ANA Central Calif. Meeting

[Battyp]

sam it looks like you're getting into a police car? 
I think you're involvement is great!

[matti]

I've been on this forum for many years and have never seen Mark attack anyone, he has been a wealth of information, support and help, not only on the forum, but through private e-mails and phone calls.

Sam - good luck on the meeting tonight, please check in and let us know how it went.

Cheryl

[Mark]

Rob,

It was not my intent to "attack" Sam, and yes, I do applaud his openness to expose his support group to any and hopefully all treatment options whether it be CK, GK, trilogy or rubbing one's head with herbs, chewing gum  and walking backwards. All options should be considered viable and let folks make a decision based on that. I think my record of posting would support that I don't attack people but I will challenge, hopefully always with respect, any information that I don't feel is accurate. Sam has a preference for surgery based on his individual experience and I understand that. I have many times posted that I think HEI is a great option for surgery, but I also don't think their results are flawless either. I also tend to lean toward radiosurgery becuase of a) my personal experience b) feelings about invasive surgery and c) studies of the literature. However, those that have talked or corresponded with me individually who were undecided I think would affirm that I'm pretty balanced in my portryal of both options and I've probably had all of those split down the middle as to their final decision. I tend to post more on radiosurgery because there are more inaccurate posts about it than surgery, but you have no basis to evaluate what my bias is and how I portray options to people I talk to. I make great efforts to "walk the talk" as I put in my post on Sam"s Thread

Mark

[ppearl214]

To Mark..to Sam....to Bruce... to cheryl, Rob, Michelle et al.... I thank you for sharing as you do... for reaching out to others as you do... for looking out for your fellow AN'ers.... and for your continued showing of respect, patience and understanding to those that surround each of us during this AN journey.

I thank you all...... and hope each and every single one of you are fine today... and if not, the line forms behind me.

thanks again,
Phyl

[marystro]

I applaud the passionate discussion in this thread and to everyone who participated!!  Truly an amazing group and totally caring for all the ANers on this forum!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

- Mary

[okiesandy]

Interesting,

Dr. Sam was one of my contacts when I thought I was going to have surgery at HEI. He was very informative and helpful to me. Mark has alway behaved as a gentleman. The world changes and new technology becomes available.

I for one chose CK because I did not feel comfortable with some of the outcomes of this surgery. My AN was near my facial nerve and already doing some damage. I didn't lead the life style to involve a long recovery if I could help it. When I told the doctor at HEI (won't mention the name) he sent me some really outdated and miss information reguarding radiation. I was very dissapointed in the response. I very much admired this surgeon. If anyone would be allowed to open my head it would be him. However, the record is not perfect even with him. I was in contact with a gentleman who was supposed to have surgery the same time as I was and he went early. His outcome for a suppposed simple AN and recovery did not live up to his expectations or the surgeons. Nothing and no one is 100% all of the time.

I was so fortunate to have an experienced neruosurgeon who practiced on the West Coast. She does all sorts of treatment. Surgery, CK and GK. I ask why the surgeons were so slanted and pushy toward surgery. She said "Would you ask a Ford dealer if a Toyota was the right car for you?". Her only point now is just keep going back to your neurotologist and show him what your out come is. This is also the remark she made to a coworkers husband who also had CK for his AN. Keep going, keep showing and things will change someday. In her opinion, radiation will become the treatment of choice very soon for smaller tumors. I ask her if she had my exact same An what would she do? She said it is a personal choice and if she did have she would choose radiation and never look back. Some feel more comfortable with traditional surgery. Nothing to her she gets paid the same amount for either method.

Almost 18 months after CK I can say my outcome was better than I expected. We shall not write the last chapter in this book until the last breath has been taken. I say all of this because this journey is so difficult an we get so much misinformation along the way. I was so sure I needed surgrey that I never even looked into radiation. Especially since my neurotologist, HEI doctor and others kept on the track about malignant transformation of the tumor and regrowth. Thanks to a series of events I decided to look into CK when I had to postpone surgery. I was not pushed, forced or given missinformation from the radiation oncologist or my neuro surgeon. Both said the choice was mine and you are lucky to have the option.

Some times lttle debate is good for us. Hugs to both Mark and Dr. Sam.

Sandy