Michael,

Please keep us posted. We have all been in your shoes...inundated with options and having to figure out which is the best path. Check out the book "From this moment on", by Arlene Cotter. It's a book for people recently diagnosed with cancer and helped me breathe and stay focused and calm. It's not a book on cancer....it's a "help you deal with your feelings" book.

One thing, I just wanted you to know, I also had ear pain prior to surgery. It was gone immediately once my tumor was removed. Not trying to sway you towards surgery, just saying it's a good possibility the ear pain subsides as treatment progresses.

Best wishes,
Jennifer