Nancy:
Your reflexive aversion to surgery, specifically brain surgery, is perfectly understandable. It would be uber-weird if you thought brain surgery might be 'fun'. However, because of the complex nature of an acoustic neuroma, both options need to be considered to come to an informed, rational decision that you'll feel comfortable with. In some cases, the desire to have the tumor 'gone' trumps the natural aversion to surgery. Often, as in my case, the AN is simply too big for radiation to be efficacious and both surgery and radiation have to be used to address it.
Frankly, had the option been open to me, I would have went with radiation and avoided surgery - but I didn't have that choice. Fortunately, my surgery went well...but not all do. Surgery carries distinct risks - as does radiation. Although AN surgery and radiation have both greatly evolved, neither approach can absolutely guarantee that the tumor will not re-grow at some point in time or that the procedure won't cause nerve damage that will impact your quality of life for some time.
As Jan stated, the decision as to treatment (surgery/radiation) is totally yours. Just be certain to make it based on knowledge and confidence, not on fear and misunderstanding. Doctors certainly can help, as can this website and advice from 'postie' AN patients, like us, but ultimately, you will have to make the final decision - and live with it - not the doctor or any of us. For that reason, be cautious, rational and don't allow reflexive emotions based on fear to mislead you. Most of all, be informed. We'll help all we can, of course, and support whatever decision you make, Nancy. With your hearing issues, you should probably not procrastinate on this, but don't allow anyone, including doctors, to 'rush' you into a hasty decision you may later regret.
Please continue to stay connected and allow us to do what we can to support you on this journey.
Jim
