Introduction
On July 19, 2007, at the age of 34, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor known as an Acoustic Neuroma. The tumor measured some 2.5 cm in diameter. For weeks after the diagnosis, all of my waking moments were consumed with an obsessive quest for facts, advice, guidance and answers. Like so many AN patients before me, I consulted with doctors, scoured the Internet, read medical abstracts, reached out to patients, leaned on family and friends. I did everything I could to figure out how to get better.
Very quickly, I learned that the treatment of ANs is the subject of debate and controversy among neurosurgeons. Some doctors told me I needed brain surgery; others said radiation was the better approach. Among the advocates of radiation, there was disagreement about the safest and most accurate technology. After multiple consultations with some of the best doctors in the field, I was left with no clear answers – and no easy solution.
I have created this website to chronicle my experience dealing with the AN diagnosis, researching and selecting a treatment, and navigating a conflicted and confusing medical establishment, in the hopes that others diagnosed with this condition might benefit from my experience.
-
In the Post-Treatment section, I chronicle my physical progress since treatment. I intend to update this section periodically to provide up-to-date status reports on my condition. (Last Update: November 18, 2009)
Needless to say, I have no medical training whatsoever and am not remotely qualified to offer medical opinions or advice. I am just a lay person sharing my own personal experience grappling with this diagnosis. Please read the full disclaimer here.
Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts, comments or suggestions, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of my AN experience. I would be happy to correspond or talk with you.
Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Francesco
|