I often forget about my AVM. At my last consultation with my local neurosurgeon recommended I have my case passed to Sheffield’s stereotactic radiosurgery department, and suggested it may be 3 months or so until the decision, and perhaps another 3 months or more until treatment. I got the call from Sheffield thanks to a cancellation after, I can’t quite remember, about 2 months. Notice was about 3 days and was a weekday so most other patients offered had turned it down. I was in Sheffield for 9am, got a ~£6-7 taxi to the Royal Hallamshire and spent quite a long time looking for the department once there.
I had a brief consultation with Mr Radatz, and I accepted treatment, assuming i may have to wait until the end of the year, if not next year. He told me “you won’t have to wait very long, maybe 2 to 4 weeks.”
I was absolutely shocked. Apparently the list is relative very short at the moment.
I saw the very good radiographer after Mr Radatz who explained some of the details of the treatment day, as part of the 3 day stay. The part that bothers me is the thought of another angiogram, having already had one. But this time, the standard is morning Temazepam.
I got the call for treatment admission today, for a week and a half’s notice.
What I was particularly interested to hear was that radiotherapy, contrary to what I assumed, seems to improve the stability of the AVM even if it doesn’t obliterate it.
I’ve had pains in the area for a while recently, but less so in the last week or so.
i wish you all well with ur gamma knife.u must b xtra carefull now,its much more likey to bleed now for the next couple years.