Stereotactic Radiosurgery Surgery (Gamma or Cyberknife) for Meningioma

Posted by jmb73 @jmb73, Jan 5, 2019

I will be having Gamma Knife Radio Surgery for a meningioma that is growing. Have any of you had this procedure and does it work? I am having only minors symptoms- headache, motion sickness, dropping things, memory issues vertical double vision at night. I don't know if these are related and will go away. I have Sjogrens and my -surgeon thinks it is causing the tumor. If you have one meningioma, can you get more?

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jmb73 | @jmb73 | Jun 1 6:08pm

It sounds terrible but you can't see the pins being inserted . I was very nervous about it but after the first lidocaine shot, I had no pain. They probably don't sedate you because they are always asking if you are ok- when you are in the MRI, and the Gamma machine and in your bed. If you fall asleep, they will probably freak out!! Just kidding.

gammaqueen | @gammaqueen | Jun 8 7:21pm

In reply to @colleenyoung "Welcome, @gammaqueen. I love your username :-) I welcome your support for others who may be..." + (show)

Thank you for your reply, Colleen (and for liking my username!). I have my GK clinic consultation appointment on June 26, and on that date I will be told when my GK SRS will be.

Like you mentioned, it will be interesting to discover what has changed since I first had GK back in 2003. One thing I've already noticed from reading what people have said in this forum and in the general literature is that sedation is not routinely given for GK nowadays. When I had GK in 2003 in Pittsburg (UPMC), most of the patients there that day were given sedation (I was told this by the medical team), but I was not sedated because my daughter was an infant then and I was breastfeeding her. Apparently, if I had had sedation, I would have been advised to "pump and dump" for a day or so, and then resume nursing my daughter. This would have been traumatic for her (and for me), so it was agreed that I would not have sedation medication. The medical team told me that only 1 in 100 of their GK patients had GK without sedation. It went fine for me without the sedation, and the team was so kind with saying how well I was able to maintain a resting heart rate and blood pressure during the frame-application and throughout the treatment. They asked if I practice meditation, as they seemed impressed with how calm I was able to be. I admit that I worked hard to remain calm, and I felt like a bit of a hero. But I guess most people are heroes, as these days most folks do this without sedation just like I did.

I'm hoping others will reply and share their experiences, as I'd love to learn what others have gone through.