I like Dr. Delashaw very much, actually. My consult went well with him. I felt very comfortable with him. I found him personable and easy to talk with. He got on my level when he came in to talk with me. I think that is important. I spend alot of time watching people in my job and how they act and how they react, and I wanted to know how he was going to treat me, because... quite frankly, this was about me. He asked me some questions and I like to steer the converstation off course to see what the underlying thoughts really are. Sometimes, it is good to go 'off course' when picking a mind. I learned alot. He talked with me about the surgery itself. I asked him questions about the iMRI. He uses an iMRI for image guidance - an Odin. They can also employ frameless stealth navigation - he calls it "the old way" which gives me a chuckle, because "the old way" is how most centers use... what a card! In some cases, he has also done endoscopic. It really depends on the tumor type and the presentation. He pretty much customizes his approach per the tumor presentation. So... what about my decisions? Why surgery at OHSU and not in Houston? That is a hard one, and I lost alot of sleep over that. I really wanted to defer the decision (a year or more). I am not an impulsive big decision maker. I was kind of hoping someone else would make that decision for me... you know? I mean... I had two outstanding surgeons...enie... meenie... minie... Time was up. My endo said it was time to have surgery. In my case, I wanted close synergy between the endocrine team and the surgical team. I had a tough endocrine case as it was, and I was worried about a hospital endocrinologist not knowing what to do, should I decide to 'pull a Minnie'. I did too. One thing I admire about Dr. Ludlam and Dr. Delashaw is that they really do make a good team. They agree to disagree.... and I admire that they have staying power and strong beliefs and they really go the distance for their patients. So...about the technical stuff, yeah, Dr. Delashaw has had excellent training, he is one of the top skull-base surgeons in his field, I checked his credentials, and I read all of his published articles etc. through the university library. I think it helped that my neurosurgeon in Houston was supportive that I did go to OHSU for endocrine work- up and treatment. I talked with him about my treatment decision and he was supportive. That meant alot. ![]() I guess what I am saying is that yeah, the surgery part is important, as you need a pituitary neurosurgeon for best outcomes, but really, that is only part of the story. Continuity of care is continued locally; I also have excellent endocrine care at home. ![]() Minnie | 