treatment
four months after the onset of my double vision caused by a meningioma pressing against my 6th cranial nerve, i'm finally getting treatment this week: five fractionated doses of gamma knife every day from Monday to Friday.
i'll update this post after my treatment each day to document the process and any symptoms or side effects i might feel throughout the week in real time.
monday, september 8 (session 1)
this morning, i had my first of five gamma knife treatments. after my ct sim on friday, i was ready for another spa day, but despite my best efforts to convince myself i was getting a facial, i couldn't quite get my mind fully there. the mask felt much stiffer today and really held my head in place, which gave me comfort in knowing my head was unlikely to move during treatment but otherwise not a ton of physical comfort being locked down onto the table.
after bringing me back to the same room i was in for my ct sim on friday, my radiation therapist informed me that my treatment would take 46 minutes each day this week. he helped me get comfortable on the table, gave me a wedge to elevate my legs and a blanket for warmth, and even placed a heating pad behind my neck for extra comfort. finally, after securing my mask to the table, he placed a piece of tape with a tracker on the tip of my nose so the machine sensor would instantly be able to detect any movement and pause the treatment.
the session started with another quick ct scan to ensure the machine and beams were aligned perfectly with my head anatomy. after my physician double checked the imaging, which only took a few minutes, the 46 minute gamma knife session began.
i was left alone in the room for the duration of the treatment, but my radiation therapist was able to communicate with me through a speaker, and i was given a call button to press in case i needed anything during the treatment. every five minutes or so, my radiation therapist would let me know how much time had passed or how much time was remaining so i was never kept in the dark for a long stretch of time. he would also pop in over the speaker to let me know how the treatment was going and whether i was staying still enough.
overall, the treatment wasn't bad. the session neither felt longer nor shorter to me than 46 minutes. i didn't feel any pain, other than a very mild headache on the back of my head that i think was caused by the relatively hard surface i was lying on because it dissipated as soon as i got up from the table. the mask was secured tightly to my face, so that i couldn't really open my eyes or mouth, and i had some nice lines left over on my face afterwards that took about half hour to disappear. i also had some blurry vision in my left eye after the treatment that also disappeared after about half hour that i believe was likely caused by the mask pressing too tightly on my eye.
so far, i haven't felt any fatigue, headaches, nausea, or any other symptoms. i was warned that side effects typically worsen throughout the week, so fingers crossed i continue to feel good over the next four days.