I guess i have been a bit lazy in updating everyone on my "due diligence" and track so far. As you can all imagine, it has been a busy 3 weeks of chatting up surgeons and rad docs.
I raise this on this post (thanks Debbie, and good luck to you and best wishes for a great outcome) because i actually booked a surgical date a week and a half ago and it's for MAY 12 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAVE I GONE COMPLETELY MAD?!?!?!?
Even i can't answer this.
Truth is ... i have not TOTALLY decided. I am 80-20 for surgery at this point. But i had the option for an quick surgical date so i took it, figuring i could finish my research with something locked-in if i wanted to go that route after all.
The 20% is in favour of FSR (25 session LINAC). I ruled out GK has my AN is 2.9cm and i have quite a bit of brain stem compression (no symptoms though, no urgency, and no indications that rads is not an option for me). Even this was not an easy decision, but it got me a little closer.
I have not ruled out FSR as there is a chance to save my 70% hearing. I can easily manage the 5 week treatment and in fact work is across the street from the hospital i would be treated at (no 60 mile drive to and fro everyday like some on this board had to manage)! There is minimal risk to facial nerve, etc. and the low dose is expected to be well tolerated, even with the BS effect (i mean 'brainstem' guys!). I am so tempted to take this route... it seems soo..... EASY compared with surgery.
Not that anything is easy here. I have agonized day and night and have for the past 2 months.
SO WHY AM I STILL LEANING TOWARDS SURGERY??!?!?!?
One of my big issues (as many might recall) is that i am keen to have another baby soon (i turned 39 in Feb). The rad doctor told me that i should consider waiting 12 months after rads to conceive. He said swelling is possible particularly in the first year, although he was not super concerned. But obviously if i am pregs it would create issues if i did have some problems (no MRI, steriods? emerg surgery?). Apparently there is small (theoritical) risk of radiation scatter to ovaries, but no issues documented. But at my age, i already have increased risks of birth defects... so do i want to increase this even a tiny tiny little bit?? (i did have a healthy little girl in March of last year at age 38). Also, there is that 5-10% chance that the rads dont work and then i am in bind if pregs... and of course there is the debate about surgery after rads. I do have a med-large 2.2x2.9cm AN.
Another reason for considering surgery is that i have access to a great surgurical team (a tumor guru n.surgeon). He has done 200 (80 retrosigmoid, which is the method he recommends as mine is in the CPA and i have good hearing), which might not sound like a lot to some of you (as i know there are some docs in the US with many more, even thousands i think), but in Canada, we have 10% of the population (so 10% of the ANs) and people dont travel out of province/state for treatment unless it is not available in your home province. Also, I can take the 2-3 months off work to recover, i have a great hubbie and my mom a few hours away.
I will be meeting with the surgeon next Thursday so i will have my final Q's and hopefully i will be firm after that. I still have told only a handful of people, so i am really running this decision down to the wire.
If you have any thoughts on this mess i am, your are running out of time to say something!! HA!
Where is that calendar anyway??? The one that we can load our dates into??
OH, and i had a follow up MRI a week ago and it showed no growth since Janauary.
Maybe i should flip a coin?
UG!!!!!!!!!!!
Trish
