ANA Discussion Forum
Treatment Options => Radiation / Radiosurgery => Topic started by: msuscottie on July 09, 2007, 07:30:07 am
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And I'm find of freaking out. Someone tell me something that's gonna make me feel better about it :)
I know it can't be as bad as the two brain surgeries, but I'm still kinda freaked at the thought of the head frame and beams of radiation piercing my brain
Ok, you're up, make me feel better :)
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Ok, here goes... granted I had a 5-day CK....
1. The sedatives are great! :P You won't feel a thing
2. Zapping the brain is not as bad as you think!
3. Approx 1 hr, you'll sleep right through it (see #1 above).
4. Once it's done, that's it.
5. You may feel fatigue, post treatment, but heck, milk the excuse for a nap!
6. The bolt-reminders will let you do a great imitation of Frankenstein! Use that as a joke with neighbors that Dr. Frankenstein got hold of you!
Ok, that's just starters. Scott, you are going to do great and truly... after your treatment, you will see that it was a piece of cake. Acknowledge any fears you may have about it... embrace those fears... and you will conquer them. You've been through worse... this really will be much easier than all you have been through.
Hang tough!
Phyl
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Scott - it's easy for me to say all will go well but it's not my head. Keep positive thoughts - especially how this is going to help you play with Addie's children (your grandchildren) some day. While you are getting the treatment don't think about it as "beams of radiation piercing your brain" - think of it more as little "Pac Men" going in and destroying the tumor (or at least stopping the growth). Or, if "Pac Man" isn't your thing, you can also conjure in your mind the best scene of your life and fixate on that. Both my husband and I have been through some medical nightmares and we didn't realize until recently that we BOTH visualize ourselves on a beach in Bermuda that we have visited. Make sure you get enough sedative medication. Please keep us posted.
Sheryl
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Pac-Man or the Beach? Pac-Man or the Beach? Hmmm? I think I'll go with the beach. Specifically the Cayman Islands, yep, feelling better ... :)
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Scottie:
You will do just fine. When it is over, you will wonder why you got so worked up about it. I am not talking from experience but from what I have read on this forum. I don't recall ever reading a post from anyone that had wished they had decided on hole in the head vs radiation. Plus, they ain't gonna zap yer brain, just the tuma thats kissin it!!
Good luck my friend, Kathy
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Scottie, Scottie, Scottie what am I going to do with you? Auntie Sue says to just go with the flow, dude. You are in the hands of the professionals and they try not to hurt you and they certainly don't want you to freak out whilst they are doing their thing...so trust in the meds, Luke! Let the Force be with you and it will be okay. You gotta do a Zen kind of thing, I guess. When this is all over with you are going to be feeling pretty silly, my friend, that you worried about this so much.
Did you ever find out about the steroids and if they will give you that after your GK? That's my only concern for you is that you will have some sleepless nights and that can get really, really irksome.
Besides, this experience will make your chapter of the book all the more interesting, right? Look at this as more matierial for your best seller!
Hey, the pirates will all put their socks on for ya.
Cheering you on in Vancouver,
Auntie Sue
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You're crazy Sue, but I like it :)
They couldn't tell me much about the steroids, only that I would get a dose along with the procedure and then they'd have to see where were were from there. I'm just going to assume the worst and plan on my next night of sleep being somewhere near Thanksgiving ;D
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Nah, Labor Day!! :D
Ask 'em if you can do any sleeping pills. Who knows, maybe they won't bother you that way...but it's a real common side effect....and it's really, really, really....hard to manage on 2 hours of sleep a night. Really.
I was thinking about you Scottie when I went on my walk today. I thought...that kid has had a portion of his skull removed, TWICE, and had somebody digging around inside his head, TWICE, and gone through recovery of MICROSURGERY, TWICE and he's worried about 4 little teeny tiny pins poking him?
Oh, that's okay, sweetie. Believe me, if they ever tell me that my GK didn't take and they were going to have to be doing to me what they did to you just the one time...I'd be screaming my head off! No pun intended. ;)
Sleep well. Keep the good thoughts.
Sue in Vancouver
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It just doesn't seem fair, does it? ???
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Well Scott, I'll tell you what my sister told me when the docs were putting me through a gauntlet of heart tests before they decided to look in my head. I was freaking out too, and she told me to approach it like a reporter gathering information for a story. She had an ulterior motive...she works for a hospital scheduling the exact tests I was taking, and she wanted first-hand information to tell her patients. Regardless, it worked for me and I was able to keep my freakoutedness in check when they were shooting me up with ice-cold radioactive solution.
When it's over, you'll have a whole new set of experiences to share with future ANers who haven't been diagnosed yet. I look forward to your post-GK messages.
I'll be thinking of you on the 17th...that's the same day I'm meeting with the docs who will be zapping my AN.
Betsy
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Thanks Betsy
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scottie ity will be fine. i just had my gamma knife yesterday morning. everything went just fine. only had one snag and it wasnt the doctors fault. i was due to get 9 total shots. after the 8th the machine broke. tried to get some one to fix it but that didnt happen. the doctors are confident in there plan that did take so am i, i guess. the worst part is when they take the frame off, but it cant be nearly anything like what you have gone through before. just relax its one day of some uncomfortableness. you can ask for some meds when there about to unscrew the frame. outside of that no big deal. good luck to you.
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Thanks, I'm a little nervous about the headframe going on and coming off
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not to bad scottie at all. they numb the four areas that they attach it to so its just slight discomfort. mine was on longer then most because i was waiting for the machine to get fixed. you will feel it a bit more when they take it off but you will get meds. i was out of there about 1/2 hour after it came off with a couipler tylonol and took 2 last night before bed and thats it. much better today, very slight pressure, not a big deal. i know its easy for me to say that but i just went through it so i know. we are always scared of the unknown as i was wensday night. if you have any questions feel free to ask. i havent been of any help on this forum since i hadnt had anything done until now, hopefully i can offer some insight now.
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Whast else of signifigance is there that I should know? Did the Dr's go over the whole plan with you before you had the actual treatment?
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first they numbed the four areas for the frame. then they put it on. i had an mri and ct scan done. then i went back to the room i started in for them to make there plan. they came back and said it was suppose to be 9 shots they call it. or 9 zaps. all the shots vary in time. most i think a minute or two. each time they get done with a shot you come out of the machine. they unhook you and start making changes to the frame i believe. one on each side with one person saying the measurments and checking. then back in the machine. i guess they used 4 different helmits or whatever they call it but that was behind me i couldnt see it. its a slight discomfort when they unscrew your head frame from the machine but i think its from holding your head up while in there. after it was all done they asked if i wanted to see the areas that they covered since my last shot couldnt be done. the most time consuming thing was the machine sliding you in. everything else was very quick.
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Thanks for the info Gordy. I am scared of the unknown so I appreciate this kind of play by play. If there is anything else of note, please do share.
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will do scottie and if you think of a question let me know.