Well, I had my first Dr's appointment!!!......

[sloxana]

Hi everyone

Well, I've had my first doctor's appointment since receiving the news that I have a 1.4cm AN.  I must say I am feeling much more calm and hopeful than before I went.  I guess it was my fear of the unknown that sent me into a state of panic and I imagined all sorts of terrible things.  But after seeing Dr. Schwaber on Monday I realize I have many options available to me and now I just need to take my time in deciding which one is best for me.  It seems this doctor really feels like FSR would be the right treatment based on my age (51), symptoms (not many at the moment) and size of the tumor.  He said the advantages of radiation far out-number those of surgery. He then explained I would have somewhere between 10-25 treatments (no. to be determined by the radiologist) which don't last long and after each treatment I would go about my day with no side effects.  Wow!  That sounds great to me!  I was dreading the thought of surgery.  However, I am trying to keep an open mind and I am still planning to see another doctor next week at Vanderbilt for another opinion.  I'll let you know what he says too!
Thanks everyone for all your comments!!  I'm so glad I found this board!! You all are great!!!

Susan

[Betsy]

Hi Susan,

It sounds like you're on the right track and gathering as much info as you can.  Don't be surprised if you change your mind often as you learn about the options available to you.  I started out wanting Gamma Knife, then it was surgery for awhile, then fsr, then back to GK again before I decided to go with radiosurgery via the Trilogy system.  I think the process is sort of like deciding on a tattoo...you should be totally comfortable with your decision before you go through with it!  Not that I have any tattoos, but that's what I've heard!

Good luck at Vanderbilt next week.  Let us know how it goes!

Betsy

[sloxana]

Thanks Betsy!  Yep, I've heard that I will probably change my mind several times before I finally decide on the treatment that's best for me.  I don't have any tatoo's either....but if I ever get one you better believe it will be something I'm 101% sure about!!!!
Susan