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Lump by screw from gamma knife surgery, anyone else?

Brain Tumor | Last Active: May 15, 2020 | Replies (42)

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@jill333

Joan, How distressing to hear of your consult with a neurologist! Not only did he ignore your reason for the consult, but to say come back in two years? TWO YEARS?! Please don't give up on neurologists. Unfortunately, you and I know all too well at this point there are great doctors and there are definitely some not so great doctors out there. Try the doc your neurosurgeon suggested. Is he local (I have no idea where you live) or a Mayo doc? I know you want to first know the cause of your headaches - then treatment for them. When you get to the treatment, have you ever considered something like acupuncture for pain? I have no idea if it's effective for headaches, but I do believe in combining traditional western treatment with proven treatments that have been around for many years, like acupuncture.
I've been having some strange symptoms - phantom smells that smell like smoke. It's especially strange for me because I lost my sense of smell in 2001 from surgery to remove my meningioma. I literally haven't had any sense of smell for 19 years and all of a sudden in November last year I started smelling smoke off and on throughout each day. I just completed a 3 day ambulatory EEG because sometimes phantom smells mean you are having focal (partial) seizures, I have no other symptoms and I'm completely alert but it the results show focal seizures, I'll have to increase or change my seizure med. The one I'm on has kept me seizure free since 2002, so I hate the thought of making changes. I will have the results in about a week. My neurosurgeon was the first doc I contacted when the smells started and he said it wasn't from the meningiomas I had gamma knife for. My MRI's have been stable. My neurologist is treating me for the phantom smells. Best wishes, please keep me up to date on your headaches, Jill

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Replies to "Joan, How distressing to hear of your consult with a neurologist! Not only did he ignore..."

Your post is so interesting because for the last year I have been smelling smoke as well. It's so weird. I just found out my tumor is growing even though I've had cyberknife radiation. It's rather distressing and will have to make a decision as to whether go for more radiation or more surgery. I've already had two craniotomies, and feel that is my limit. I think it's very difficult for docs to understand our symptoms because they have never had brain tumors or symptoms of. Wishing you both the best. love,peg

Hi Jill, I also smell phantom smoke occasionally and all my docs have said they don't know why I smell it. This site is amazing as now we have another person- Peg- with the phantom smoke. I live in Orlando, Fl. I am so sorry that you are having focal seizures and amazed that your neurologist was able to diagnose it. I think I have good Drs. - except for the neurologist. I had my evaluation for PT and today I start the real stuff. My PT said we will go slow and I have to be gentle in my head exercises. She is having me do mild back exercises too. I really hope they work. The main thing that seems to work is Medical CBD. I did try acupuncture many years ago for hip pain and it did help but it was very expensive and I ended up getting a hip replacement. What are you taking for your seizures? I take 900 mg of gabapentin for my nerve pain- fibromyalgia and it really helps. I read that it is also a drug for seizures. I hope your results are good.
Take care Joan