Dan:
I want to use your pleasant response to me as a springboard to mention something I've wanted to address for some time.
First: no need to apologize for not posting regularly. You had your procedure, it went well and you're just living your life. No problem and completely understandable.
This is an AN support forum. It is intended to inform, advise and generally support AN patients. Most folks who place messages here are 'newbies' - newly diagnosed. Very often they are confused, upset, angry or just frightened and sometimes grossly misinformed. We aim to educate, advise when feasible, comfort and encourage these folks and those who are recovering from AN surgery and/or radiation treatment. Some have fairly serious, troublesome physical and emotional issues to deal with. Some have to do this while simultaneously dealing with insensitive doctors, clueless relatives and others that simply don't understand or care much about the obstacles they're facing on a daily basis as they fight to regain a semblance of normalcy. Well, we do and they receive understanding here.
Those who have surgery and/or radiation and have a successful outcome with few or no complications very often then cease posting because, frankly, they're recovered and moving on with their lives. They don't need 'support' anymore. That's O.K. I don't expect others to continue posting when, like you, they really have nothing to report and are busy with other things, like careers and family. Usually, I consider this as the forums having done their job. I'm pleased that another ANer has had a successful surgery and/or radiation and can go back to their regularly scheduled life, as it were.
I remain a regular participant (and now, a Moderator) here because I was very fortunate...blessed, really...to have had a large, fairly dangerous AN (pressing hard on my brainstem) that was successfully debulked (via
retosigmoid surgery) and radiated (via FSR). My signature says it all.
I'm a longtime internet messageboard contributor and was a moderator on a hobby forum for two years. I used to spend a lot of time on political messageboards, too. Now, I spend the bulk of my internet time here, on the ANA messageboards. I do this because I had a good outcome, am fairly knowledgeable about AN issues and feel that helping other AN patients with advice, encouragement and empathy is a far better way to spend my internet time than having inevitably futile political debates with folks that will never agree with me, no matter how well written or factual my argument may be. Even my wife agrees with that.
So, here I am, two years past a successful surgery with almost no issues to deal with. Others, like
Steve (a fellow moderator and CK recipient) are in a similar situation. I can't speak to other's motives for remaining habitués of these forums, but I assume it stems from a similar desire to help other AN patients with encouragement and support. We 'hold down the fort', as it were.
I've often said that I have no intention of making my AN the focus of my life or allowing it to define me. I don't. To everyone I know, my 'AN experience' is ancient history and I almost never mention it. My wife and I occasionally discuss certain aspects of it, but again, My AN is hardly the center of my being. It was for a few weeks just after my diagnosis and again in the weeks immediately following my surgery and later, my FSR treatments in the autumn of 2006. That was then. Now, I limit my AN discussions to these forums. I mostly discuss other people's Acoustic Neuromas and only talk about my AN when it is relevant and appropriate. As I stated, I don't make my AN the focus of my existence. To be honest, I may not be posting here in five years due to an inevitable waning of interest in discussing Acoustic Neuromas or, perhaps, just a lack of energy and/or time. Who knows?
In any case, I still enjoy trying to help other AN patients. We're a relatively small group and need all the help we can get. I attempt to offer that help, as far as my abilities allow. That folks come-and-go on these forums is fine with me. I expect that. When someone actually pops back in to offer an update after a year, I'm impressed. You owe us nothing Dan and that you remembered the site and boards and took the time to update us and thank us is plenty. I'm glad your life is moving along nicely and that you're doing so well.
I just wanted you and others to know that we appreciate folks like you and why the 'diehards' like me remain regular posters here.
Now, will someone put this soapbox back where they got it? I'm all done with it. Thanks.
Jim
