The good news is that the center of the tumor is darkening which Dr. Bartels said means either necrosis is setting in or at least there is diminished blood supply to the tumor. He said the size has not changed at all; not bigger or not smaller. I'm not sure if that falls under good news or not, you all be the judge.
According to my neurotologist, and what I have found on the internet, the darkening of the tumor is expected, and a little swelling is also expected. I found a 36 month progression of MRI images that start with a tumor that looks about the size of mine.
http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360301612004336-gr3.jpgNote that, by 24 months, there should be some shrinking.
The not so good news is I'm starting to be labeled SSD, Dr. Bartels sent me an email with website addresses for the five hearing aids he prefers (or uses for his patients); BiCros by Phonak, Soundbite, Sophono, Oticon BAHA, and Cochlear BAHA. He asked me to review all these then get back to him to make an appointment for an audio test and consult. So now back to reading, studying, and making life changing decisions again.
I've had the Phonak BiCros for about a year. I only had the one choice through the VA but it's worked out pretty well except for background noise in restaurants or noisy social setting but I don't think any brand is very successful in that area.
I've noticed that there have been discussions on this forum about all of the brands on your list so you can get real life info from users.
