Radiation Exposure

[Sam]

I had a very interesting conversation with a Nuclear physist a couple of days ago, and my Gamma Knife treatment was brought up. I began explained to him about the Cobalt 60 used with Gamma Knife, he interupted me and said "I'm well aware of the Gamma Knife, and it's sucess" I told him that at first Iwas very sceptical of it, and felt most individuals felt the same. He was quick to inform me that most poeple are petrified of the thought of being exposed to radiation, But most do not even consider this. Every time an person turns on a light, walks into the sunlight, lays in a tanning bed,uses a microwave, lights a fire, turns on a stove eye they are exposing themselves to radiation that can be extremely more harmful than Gamma Knife. He then depthened the conversation by explaining that Gamma Knife was based on the same principal as using a magnifying glass in the direct sunlight to redirect a stronger focused beam of light and burn a percise hole in a piece of paper. Therefore the GK/CK/FSR are doing the exact thing, just on the inside of flesh and bone with the same pinpoint precision. I asked the same question that is probably burning on every Radiosurgery patient's mind. "Will it eventually turn malignant?"
He then informed me "that is not quiet fair to ask", because everyone is so afraid of radiation, people think of radiation as a plague, something that should be removed from the face of the earth, Not so. without radiation we could not live, we would freeze, not be able to eat, or have no light. He went on to say that Your chances of your tumor turning malignant after being irradiated, is the exact same as it would be for someone who chose to have it surgically removed. He did go on to say that if people really educated themselves about radiation, people would have second thoughts about laying in tanning beds, He then began quoting off large scientific words, and numbers comparing various radiation sources, and he said that the rumors about long exposure in tanning beds is true "It is dangerous!"
Dr.X told me that humans are exposed to more dangerous elements in our daily lives, a lot more dangerous than radiation.
Dr.X concluded by telling me not to worry, and to enjoy my life.
I have never looked at this subject in this manner, but I feel that it makes sense.

Sam

[tony]

Very true - and a very interestingpoint of view
 - the 15 yr exposure results are still less than one in a thousand
for radiotherapy turning bad in this way.
Yet there are many parts of our west country that have rocks underground
that are naturally radioactive - the background levels here are usually more than
100 yds outside the 3 mile island reactor (when it was on)
Yet you dont hear of massive burns or attacks.
The real change with Gamma (and some other methods) is that the
improved 3D computer targetting means a much lower dose
can now be used (25Gy now down to 12-13Gy)
The big change was about 15yrs ago - and thankfully the results
are looking quite good.
best regards
Tony

[vjharris]

Sam,
Thanks for the post on radiation. Even though I feel great now, there's was still a little voice in my head that kept asking just how dangerous the Gamma Knife will be to me in the long run.
Your post put things into a little better perspective.
Best wishes to you,
Happy Holidays!
Vicki

[Sam]

You think you felt relieved, To me talking to him was like having heartburn and finding a pack of ROLAIDS in the middle of the desert.
This made me feel great. I was so excited when I heard this, I just had to share it.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!
Sam

[Mark]

Sam,

Thanks for a great post. I think all of us are conditioned to believe that radiation is something evil and deadly. I suspect it has some roots in stories of radiation sickness following Hiroshima or even in many Sci-fi movies. Your friend certainly did a nice job of framing the issue in a much more realistic context. I've always tried to explain to people that the individual beams of CK / GK contain minimal radiation but that they collectively overlap the tumor at a toxic level. I like the illustration of the magnifying glass better, so I might start using that instead  .

Mark

[flier58]

Hi Sam,
Today must be a "Great Posts" day,  Your post and Crystal's are definitely some of the BEST posts on this site (and there are maaaaaaaaaaany great posts here).
Have a Wonderful Christmas!!!!!!!

[Jim Scott]

Sam:

Thanks for an informative post regarding the reality - and the myths - of radiation.

As a former FSR patient (26 treatments) I was just a tad wary of having even low doses of radiation 'shot' into my head.  However, my radiation oncologist reassured me of it's minimal impact and the general success of radiation on killing tumor DNA.  I suffered from sheer boredom while undergoing the 5-day-a-week treatments but had no other negative effects - not even localized hair loss - and I fully expect my AN tumor to be a distant memory in another year or so.  My former fears of radiation are now pretty well dissipated.  Your post simply adds to my reassurance.  Thanks again.

Jim[/color]

[Sam]

All are very welcome, I feel a whole lot more comfortable after talking to him myself, with the occasional doubt of " I hope I did not move during treatment, or I hope something in the Gamma Knife computer did not fail". Other than that I am extactic, so far I have not experienced any major changes in hearing or tinnitus, though I realize that takes time, and is not immediate. Oh! Vicki you said "Even though I feel great now, there's was still a little voice in my head that kept asking just how dangerous the Gamma Knife will be to me in the long run." Are you sure you husband didn't fall asleep with the phone again? LOL! Just kidding, I wish YOU ALL the very BEST, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

Sam

[Sue]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting something postive about radiosurgery.  A lot of people are so afraid of it, and it is a worthwhile tool in properly trained medical circumstances.  I wonder if some of these people who are so leery of radiation also smoke cigarettes or frequent fast food places or do any number of other things that are probably far more dangerous to their overall good health.  I certainly wouldn't want to be in the neighborhood of a nuclear bomb, but I didn't have much reservation about GK for me as a treatment. It's vastly different, obviously. 

Best wishes for a bright and healthy 2007.

Sue in Vancouver USA

[Sam]

When I talked to my Doctor in Jan. I ask him about the radiation I am exposed to daily at work compared to the GK, and my Doctor told me that I was in such a dangerous field "in many aspects". He ask me how many tours of duty I had been on in my career.I told him TOO MANY to count. He then ask approx. how many hours a day I sit in my cruiser running radar. I replied approx. 4-6 hours a day (12 hr. shifts). He said think about what you are saying, you are sealed inside a container(my cruiser) with a radar which is on a large majority of the time, the radio beams are bouncing off of the winshield back onto you, he went further to say that while he was in medical school he seen documentation where Law Enforcement Officer diagnosed with different forms of cancer all admitted to operating doppler radar (traffic radar) for long periods of time. My doctor told me that I would be diagnosed with some other form cancer due to operating the radar before I would have any problems from radiosurgery.  That was real comforting (NOT!), but, I guess he is right.
I have not quit my job, but I do not go to the tanning bed anymore!
Sam

[flier58]

Hi Sam,
thanks for bumping this thread.  It should stay "alive" for all considering radiosurgery. 
Flier58
 

[Richey]

Your article was a good read. I work at a large site that was a key part of our nuke defense in the cold war. I have made it a point to stay as far away from that side of work at the site. When I went to have my gamma knife discussion with the radiation onocologist he tried to help me understand the difference between what I would be getting and what people are expose to at the plant. He said he had the most trouble with engineers from the plant wanting to break it down into too much detail.
I still don't like that I was hit with that dose but it was my choice. My big letdown so far is that I have not seen any results after two years.

My job at the plant is in the wastewater facility and we use uv lights to kill the bacteria in our final stream which is a form of radiation. It works quite well. We use to use chlorine and the uv is a better choice for the job.

Rich