Dfcman:
Interesting thread based on a reasonable query. Allow me to add my comments.
I'm 9 months post-op (see my signature for details) and consider myself 'back to normal' - or at least very close to it. My wife says I'm about 95% 'normal'. I believe that 95% is probably as good as I'm going to get, and that's just fine with me. Considering that a year ago, I had
serious balance problems, severe loss of appetite (I lost 30 pounds) and stabbing pains on one side of my skull, I'm good. I had few complications following my surgery and radiation treatment and, although I'm not as physically active as some of the younger folks who post here, I do get out a lot. In the warm weather - May through September, here in the northeast - I like to be fairly active, if not strenuously so. I love to play mini-golf with my wife and (adult) son. He's very good. I'm fair. Scores aside, where they belong, the putting and walking involved are invigorating but well within my physical capacity. I'm doing everything I was doing before my AN symptoms kicked in and alerted me that something was terribly wrong. I have a bit less stamina, probably due more to my age than my AN, and my balance is a bit tenuous at times, but not often enough to be a problem. My awareness of that limitation keeps me from getting into situations where I might fall or otherwise look stupid and as other posters have mentioned, post-op, balance gets better as time goes on.
From reading the posts here, I believe that the emotional 'scars' of the 'AN experience' differ greatly for each individual. Some folks seem to be emotionally crippled by their AN, especially if post-op complications intrude on their return to any kind of normalcy, which happens, unfortunately. That situation is fairly easy to understand and sympathize with. All the positive thinking anyone does won't necessarily change some physical conditions related to acoustic neuroma tumors and their removal. Of course, the fewer complications experienced and the quicker one's recuperation, the easier it is to deal with the experience, emotionally.
However, I still believe that we should not allow our physical condition, no matter how difficult, to define us. My wife has suffered with severe spinal problems (12 operations in 15 years) yet few people outside of her immediate family have any idea how much pain she endures or how much of a struggle it is for her some days just to function 'normally'. She refuses to 'give in' to her physical challenges. Yes, she takes numerous medications (none are narcotic) but she functions mostly on a determination not to waste her time on earth complaining and sitting in a chair or lying in a bed. I had pretty much the same attitude regarding my AN. I did what I had to do (surgery, radiation) and took it easy while I recovered my strength but as soon as I felt better, I slowly but surely reclaimed my former life by doing everything I did before, with the exception of heavy lifting, which I was happy to abandon.
Chris, I think that in your case, with your youth and good attitude, you'll eventually be about 99% back to normal. Remember: time heals.
Jim
