Advice needed

[Welshie74]

Hi everyone

I've recently been diagnosed with a AN I've been having problems with my balance, tinnitus, hearing loss along with severe headaches. My consultant said after my last scans that I should try radiotheraphy over 6 weeks to try and shrink it. Has anybody else had this? He's also mentioned gamma knife surgery.

[22_D]

Hiya , I too have just been diagnosed , but mine is small I'm on watch & wait , another mri in a year unless my symptoms change , what size is your AN, so I can't comment on the radio therapy or gamma knife , but I should see your consultant again , & talk things through , & try not to worry , I know it's hard , but worry won't help anything x

[Welshie74 in reply to 22_D]

Hiya thank you for your reply I saw my consultant on Friday my AN is 2.7 cm. I've now been left with the decision of either gamma knife of surgery. He doesn't think that the 6 weeks of radiotheraphy is the best option to take but at the end of the day the decision is mine. Tbh my head is spinning with it all. X

[anan88 in reply to Welshie74]

Hello, my consultant decided for me to go with surgery first to see if he could get all the AN (3 cms.). He couldn't, as it was too involved with nerves, so I then had Gamma a couple of months later, which seems to have shrunk it from about 1 cm after surgery to almost nothing by now, and stable, almost 7 years later. However, only your consultant knows from looking at your MRI what may be the best route to take. If you can't decide, you can ask your consultant to decide.

Best of luck, and either way, you'll be fine.

[22_D in reply to Welshie74]

Bless you Hun, to be honest if it was me I would look into the gamma knife, but at the end of the day it's upto you Hun , hope all goes well x , but please try not to worry to much as I've also read that worrying makes the symptoms worse xx

[drdeanbellavia]

If possible, Gamma knife Surgery (GKS) is the best way. Same day procedure; it only takes a couple of hours to prep you and probably 20-30 minutes in the Gamma knife machine...and then you go home. I had GKS in 2002 and the dead AN shrunk by a 1/3 in size (from 1.5 cm) in less than a year; it is probably a lot smaller today.

I have not had any further problems from the AN except of course deafness in my left ear and some balance problems, which I resolve with a monthly exercise that resets my cerebellum and gets my balance back. See my post "How I used 'Brain Exercises' to Regain my Balance" for further information to resolve your balance problems and any "brain pain".

Good luck in your AN odyssey; with effort and a positive attitude you will prevail.

[Sintarra]

Hi I'm really sorry to hear your diagnosis. I wish you all the best going forward with your treatment.

I hope you don't mind if I could ask you about your headaches? Are they constant or do they come and go and whereabouts on your head.