need surgery advise

[jilse]

I have a giagantic osteoma brain tumor 7.25 x 8 cm  i have met with neurosurgeons and they say surgery is very risky as the tumor lies on the main artery of the brain.   The tumor  is stretching the nerves in my head.  Thankfully the tumor is growing outward rather than inward.  The surgeons do not not want to operate.  meanwhile I am in tremendous daily pain.  i have pain at site of tumor down nerves in neck , back and now my arms hands and legs are starting to get numb and feel like pins and needles at times.  I also find it hard to get thru my workday as it is difficult to function with the pain and discomfort.     I have gotten nerve blocks in my head but the relief is extremely short lived (approx one week tops)
I am a single mom with no family except my childlren and worry about having a surgery that will have me out of commission for months, side effects and possibly death.  I need advise  
What will happen if I don't get surgery?
or Should I give in to surgery?

[jilse]

Thanks for your post.   I will look into your recommendations to see if they apply to my type of tumor.    I appreciate you taking the time to assist me with my situation.    

[jilse]

Thank you for sharing your situation with me.    I m glad to hear that you have had good results with your surgeries and are resuming a normal life.    I appreciate hearing and learning things from what you have posted

[flipper336]

Sorry about that,
I must of missed the part of you saying your tumor was growing out not in. As for your questions, no mine was not a bone tumor, it was a Dermoid Cyst since it contained hair, teeth, skin and other fun things. It was located in the Cavernous Sinus by the carotid artery. My surgeon removed as much of the tumor and dead brain tissue in the right temporal lobe that he felt safe doing with out killing me or damaging my memory any more than it already was. The first surgery I was in the hospital for 3 days then went home for 2, had some issues and had to go back in for 3 more days. I was not able to go back to work. The tumor caused me to have seizures and they where not able to control them. The amount of meds I was on also caused me to sleep about 15 hours a day. The second time around I don't remember how long I was in the hospital. I would like to say again that the finale decision is your, regardless of what anyone says.

[caregiver222]

My advice is to try Coley therapy. Dr. Coley was not a quack. He founded Sloan-Kettering Cancer Hospital. He discovered during the turn of the century that approximately 18 percent of tumors will disappear within a month if the patient receives a sequence of killed bacterial vaccines. One vaccine every other day for a month. This treatment was marketed during the 1920's by Lily corp as the "Coley toxins". Scientific American did several articles on the treatment. It will either work or not work within 30 days and there are no contraindications. Look up the Scientific American articles. The reason is that killed bacterial vaccines generate tumor necrosis factor (TNF). You can find these vaccines in the PDR. Because this is not the "standard of care" you can only get them if you state you desire to travel to countries where they are required to enter. I am not recommending this protocol, but beieve you should research the Scientific American articles (there are three) and research the protocol on the internet.

[jilse]

Thankfully my tumor is growing outward not inward so I should not have to run out of space.  Was your tumor a bone tumor? Where was it located?
How long were you in  hospital? out of work, etc?  I am very concerned as it is on my main artery though

[jilse]

Sorry but everything you mentioned and/or discussed has nothing to do with the bone tumor in my skull

[flipper336]

Sorry to hear about your situation. Regardless of what people that respond have to say, the decision to have the surgery is your choice and yours alone. With that being said, for me it would be about your quality of life now and what it will be like down the road. You said the tumor is still growing and will only make things worse later on as it keeps growing. Keep in mind that your skull is only so big and with the tumor still growing your brain will start to get compressed, which will cause other issues. My brain tumor was in a risky area, but it was causing to many problems to leave alone. In my first surgery, the neurosurgeon left some of the tumor in because he said he was afraid if he removed anymore it might kill me. I personally would would have it removed before it causes anymore damage, but that is only my choose. Think about what is best for you.