Hi Pascale,
FYI, I am someone who gets those stabs of pain, too. They are like jolts of searing hot knives , last only for moments, sometimes several jabs in a row, then they vanish. No one knows... Mine are usually in the front of my AN ear- about my top of my jaw. I cringe and jump everytime. They are fast. One time, I rocketed out of a deep sleep. These all happened before my cyberknife treatments, started increasing in the last few months, and I have had a couple since.
As for CK=GK. NO WAY. The procedures are not the same- one is relaxing enough that you could sleep through it, the other screws pins into your head so you have to wear a big heavy metal frame. One uses mega X rays to do the irradiating, the other iuses a radioactive isotope of cobalt. Do some serious research before deciding. I had 4 neurosurgeons read my MRI and audiogram and each gave me a different recommendation for treatment. You have to decide what's right for you. I opted for CK and although there is a new cyberknife center right here in Philadelphia (1 hr. from me), my husband and I chose to fly across the country to have Drs. Chang and Hancock and their expert team handle my case. I wanted experience... and Stanford University Medical Center had it in spades.
Radiation is radiation but there are different ways for it to be delivered. GK is fast- one day- lots of radiation in one treatment. CK is several days- usually 3 to 5- with a smaller dose delivered each day. F.S.R can be 25-30 days of fast zaps, real small doses. I don't know about the Novalis (sp?) but the Trilogy machine/procedure resembles cyberknife.
There is a TON of information out there (go watch the Trilogy in Connecticut webcast for a full explanation of that one- or U of VA's gamma knife procedure, or Stanford's CK.) You must be your own best advocate. Hang in there!
Wishing you good health,
Terry
