3 Months Post Op from Brain Tumor Removal Radiation

The past few weeks have been very busy with multiple doctor appointments and the MRI scans. Most of my life I have been healthy and able to avoid going to the doctor. I'm mourning that life. I love and appreciate doctors but I do not enjoy seeing them for health reasons. I have a number of doctor friends and enjoy their company but that is different. 

The positive news is my vision has been restored since removing the pituitary tumor. Praise God for that! The follow-up with my endocronologist went well, my blood work is great and I was able to get off the steriods. Another huge praise to God.  Unfortuantely, I have a residual tumor and it's quite big. It's 1.8x1.4x1.4cm. My neurosurgeon was concerned about the residual tumor and I knew since the beginning that radiology was a possibility I just thought it would be years away. Due to the size I was referred to an oncologist radiologist.

This afternoon I met with an oncologist radiologist. Oncology rooms are very depressing. Cancer sucks and there's not a nicer way to say that. Thankfully my brain tumor is not cancerous, however, it's an agressive tumor. Benign brain tumors are like spongues and when they start growing they grow like a spongue and want to fill the space they are in. This can cause issues with other areas around where the tumor is growing such as the pituitary gland, optic nerve, carotid artery, all my case. Radiation is not something I want. I feel great, my labs are great, and this is such a difficult decision. The doctor said if I do the radiation now, we can do 5 sessions. If we wait 3-6 months and the tumor continues to grow and/or grows into another area, I might need 25 sessions. What I'm getting is called stereotactic radiosurgery that uses multiple beams of radiation to target and destroy abnormal tissue in the brain. I have an appointment on Thursday to get fitted for the mask, get imagery done, and some labs. 7-10 days after that I will have this treatment for 5 days every other day. The most common side effect is hair loss. I wish I wasn't vain but I guess I am because the thought of losing my hair is awful. I won't be able to wash my hair but once a week for two weeks then water for two weeks after.

Please say a prayer for me. I am scared. There are long-term effects of radiation including my thyroid being destroyed. That's another likely side effect. I'm really upset about this and am not doing well thinking about it.