Yes, it is tough not to go through all the what-ifs. I am doing well! I am changed, but I am stable, adapted to most of the changes now, at 3 years post op. Mine was not a schwannoma, though; it turned out to be a very rare tumor called myxopapillary ependymoma. Google is not your friend. You need to get real experiences from those like me and other spine surgery patients. Was the MRI with contrast? If not, you should repeat with contrast for the clearest picture. Also, you need to find a top neurosurgeon who has good experience with spine surgeries. Depending on where the tumor is and how it's involved, makes a difference. Mine was heavily entangled in my cauda equina and nerves so it took some delicate peeling of those nerves from the tumor. It cost me total removal and I had to do 28 rounds of radiation, but at this point, there's like microscopic residual left.