I don't think, in my opinion, it is incumbent on us to tell others what the "likely, statistic" results of one treatment over another is going to be, or what "studies show,,,,," there is always a bias in this type of response as some have said.
This doesn't mean you throw out the baby with the bath water. Obviously the cornerstone of medical science is based on statistics. While no one has a crystal ball, doctors are there to guide you along the decision-making process based on statistics.
We should keep our responses to our experiences with our ANs as that IS what we know.
Statistics are available to the public on PubMed and are universal. It's not about personal experience. For example, a cancer doctor doesn't have to have cancer in order to know how to treat a cancer patient. Statistic DO matter. That's why when they have clinical trials they always insist on unbiased control groups. If statistics were worthless then we'd have anarchy.
That is what this forum used to be about. Supporting others both new and post treatment with positive, personal experiences. There are many more out there than "horror" stories. They just don't stay on the forum.
I have to respectfully disagree, and I don't even know why this is being discussed on the Gamma Knife thread.
The forum should never be about "sugar-coating". Support does NOT mean sugarcoating!
I personally hate it when people tell me "everything is going to be alright" when that person has no clue if that will be the case. The best support is backed up with truth and statistics. We've just witnessed in an earlier post that one person's horror story is another persons outcome as "doing well."
Just like BLW and I (in full disclosure) are clearly biased towards radiation, similarly Cheryl and Alabama are biased/passionate in regards to surgery. This is human nature and persist throughout the forum largely based on which treatment the poster has undergone. It's almost comical.
My point is, you're not going to find many (certainly a lot less!) AN patients who had radiation frequenting the numerous sub categories on this forum for: facial paralysis, headaches, eye problems, swallowing, taste issues, balance, cognitive problems, etc. No one has died from radiation.
In my view, it's best to avoid these complications if possible. It's simple common sense. This is the main reason doctors put so many of their patients on Watch & Wait.
Does this make me unsupportive? Negative? Just the opposite.
Just because I don't sugarcoat or hold a "pollyanna" view towards everything AN or microsurgery doesn't make me any less supportive. Everyone is free, encouraged, and welcome to share their views on the forum.
I've said many times we all hold passionate views, and at the end of the day we're all on the same team.
