the AN:
1. I have facial numbness and my photo should be the Phantom of the Opera picture of the guy with the half mask. That's what I feel like sometimes.
2. That also involves the inside of the mouth, the tongue and the tingling edges that are most apparent around the mouth and the occasional salty taste, but thankfully not the heavy metal taste.
3. I'm also going to blame my drippy nose on this. And my nose will get very cold in the winter time, but I have a friend who also says he has that, and he has no AN, so maybe that's something else entirely.
4. I really hate this, by the way.
And since it's just the usual AN thing:
1. I've pretty much lost all my hearing on my AN side. Dr. Bader, the physician at Gamma Knife Center of Oregon, said, "You'll probably lose all of your hearing." I guess he was right. I'm going to assume that the tumor has cut off the oxygen to the nerve and probably pretty much killed it, but I think it put up a brave fight to the end. An audiologist that I went to explained that to me once.
2. The side effect we all hate: Tinnitus. Still have that, and once it was a slight hiss, as this was my first symptom that I was aware of, but now I would call it a medium loud hiss that can spike up a notch or two when agitated. For a while, when I took a shower, the tinnitus would disappear with the noise of the water. Now it doesn't. I used to use a fan in my bedroom at night, but changed to the Sound Machine I got at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I turn it to the rain setting and crank it up to medium high and that evens out the hiss coming from inside my head. But time does help. It's always there, but it can often recede into the background. But the Sounds of Silence would be a welcome relief now and then.
sigh3. I really hate this, too. If somebody told me I could get rid of just one symptom, it would be hard to choose. Normal feeling face or no constant head noise? Which one would you choose? Notice how hearing isn't even in the running? Weird, huh?
So big thumbs up for Modern Medicine and being able to kill off invading tumor. Kudos to my doctors and the caring people at the Gamma Knife Center of Oregon.
I still haven't forgiven my ENT for not diagnosing me sooner. Thumbs down to him.
And a special shout out to the awesome people on the ANA Discussion Forum and it's moderators for your continuing support, helpful advice, caring and yes, even love, I think. You've helped so many who have come here seeking answers. They were confused, desperate, scared people who found a safe haven in the storm. Thank you for helping me and for all the other people that you have thrown a life-line to. You all "rock" beyond words.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue in Vancouver USA
