By November 2019 I already had my fourth control MRI and now there was a bit of growth visible - still gummy bear size though... But being much better informed and calm enough about it, I was ready to see a Neurosurgeon and get new advice.
In Germany there's a lot of advantages in our health care system, one of which I see in the amount of information you can get about the possibilities for treatment of certain diagnoses by comparison through not only patient to patient but insurance companies and their experiences and statistics on the number of surgeries performed. I had already decided for myself to see at least two different neurosurgeons to be able to compare and give my gut feeling a choice. Another big advantage of German health care: even without private insurance you don't necessarily have to pay extra if you want to consult different doctors on the same subject!
So I made an appointment at the university clinic in Düsseldorf first and then also went to see a neurosurgeon at the Helios clinic in Krefeld. I did not choose a particular doctor at either clinic as there are various neurosurgeons in both but simply asked for an appointment for neurosurgery on a meningioma.
In December 2019 I met Dr. Cornelius, a vascular neurosurgeon and also the deputy chief of neurosurgery at the university clinic in Düsseldorf. He was very patient with my concerns and questions, answering a lot of them before I had even asked and explained the location of my tumor in detail - I will get to this again later on... When I told him that I was going to get a second opinion in Krefeld before deciding on anything, he was very understanding and said, he would most probably do the very same and ask for more opinions when facing this sort of surgery. And, to my surprise, he even asked me to keep him informed on what else I may be told in Krefeld even if I decide to continue treatment there, so they could learn from other approaches for future patients - since I mentioned my gut feeling earlier on, I have to admit I was already pretty convinced at this point!
Still, in January 2020 (it had taken a bit longer to get an appointment there) I drove to Krefeld and although I can't remember the name of the neurosurgeon there, I also got really good advice, explanations and details on possible treatments and since I had a few more questions due to everything I had already learned in Düsseldorf I also got answers to those and yet again this doctor also thought nothing bad about me mentioning this consultation was already my second so that I could compare. As a result I was actually convinced by both hospitals and had to reconsider all details again in order to make a choice about how to go on.
Both doctors had agreed on advising me towards surgery rather before any symptoms appear and were also both sure, that the images seemed to show that the tumor was about to start ossifying (or calcifying) which makes it more difficult to remove and so a surgery should be done fairly soon. In Düsseldorf the date was suggested "within two or three months" whereas Krefeld advised for surgery "in half a year".
The crucial factor for my decision was the location of my tumor between the left optical nerve and a part of the main artery, the arteria cerebri media, and even without much medical background knowledge you can imagine how it could affect you - either problems / loss of your sight or a stroke and nobody's able to tell you for sure how long it may take til you get there. So I chose surgery. And based on my gut and the fact that Dr. Cornelius had already promised to do my surgery himself and the proximity of Düsseldorf to my hometown with the better promise of hospital visitors, I decided to have my operation in the university clinic.
Little did we know or expect the corona virus...🦠 And an appointment for surgery was made for beginning of June 2020.
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| Me in December 2019 |
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