Jennifer Alden discovered her 脑瘤 by accident, but when it came to surgery to remove it, she left nothing to chance. She met with three brain surgeons and wound up traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco to have the procedure performed by Dr. 一位伯杰, UCSF's chair of Neurological Surgery. 伯杰 used a technique he developed at UCSF, called 大脑映射, to remove only the tumor while sparing healthy tissue around it that was vital to Alden's brain function.
You discovered your 脑瘤 by chance. Can you share the story?
Last summer, I fell out of a hammock and hit my head. I was worried about concussion, so I went to a doctor and he ordered a CT scan of my brain. Although there were no signs of concussion, the scan did find something odd. My doctor then ordered an MRI, which showed a small 脑瘤.
By the way my brain had routed blood vessels around the mass, my doctors guessed the tumor was about 10 years old, meaning it was very slow growing – a good sign.
You could say I was lucky to have fallen on my head because I might not have found it otherwise!
Why did you choose to have the tumor removed at UCSF?
I'd heard great things about Dr. 伯杰. Of course, brain surgery is a big deal, so I wanted to do my homework first. I interviewed three different surgeons for the job. The first didn't convey the confidence I was seeking in a brain surgeon. The second was very pushy and assertive, which didn't appeal to me. 第三位，博士. 伯杰, was clearly the best option.
Like Goldilocks in the children's story, I met with three surgeons and the last one was just right.
What impressed you about Dr. 伯杰?
He was personable and direct. He was confident and firm without being pushy. We exchanged emails before meeting in person, and I liked how clearly he explained things.
How did the surgery go?
Thanks to UCSF and Dr. 伯杰, I had the best possible outcome. The surgery was tricky because the tumor was lodged in the part of my brain that controlled my verbal, comprehension and logic skills. I was really nervous, but I knew I was in good hands.
During my six-hour operation, Dr. 伯杰 used a special 大脑映射 technique to target the tumor as precisely as possible. The mapping gave him the information he needed to remove the tumor without injuring my brain. Words can't express the feelings I have for this man. 他拯救了我的大脑.
晚些时候, I got even more good news when the pathology report showed the tumor was a benign ganglioglioma.
How are you doing now?
My brain surgery did not slow me down at all. I am living life to the fullest, traveling, acting and blogging. 生活是美好的.
