Rivergirl ~
You pose an interesting question that I suspect cannot have a definitive answer, as each AN surgery patient is unique in many ways, i.e. symptoms, tumor size and exact location, surgeon's skill,etc.
The inescapable reality is that the AN, if left untreated, will eventually kill the patient. That being the case, the next decision is the form of treatment. For some, like me, being diagnosed with a 4.5 cm AN precluded radiation so debulking surgery was recommended. That worked out splendidly for me, but as we know, AN removal surgery does not always have a totally positive result and some AN surgery patients would answer your query with a resounding 'no!' I'm not one of those.
So, in my case, yes, the surgery (retrosigmoid approach) helped tremendously; all of my pre-op symptoms disappeared within 24 hours of the operation. What post-op issues I had were mostly minor and transitory, for which I'm very thankful. The debulking procedure allowed the remaining tumor to be successfully irradiated and this pretty much ended the problem, albeit with a few very minor remaining deficits. I should add that the AN had destroyed my hearing in the affected ear well before my diagnosis and surgery and I had completely adjusted to being SSD before I ever saw my neurosurgeon.
I can only speak for myself, of course, but I suspect that the majority of AN surgery patients would answer your question ("was it worth it?") in the affirmative. We'll find out.
Jim
