Hi, Mom of 3.5 yr old child. I am a grandma, age 64+. I will be 65 in December, one week after my first anniversary for AN treatment.
My tumor was described as a 2 cm X 1.5 X 1 mass extending into the cerebellopontine angle. My neuro showed me that the tumor was just "kissing" the brain. I am happy well and glad to have been left with a small bit of imbalance and loss of right sided hearing. My recovery was unremarkable.
I am writing to encourage you to go with your gut about treatment options. I do believe that both surgery and radiatiion have good points. What is the hardest part? Deciding which. I believe that your side effects from whichever treatment will be minimal due to the size and position of your tumor. My neuro was extrememly thorough about explaining my options. Then, I researched until I was tried of the worry over what to do. However, from the very day of MRI diagnosis my ENT and long known PCP wanted me to "to treatment now, don't wait". I believe, now, that their concern was for the possibility of rapid change in the tumor size. My PCP wanted surgery. My ENT recommended both options as equal, (his own aunt has radiation treatment at age 60 and came out happy). If my daugter or son ever had an AN, I might ask themn to consider radiation. It seems to have great possiblities for people. But, I had a gut feeling about the doctor I met, and that is why I chose surgery.
So, you see I think your decision has to be collaboration of your learning and your leaning. Either way, you are young, motivated to heal, and you have a life plan ahead of you. You will feel better once you've made your decision. One thing, don't go to the forum threads about complications for your particular treatment choice once you've made your decision.
You are going to be just fine. You will writing to someone else on this forum one year from today, and you will preparing to have a 5th year birthday for that child of yours.
