When a person is diagnosed with a brain tumor, despite the development of today’s modern medical technology, the news is a hard pill to swallow. The fear that something has entered the inner sanctums of your cranium and causing problems to the most important organ of the body is terrifying. A tumor can form in the brain the same way it does in other organs of the body. It is caused by abnormal cell growth, and in the case of a brain tumor, the tissue cells in cranium grow out of control. If these cells are left to split and expand, they end up destroying the surrounding healthy cells and becoming cancerous.
If someone is diagnosed with a brain tumor, it needs to be dealt with immediately to prevent further complications. The problem comes when patients are unwilling to undergo treatment for various reasons from financial to just a fear of being operated. When it comes to brain tumors, many still believe that the only method of treatment is a lobotomy or open skull brain surgery. What many don’t understand is that the quicker the tumor is removed their chance of surviving and living a normal life is higher compared to giving in to their fears and not treating it.
A more comfortable procedure
The fear of dealing with brain tumor was also felt by Vera Dewi (45). Back in 2012, she began to show symptoms such as a stiffness on one side of the body, vomiting for no particular cause and a sudden uncontrollable blinking. After checking with her doctor, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Like many Indonesians diagnosed with a brain tumor, she chose to not do anything as she was scared of having to undergo a lobotomy.
What patients don’t understand is that treating a brain tumor doesn’t always having to open the skull. There are now a number of non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures to remove the tumor, without having to touch the brain at all. It took Vera a year to build up the courage to ask her doctor what her options were.
“When asked the doctor of my options, they advised me to undergo Gamma Knife radiosurgery. A non invasive method to dealing with brain tumors,” said Vera. Hearing that this new method of treatment didn’t require her losing her hair or left with any scares, she did research to better know what Gamma Knife was. From seeing the unit first hand and watching videos of healing procedures using this new medical technology, she lost her worries and was ready to undergo the treatment. “In my opinion the most important thing before undergoing any form of treatment is to be psychologically ready,” added Vera.
Quickly return to daily activities
After her single Gamma Knife session was over, she was allowed to leave the hospital with no need to stay the night. Here hopes of getting better and being able to go back to her daily routines elevated, as she suffered no side effects whatsoever. All her doubts and fears of treating the brain tumor were all in her head.
Thanks to Gamma Knife radiosurgery she is now able to do all her everyday activities like she did before after being treated. At first Vera feared that she would lose some cognitive skills after the Gamma Knife treatment, especially how the tumor being treated was related to the brain. In the end she had nothing to worry about at all.
With her successful treatment using Gamma Knife, Vera recommends this method of treatment for anyone who happens to have a brain related deformity like a tumor or cancer. Depending on the brain deformation to be treated and its size, a patient may need a form of minimally invasive surgery before undergoing Gamma Knife treatment. Rarely pre procedures before undergoing Gamma Knife radiosurgery require open skull brain surgery.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery offers a modern method of treating a number of complex brain abnormalities, without the need for open skull surgery or pain, hence no need for postoperative treatment. The way Gamma Knife works is it utilises hundreds of tiny radiated laser beams that have been strategically arranged to target the problem area of the brain. Unlike traditional radiotherapy treatments that can only deliver small amounts of radiation and can damage healthy cells, Gamma Knife can deliver a high dose of radiation without damaging surrounding cells as it is targeted directly on the infected area.
You don’t have to travel abroad to receive Gamma Knife treatment as it is now available in Indonesia. Visit Gamma Knife Center Indonesia at Siloam Hospitals Lippo in Karawaci, Tangerang. For more information visit www.gammaknifeindonesia.com atau contact +6281295100080.
