ANA Discussion Forum
Treatment Options => Radiation / Radiosurgery => Topic started by: Petrone on April 17, 2013, 02:46:27 pm
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Hello Everyone,
I just returned from my scheduled GK this morning at Froedtert (Milwaukee). To be perfectly honest, I feel just fantastic! I know that each of us has different circumstances to deal with, but I'm sure now, more than ever, that GK was the right course of action for me. After 3 years of W&W, my AN showed new growth on my last MRI (Nov. 2012) and I decided to act now while GK was still an option for me. I also know from reading about the experiences of other forum members that there can still be bumps along the way, but for right now I feel an incredible sense of relief and gratitude that the procedure went exactly as planned and is now behind me.
The team at Froedtert was wonderful! I felt complete confidence in every one of them through every step of the way. They were all very patient and supportive and each step in the process was explained to me and my wife.
As those of you who have already experienced GK know, the only real discomfort came when the frame was affixed to the head. This was done almost immediately upon arriving at 6:00 am. The topical anesthetic helped, but there was still some mild pain and pressure as the frame was attached and tightened. I was not shy about welcoming the IV "happy juice," which helped make the whole process relatively free of pain or anxiety.
The frame remained in place for the next 5 hours, first through an MRI, and later, of course, during the 1 1/2 hour GK treatment itself. By about 2:00 p.m. we were driving home looking for someplace for lunch. It's now about 3:30 and after my kids get home from school, I'll settle in for a nice long nap.
Most importantly, if I can ever be of any help to anyone on the forum who is planning or researching GK, I'll be more than happy to share anything I can about the whole experience, on or off-line. As many others have said before, and many others will say again, this is a great sharing collective and a lot of what I've learned during this entire process came from our brothers and sisters on this forum who have shared their experiences too.
Peace,
Petrone
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Congratulations and welcome to the Post Toastie club.
My experience was almost the same as yours except I got the happy juice up front so I was asleep for the head frame and the scalp anesthetic and didn't feel a thing.
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Petrone ~
I'm delighted to read about your positive reaction to your GK experience. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Jim
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Congrats on having your GK treatment over with and having it be a not so terrible ordeal. I had mine a year ago and don't regret my decision at all.
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Thanks for sharing. My CK series of five will begin 5-1. Can't wait to be a post toastie!!!
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Dear Petrone,
Congratulations on your membership to our exclusive Postie-Toastie Club! I forgot to ask about membership dues (hee-hee there aren't any!) Just my little April Fool's joke coming a lot late. Thank you for joining! If ever you have any trouble or just want to blog, you can come here.
Mike
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Petrone and I had been corresponding since our treatment was within 48 hours apart, and I'm glad his experience was so smooth.
Admittedly, I had some small issues with the head frame. It was uncomfortable throughout the experience, and when they took it off they saw why--they had punctured a small vein and they debated about putting in stitches on my forehead which they said was highly unusual. I wondered why I was aware of the frame the entire time....and when it came off, my head throbbed for several hours.
But now all is good, and I went with butterfly stitches and know this is quite unusual. The percocet helped! I would still do the same thing.
Glad Petrone is doing quite well and is thrilled with his decision. Here's to his quick recovery!
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Hi Petrone-
Welcome to other side! Glad you had the happy juice, why not make things easier for yourself!
Patrick, sorry to hear you had some problems with the head frame; but glad it all is good now.