Craniotomy is 2/21/2025. Could use some encouraging words.

Posted by mlew @mlew, Feb 16 12:16pm

My meningioma was an incidental find this past December. Details: an extra-axial mass in the midline to the left superior and posterior parasellar region measuring 15 x 14 x 11 mm. Still small but located in a tricky area. Was able to get in pretty quickly with Dr. Laligam Sekhar at Harborview Hospital, Seattle. He gave me the option: watch and wait or go ahead and remove it since it is so close to a nerve and artery. At the moment, it is just touching the basilar artery. Given my age, 57, and excellent health, he recommended removing it. I know that Dr. Sekhar is one of if not the best neurosurgeon for the job, but I'm still a nervous wreck and could use some pep talks, please and thanks!

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kris1970 | @kris1970 | 5 days ago

In reply to @mlew "THANK YOU!! Having a bit of a rough time this morning, so I appreciate this!" + (show)

So at the moment you are not having any other issues? Well I guess something or some other issue is how it was discovered? It will grow until it causes issues, likely seizures headaches and such. I had a 6cm meningioma removed almost 2 years ago. It was on the right side of my head over my ear. I had no idea it was there until I had stroke symptoms with left side of my face going numb and sliding down. I did notice I wasn’t able to breath out of my right nostril but didn’t put it together that it was a tumor pushing my brain off center line and it was effecting my sinus. Then a couple months before the stroke like stuff, my wife told me she thought I was having a seizure while I slept one night. I was 52 at the time and not in the best shape I should be. Anyway, I wouldn’t put it off until it starts causing you those issues if you don’t have to. The craniotomy is a breeze, recovered wasn’t bad. I was out of the hospital in about 48 hours and headed home, took a couple weeks to really feel normal and back to work in about 2 months. I did have some numbness in my left hand and slight speech issues for a bit. I don’t know if it is the same for everyone but for me I had a white noise in my head for about 2 weeks after but it too went away. Sleeping in a recliner was the hard part for me. Don’t lay flat or you will have swelling issues. That takes a bit longer like maybe 2 or 3 months. And the other comment about the steroids,,,, yes indeed amen, they are horrible. I hated myself in a short amount of time after taking them that I had to get off them faster than my Dr wanted. They can make you mean and grouchy so I just couldn’t do it for long. Please let me know if you or any of you had that same issue with the what I call white noise afterwards. It the strangest thing. Well other than the initial wake up after surgery. The sounds when people talked, they sounded robotic and their lips would move and then a couple seconds later the voice would catch up. It sounded and felt like I had a cone over my right ear but they had to cut my jaw muscle to cut away the section of my skull so my jaw was sore for a while.