My meandering on Gamma Knife and Cyberknife and Stage IV

[trishnmiller]

Thankyou all for sharing in our good news. A few have asked to know more about the Cyberknife and the insurance. Well, it's not that they won't pay for it but it does take time to put everything in place. The oncologist has to send him to the radio oncologist who then has to recommend cyberknife as the proper procedure. When Jeffrey was turned down for Gamma Knife because he had too many brain tumors I searched until I found a doctor who would do what we wanted and then asked that doctor which oncologist would give us the referral for the Gamma Knife procedure. Anyway, as you can see we worked backwards to get what we wanted and did the same to get cyberknife of the liver tumor because our Dr. really didn't think it was the way to go..actually he admitted that he didn't know much about it. Now he is a believer and we won't have any trouble. I think the problem is that the medical community tends to lean toward pallative care for Stage IV nsclc. They make you feel that you're being unrealistic if you ask for more agressive or innovative treatment. In Jeffrey's case we have been right every time and the doctors no longer think I'm a lunatic...at least I don't think so, lol.

FYI

Dr. Fayad at Cedars of Lebanon in Miami is the Dr. mose closely affiliated with Cyberknife Miami and Dr. Azik Wolf at Doctors Hospital in Miami is the Gamma Knife guy ... I really can't say enough wonderful things about Dr. Wolf. He is a total medical maverick who performs the procedures himself and literally saved Jeffrey's life when everyone else told us it was about over. The best day of my life was when he looked at the brain scans and said, "I can do that"...and he did.

Thanks again for all of your wondeful responses. I pray for you all every day! Trish

[mayos]

It sounds like you live in a great place for medical care. Keep up the great work fighting for the best...none of us are lunatics.