If a tumor is smallish and the symptoms bearable though bothersome, if a decision seems so hard to make than flipping a coin would be almost better than the aggravation of making any choice, one alternative remains and should be considered carefully.
The goal is now to relax, to stop pressuring your mind and feelings, it is a breath of fresh air to make a decision, so make the decision "not to make one now", to wait until the choice is made by itself like the last piece of a puzzle revealing the picture.
That is relaxing, isn't it? But waiting means watching regularly, with doctor involved, MRIs each year or 6 months, making notes of changes, pains, tinnitus variations, and use the time to become healthier, stronger, and basically happier because you will walk away from aggravations, fatigue, and small abuse like smoking or drinking.
That will bring you closer to a successful outcome of any choice of treatment. And, who knows. While you are waiting, some medical discovery may revolution the treating of ANs. Endoscopies may be so perfect, or a pill may be found. I am dreaming, yes. But who knows!
It can only get better out there, providing your AN does not change in the mean time. If it grows, then the decision may be easier because you had time to learn more.
I remember a patient on this list, around 98/99. I will find back his posts when I get my previous computer fixed. He was so scared so much in a hurry to make a decision. We kept on telling him that next MRI would tell if hurrying was necessary.
Well, next MRI found his AN shrank by half. No one believed it even his ENT. So they waited a couple of months and had another. Not only his AN had shrank further, but it definitely showed necrosis and collapse. He said "Good bye, thank you very much" and we never heard from him again. We would have loved to hear from him Too bad
