Regrowths???

[Captain Deb]

Geez, Rory, what size was your tumor and who was your surgeon!?
Capt Deb

[Kathleen_Mc]

CaptDeb: One way to look at whether or not to have routine MRI's post-operatively is : what would you want to do if there was regrowth found? Would you want gamma knife therefor it is necessary to catch regrowth when small or would you prefer to wait unti something HAS to be done and then go for surgery again? I did not have a follow up MRI after my first surgery until 8 years post-op and the regrowth was there then but still small enough for Gamma Knife if I had wanted to go that route.
Personally after having a regrowth and going through 5 years of monitoring and thinking about how to treat it etc......I never intend on having a routine MRI again, if it grows back it can be the end of me (by the time it's big enough to harm me I'll have lived my life likely anyway), and if there is other cause for me to have an MRI I will have it and tell the doc's "don't dare tell me if there's another AN there, I don't wanna know".
Kathleen

[Larry]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Capt Deb,

We share a common ground here. We have bot had middle fossa and have screaming headaches. Fortunately, you have not had regropwth whereas I have.

Ok, I had surgery Nov 2002. I was told (lied to) that they got all my tumour out. I scheduled annual MRI's even though I was told that i did not need one for 5 years, and at the 3.5 year mark, I was devastated (although i had an inkling) that my growth had returned. It was about 19mm and still is.

I dumped that neurosurgeon and went for the no.1 guy here in Sydney (couldn't see him the first time because he was over booked) and he is our most experienced one. He agreed for me to see him going forward and he has told me that, baseing his decision on experience and a number of overseas studies (Norway I think) that he no longer does middle fossa because of all the post op complications and the apparant high chance of growth return. He cited headaches as a major by product.

He now waits until either the growth starts to grow - trans lab or watch and wait.

He was very apologetic to me saying that he wouldn't have operated - he even suggested radiation as an option, which he doesn't do.

All in all. My next attack on my growth will be gamma knife. last resort is surgery.


Laz