When can you have too much of a good thing? Sometimes you can't tell. 2005 ended after the third stereo-tactic radiation treatment. Pinpoint cobalt radiation that kills cells. We moved on into 2006 with optimism and reservations. It was like being bi-polar. Everything was going to be okay...UNTIL THE NEXT THING HAPPENED!
It didn't take to long. It came back. Big surprise, right. The neuro-radiologist thought we should watch the tumor to see what it would do. We couldn't wait for it to get too big, but it's slow growing tumor, so we had some time. We should wait for another three months. Besides it's just a benign tumor anyway.
The doctor discussed with us, again, that a person could have so much radiation and any more could lead to other problems We didn't understand what kind of problems, at least not then. I asked again about whole brain radiation, to kill microscopic cells. And I asked about the possibility of chemotherapy. Both requests were shot down, firmly, but with respect. Whole brain radiation would be overkill. There is no evidence that this tumor would return again. And chemotherapy was out of the question. It just wouldn't work on this type of tumor.
Again, this was a grade II central neurocytoma. Stereo-tatic radiation was our only choice of treatment. The previous treatments seemed to work, so we moved forward again. I was getting less confident with the medical community. Not that they couldn't get rid of the tumor, but there was absolutely no discussion about all the recurrences. The medicals treated each tumor, one at a time, as they occurred, but nothing about why they were coming back, again and again. After the treatment, we were sent packing, to recover.
Or to grow more.....?
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