Sunday 6 May 2007

Preparing for the second surgery

On April 24th I went to the Hospital:

- First I visited my Radio Doctor, who was very upset with the rest. He told me that the MRI where they have seen the "movement" of my tumor is the one from January. He told me that as they won't be able to remove everything (because it is very big and very close to critical tissues), I will have to go through radio anyway. He was mainly bothered because all the time they have spent preparing my sessions has been thrown away.

- Then I went to see the Endocrinologist, who was very happy. He told me that the more tumor they can remove now, the better for me, because that mass creating GH will be reduced (there will be fewer bad guys doing bad things), and because the Radio is supposed to be more effective if it is done to a smaller volume. He even told me that if I had low GH levels (now it is 29) after the second surgery, maybe it could be controlled with meds (no Radio!). He told me to talk to the Neurosurgeons so that they could explain me the surgery.

- So, I went to speak to the Neurosurgeons. It seems that as my tumor was so huge, it had grown downwards, upwards and sidewards. With the first surgery (transnasal), they removed all they could from the lowest part of the tumor, so the empty space it was left, now it has been refilled with some tumor it was above, they say it has "fallen down".
They have confirmed me that the operation is exactly the same, and that there are exactly the same risks than before. They also told me that I will surely need Radio, because the tumor is mixed with the dura somewhere, I think, but that the smaller it is, the more effective the Radio will be.

I have scheduled the pre-op tests for next Tuesday (May 8th), and then I will speak with the Anaesthetist, and then I will be operated! That simple!

I am quite scared but I suppose that is normal. I think that doctors do the best for me, but it is as if I were back to last October again, and this makes the process longer and longer. I am also scared because I have my 29 ng/ml of GH bad guys swimming freely in my blood and doing bad things, and this also worries me. But I know that soon this will be done.