The TV show Prison Break

[wendysig]

Believe it or not, one of the reasons (not a big one though) I decided against GK was because I couldn't fathom having a metal frame screwed into my skull.

Not much logical here since I went on to have my skull cut open for surgery and then I opted to have it scalped and drilled for my BAHA implant.  Go figure 

Sue,

Now I guess I'll have another show to record on Monday nights -- you're right there are a lot of good shows on Monday night.

Jan

The head frame was one of my reasons for not having GK too -- the idea of having that thing screwed into my head just scared me too much.  I rationalized having my head cut open by telling myself I would be unconcious and never know what happened.  The thing that really cinched it for me though was not wanting the radiation -- I've had surgery before and figured it really couldn't be much worse as long as I didn' have any serious complications and if I did, I knew I would be able to deal with them.   I was very lucly and had a great outcome.   Ironically, like Jan, I have opted to have surgery for a BAHA -- I may be having a small hole drilled in my skull and having a screw and abutment implanted , but no head frame!   

Lori -- I guess every doctor is different with regard to using or not using a head frame.  I had translab and no head frame -- no surgical hair gel  either --  he just cleansed the surgical site and the skin around it with Betadine -- he didn't even get that in my hair.   I was very surprised about that when he took the head wrap off.  My hair was pin straight from being wrapped up in the head wrap (it's naturally curly) but just as clean as it was when I got to the hospital the morning of my surgery.

Wendy

[GRACE1]

Victor on "The Young and The Restless" has Gamma Knife on the program right before I had it in Dec 2006.  They never showed any details; they just mentioned that he had it.  But it was neat that the "great" Victor had the same procedure I did.  I don't believe they have ever mentioned it again.

Grace

[leapyrtwins]

Lori -

I didn't have a head frame for my retrosigmoid, unless my neurotologist just used one and didn't tell me about it.  He probably knew I'd freak out    I had no screw holes in my forehead though, plus I DO trust him, so I don't think I had the head frame.

Wendy -

I used the same logic about the hole being cut into my head during surgery - figured I'd be fast asleep so it didn't really matter.  Interesting logic on both our parts, but it worked great for me and it seems to have worked great for you also.

Jan (responding from snowy Elkhart, IN.  Going to ND vs Syracuse tomorrow.  GO ND!!!!)

[lori67]

Well, you all realize that I may just win the scar contest since I'm the only one with translab, BAHA, 7-12 AND headframe bolt scars!  I hope there's a good prize for this!

Maybe it wasn't an actual head frame - it was just a regular vice grip thing from Sears.  My doctor probably picked it up when he bought the drill.   

Snow?  Ugh...I'll catch the highlights of the game from the warmth of my living room!

Grace, I didn't know Victor had GK!  I don't watch the show, but my mom has watched it since the beginning of time so I know who he is.  Interesting.

Lori

[Cheryl R]

Lorr, Would I come in second with my mid fossa on each side, translab done twice with extra long scar down the neck more due to the nerve graft.                Don't think I ever mentioned here about having a seroma between the 2006 translab and the CSF leak 2 weeks later.     I had a golf ball size lump on the side of the neck at the end of the incision which had to be drained twice so think there might be a bit of scar from that.                    Plus the rather large indentation I now have behind my ear.                   You'll love to feel that next August.          Nurses do get a bit morbid,don't we?     
                                   Cheryl R

[RosemaryL]

I had the retrosigmoid surgery and they immobilized my head with a "three pin Mayfield fixation" (from the operation report).  I recall asking the doctor (before the surgery) how they were going to keep my head and body from moving for the (LOOOOONG) duration of the surgery.  He said they would use a lot of tape and a head frame.  I did later find LOTS of tape all over my body and I think I found some really small screw holes - they scabbed quickly and healed before I was stable enough to be looking at the back of my head.

BTW I'm pretty sure they gave me the forget-everything drug - think it is probably standard procedure with surgeries these days.  So I have no memory of the actual frame.  In fact, I have no memory of going into the surgery room, but my husband says I was awake and talking when they wheeled me off to surgery.

I don't think the frame is anything to fear.  Frankly, when someone is drilling into my skull with a saw or radiation, I'd just as soon have them keep my head absolutely still.  So I was glad to hear they would use the frame.

Rosemary

[MAlegant]

I also had retrosigmoid and a head frame but I have no memory of it going on or coming off.  (The holes in my head did bother me for a couple of weeks though. )They used it to immobilize my head and also to use the computer mapping MRI they had done. 
M

[lori67]

Cheryl,

I think I can settle for second place!  I think you've got me beat!     Boy, what some people won't do to win a contest!     Maybe next August, you and I can have an impromptu nurses convention and swap morbid stories!  And we can throw some funny ones in there too!

Rosemary, it was probably duct tape they used - that's easy to find in the Sears tool department where they seem to get all their other surgical supplies.     I feel the same way as you - do whatever you have to do to keep my head still while you're poking around in there.  They could have put a boulder or a cinder block on my head if it worked - I wouldn't have minded. 

Lori

[Cheryl R]

Lori,   Think we can make it a tie for first place since most of mine are under hair except for the neck.               The hair is even curly now since finally got the hair grown right and the incision safe and got a perm.             My hair is so much more fine after all these surgeries and needs body.
      I am sure we could both tell nursing stories.           We used to joke at work that we could write quite a book.
                                                      Cheryl R

[Sheryl]

Hi Cheryl and Lori - I've been in the medical profession for ages - management/administration - now doing transcription, and I have always said I could make more $$$ by writing a book about my real-life experiences in the field.  Just as an aside and to add a chuckle - one time I was transcribing and heard water in the background.  I was very friendly with the doc so I asked him where he was, and he didn't hesitate telling me he was urinating!!!  Don't want to picture that one considering he had a hand-held dictation machine to hold. 
Okay - back to the subject at "hand"!!!
Sheryl (too)

[leapyrtwins]

one time I was transcribing and heard water in the background.  I was very friendly with the doc so I asked him where he was, and he didn't hesitate telling me he was urinating!!!  Don't want to picture that one considering he had a hand-held dictation machine to hold. 

Yuck !!

[Sue]

Aww, shucks.  Wouldn't you know!  Michael had to do some funky brain surgery thingie instead of GK, in which they stated some dumb statistic like a 13% failure rate.  Huh?   Oh they just had to muck about in his brain so he could have "visions" and solve some of the on-going mystery.  That's TV for ya. 

Sue in Vancouver USA