10 years with a tumor: A patient’s experience with ‘watchful waiting’
When Carol Krucoff collapsed after drinking too much water during a marathon, she had no knowledge of the tiny tumor growing inside her brain.
“My tumor is a benign and generally slow-growing type called an acoustic neuroma,” Krucoff wrote in an article published by the Washington Post. “Located inside my skull on the nerve responsible for hearing and balance, it measured just three millimeters—about the size of a sesame seed—when discovered."
She would get to know her growing tumor intimately over the next 10 years, forgoing doctor recommendations of radiation or surgery in favor of “watchful waiting,” or closely monitoring the problem but withholding treatment unless symptoms appear.
“Watching my little brain tumor grow slowly over the past 10 years has been an extraordinary exercise in courage, patience, gratitude and faith,” Krucoff wrote.
Click the link below to read the rest of her story:
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