Well, isn't that a Bitch

Reread the title again but with Samuel L Jackson's voice.

That's better.

Now, to cut to the chase.

Back in February, after my biannual MRI, I was told that my tumor had grown back to is full glory, a slightly different shape but pretty much the same size as before. We were definitely not prepared to hear that information at all and it took us a while to really process it all.

After meeting with my surgeon he strongly suggested that I speak with the Gamma Knife team about my options for radiation this time around. He was willing to do the surgery but felt I should talk to these guys first. Appointment made, meeting had and I am booked for Gamma Knife treatment in two weeks.

Essentially, my tumor is not pressing against my brain stem as it was last time which makes it safer and easier to do the treatment. The rush to get it done is the fact that I have about 4mm of growing room left before it becomes too big for them to treat with Gamma Knife leaving me with the option of surgery or fractionated radiation which is a lot more brutal of a treatment and recovery.

Taken from the Mayo Clinic website, here is a brief description for what Gamma Knife is:

The specialized equipment focuses many small beams of radiation on a tumor or other target. Each beam has very little effect on the tissue it passes through, but a targeted dose of radiation is delivered to the site where all the beams intersect.The high dose of radiation delivered to the affected area causes tumors to shrink and blood vessels to close off over time following treatment, robbing the tumor of its blood supply.The precision of stereotactic radiosurgery means there's minimal damage to the healthy surrounding tissues. In most cases, radiosurgery has a lower risk of side effects compared with other types of traditional surgery or radiation therapy.

This is a one day treatment with no overnight stay which is great news for me. This is a tumor control approach as opposed to removal, the goal is to stop the growth and if any shrinkage occurs than that is a bonus.

Rob and I are both really hoping for a quick recovery and minimal side effects this time around. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!