gamma knife canidate

[Tina Hager]

Hi guys! It me the newbie.  Tina Hager. Well today we went to New Port Beach in Ca. to meet with Dr. Duma. He says I will be better off doing gamma knife rather than surgery. My AN is 1.9cm x 1.2cm. He actually does both. He is supposed to be the best west of the Mississippi. He has done more of these than any Dr. in america. To my understanding I guess there  are two to sides. I was at house in L.A. they also gave me both but said surgery was a better path.  I do not know my family is against it.  I am confused . How do you all feel about gamma knife. He says no to any other radiation and this was the best. It is complicated how it works. any advice or  good or bad outcomes. I love the docs at house. But, this is my life! 

                                                             Sincerely,
                                                                             Tina Hager

[Mary]

Hi Tina, 

 My mother (81 yrs)   Just had surgery at the House.   She was terrified of surgery and another doctor here in Little Rock, AR ( who in world renown)said it would take 8 to 10 hrs.   The House did it in 5 hrs.   It took longer because they reattached the facial nerve.   It went thru her 4.5 cm tumor.   This is one of the worse case situations because we never knew she had the tumor till a year ago.   The only reason I called the house is because people here encouraged me to do so.   We were going to radiate with CK.   It may have killed her but only because of the size and position. 

If you choose to radiate  I would research both GK and CK.   Your doctor may say GK is the best because they do not do CK.   You need to research the after affects too.   Radiation may or may not kill all of the tumor but then again if the tumor is on the facial nerve, the doctor may or may not want to remove all of it either.

It is your life to live and you have to be comfortable with your decision.   So....you need to do the research and this is one good place to start.

Mary

[charles]

My wife, Vickie had the Gamma Knife surgery in Phoenix 1 yr ago for her Trigeminal Neuralgia. It did not work for her, but the up side of this was that her recovery time was a very short time compared to regular surgery which she had in Oct and there was no side effects from this Gamma Knife surgery.
We will keep you in our prayers.
Charles & Vickie

[russ]

Hi Tina
  Since it's introduction in 1968 to treat cancer, GK has enjoyed a good record of success. CK has about 20 years of results to draw stats from and FSR, abou 13 years.
  Everyone has an opinion and others may disagree and that is ok, but I will express a personal preference for GK if surgery isn't utilized. Surgery, however, is my personal first choice.
  GK is very accurate, but so are the others. Because of it's protocol and 'initial' hit of gys ( rads ), it 'may' have a more significant impact on disrupting DNA which perpetuates tumor growth.
  I'm concerned with FSR in this regard and particularily a 21 day regimen.
  One might argue that fractionalization is safer for the facial, vestibular, and auditory nerves but GKs gamma rays ( from 201 angles ) do go in weakly, are pretty potent where they intersect at the AN and exit at 1/2 the strength they had when entering. Thus, there is minimal collateral absorption into surrounding tissue by GK as well as the others, as FSR.
  My gut feeling is FSR, et al, were developed largely in part to capture a market share as being new and innovative. Also, some researchers are always looking for high tech ways to approach situations. It's human nature to try improving things.
  I hope your Thanksgiving is/was well!
  Best wishes for the best Tx modality choice for you, Tina! After much research and a few opinions, I think you will develop a 'gut' feeling as to what you want to do; Then, put your faith and trust in that choice and the service providers which need be well experienced!!
  Russ

[RM]

Hi Tina

One of the hardest but most important things is to educate yourself.  I had a hard time trying to decipher between surgery and gamma.  I also struggled to make sense of all the different medical opinions.  I about 9 docs and only one highly recommended gamma for my case.  It all comes down to what YOU are comfortable with.  I am also in my 30s. I have a 1.5CM by 1CM in my right ear.  In the end I felt that surgey was the way for me.  Dont get me wrong as my surgery date approaches, I sometimes wonder if I am making the right choice but then I tell myself that being scared is part of the journey.

Good luck