Acoustic Neuroma

You can imagine at a student bar, Mr. Goatee with interesting glasses and a well used leather manbag saying that the acoustic neuroma gig last night was really cool.

Despite sounding like a newage spa treatment, the elation of not having the big C was short lived. My spud is totally self contained and does not latch itself to my gooey bits in my head, but it just grows. The very nature of the bone dome means there is no room to expand, its like slowly inflating a bouncy castle in a crowed tube train, once it gets to a certain size, someone will eventually get a bit upset. If it was the Big C, then it would be like inflating a giant razor covered cactus.

"So whats the Prognosis?", is the sort of lingo you hear from some chisel, dimple clad actor in a B movie. I will live but, this is not going to be a walk in the park.

After spending a week solid on Google, just below the sunny everything is rosy surface, there's layers and layers of different subculture based around different ways of life.

You can see the everyday ones in the magazine racks, Gardeners Weekly, Railway Molders, then you move to the fringes of normality, Guns and Ammo, Badger and Vaseline.

What you don't see are all the strange medical conditions, each one has its own official associations, forums, and newsletter. Unless you are touched by that particular affliction brush, you would not be in the least bit interested in it, for example would you really want a yearly subscription to Spastic monthly? Whole industries pop up to support these people, EyePatch heaven, EARPlugs-R-US these are all staffed by one eyed, partially deaf folks hobbling around the office. Why is it that these online stores and website for the medically challenged have zero sense of design and composition, they all look like they were put together by someone who actually enjoys crochet and just bought a 3 buck DTP software.

These subcultures are the lifeboat for many, the "Oh lets all hug" news letter with blue autumn leaf background is read and re-read by all these people hoping to find some magic bullet, some new break through. It gives them all a reason to get up in the morning.

The Acoustic Neuroma community is quite big, and grows in the US by 2500 people every year, large enough to have conventions in Vegas, is that good or very sad?. While I am just sitting here reading the crappy online AN newsletter, every few minutes some poor newbie registers, saying they or a family member just got the bad news. Everyone is surprising jolly despite their "complication", I suppose we are all in the same boat, while its not exactly sinking, its never going to pull into port either.

The old codger staggering around with the brass trumpet in his ear, will most likely be a victim of our little unwanted friend. A large number of wrinklies will eventually get it but because of their age most cases can be left alone. There is a very low probability that it will flare up or grow in a particular way to cause problems.

I remember during my visit to Omaha Beach where the D-day landing took place, I read that only 1 in 3 who charged the beach would survive. If I was on the landing craft during the attack, I am the sort of bloke who would look at the two guys ether side of me and think poor buggers. Now that I found I have AN a 1/100,000 chance, suddenly probability takes on a whole new meaning. The other day I was walking in a huge lightening storm normally it would not bother me, unless I was in a medieval suit of amour, but this time I stepped under some shelter.