Hi Julie,
Welcome to our little corner of the Universe. Sorry you have to join our club, but we are happy that you found us! Many do not until after they have had treatment and wished they knew about this site beforehand.
Your AN is a little smaller than mine (2cm), and you need to be aware that you do have options. You may be a good candidate for radiosurgery and this is something you should find out about. You may (or maybe not) decide that you'd rather proceed with a non-invasive route rather than microsurgery. Or you may decide that a surgical procedure is how you'd rather go. The key word is YOU. You can be advised by doctors, which is a good thing! But, know that surgeons, unless they also are trained in radiation treatments, are going to prefer to operate on you. They are not likely to send you down the street to their competitor. Likewise, a doctor might prefer radiation treatment over traditional surgery and steer you to his/her specialty. Not that that's a bad thing, but you need to decide which is going to be best for you. The point being that if your doctor starts to schedule you for surgery, you might want to research other possibilities. It's your right to do that. Much to our frustration, Acoustic Neuroma seems to lead a double life. It is more properly called Vestibular Schwannoma, and it can be treated with surgery, or, unless the size and location aren't within the guide lines, it can be treated with radiation. And everyone manifests the symptoms in their own unique way. Some people are diagnosed right away, but some can take a few years before they find out, finally, what is wrong. It took me almost a year to get a proper diagnosis.
And all of us were perplexed, overwhelmed, frightened, anxious, and relived, when the doctor finally told us what we had.
I don't think it would take too much research to find the most experienced hospital in your part of the world that could successfully treat you. Just be bold and ask them ' "How many AN's do you treat in a year?"
I wish you the best of luck in your research, treatment and eventual recovery. Any question, concern, fear, you name it and you can ask it here!
Best wishes,
Sue in Vancouver, USA