When you hear the words, “You have a brain tumor,” you feel like that is pretty urgent. You may expect a brain tumor diagnosis to lead to seeing doctors and having treatment fairly quickly. We all know how important the brain is, and accordingly take brain tumors very seriously. It can be shocking to learn that weeks of waiting for appointments and tests are the next step and that no one is rushing to treat the tumor.

Acoustic neuromas are typically slow growing tumors, so usually there is not a need to do immediate or emergency treatment. Some people have situations that need treatment in the next few months. Others watch the tumor for years before needing treatment. Only a few specific circumstances necessitate a rush on treatment.

How emergent an acoustic neuroma diagnosis is depends on a few factors. Tumor size plays a large role in how quickly you need to be treated. If the tumor is under 1.5cm, likely you will watch and wait for some months or even possibly years. If the tumor is larger than that but under 4cm, likely you will need treatment within the next few months. If the tumor is over 4 cm, you may need treatment more quickly depending on symptoms.

There are many differing symptoms that you can experience with an acoustic neuroma. Some, like hearing loss, are very impactful to life but don’t expedite the need for treatment. Other symptoms, like hydrocephalus or brainstem compression, make the timeline for treatment much more urgent. It’s important to understand your situation and what concerns your doctor has in order to get an idea of what your timeline should be.

It can be extremely hard emotionally to be stuck in the situation of knowing that you have a brain tumor but having to spend copious amounts of time waiting for appointments and test results. You may just want to get it out and move on with your life. It’s understandable to feel that way. Being stuck in limbo, waiting to undergo treatment, is a very challenging place to be. Anxiety can really prey on your mind and emotions while you are forced to wait on decisions and treatment.

However, it truly is a gift of time. It’s not fun to be rushed to emergency surgery and have no time to prepare or choose your doctor or treatment. If you have time, take advantage of it. Use it to do research, talk with lots of doctors, talk with lots of patients, and make a plan that is good for you. It’s so helpful to have knowledge and to make an informed choice of treatment when it comes to something as important as your brain health for the rest of your life. It’s also really helpful to prepare your home and life for your recovery period and have a plan to help you navigate healing.

If facing treatment is daunting you, and you just want to keep pushing it off, I urge you to consider that neurological function lost is often lost for good. I was diagnosed with a 3cm tumor, and I wanted to wait 8 months until a less busy time for work for my surgery. My surgical team felt they wanted it out sooner as it was large enough to really start causing some problems. In the end, I had surgery about 3 months after I was diagnosed. That was enough time to plan and research. I had very good results, and ultimately, I am glad I moved into recovery sooner rather than later. Now knowing that the hormones in childbearing can be linked to faster tumor growth, I am even more glad I did not put it off.

If you don’t have a large tumor and serious symptoms and a doctor is urging you to rapid treatment, I would ask a lot of questions as to why. This is usually a tumor where you have time to find the right provider, and not every provider has a lot of experience because it is a rare tumor. Ask all the questions until you feel comfortable with the choice of treatment and medical team. There are places that will do free phone consults or $100 consults if you call and send your MRI results. A 2nd opinion is always a great idea unless it is a true emergency.

Finding out you have a brain tumor is a surreal experience. Oftentimes, when you are diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, you have never even heard of it. It can be hard to know how dire the situation is. You are scared and in a fight or flight situation. Even though it feels urgent, most acoustic neuromas are not emergencies and give you the opportunity to make choices. At the time, that doesn’t feel great, but chances to make informed health decisions are a real gift.