Meningioma: Anyone else? I'm frightened

Whoops, I replied with a blank, Here goes again,
---

Good luck to all with these issues.

I really consider myself fortunate. For a year or so after the surgeries, I was verklempt when talking about my 'experience'.

Now, I handle it with a little 'gallows humor'.

Whenever the conversation turns to our mortality, I try to lighten the mood.

"I'm a 'living tumor donor'. There was a story in the news about a man in another city with a mysterious shrinking meningioma and the doctors didn't know what to do. I stepped up, had half of my meningioma removed, medevacked it, and the surgeons transplanted into his head. He is doing fine now with a healthy growing tumor."

Might I ask if dropfoot a common side effect? Can I ask wherr your meningioma was located?

I had a benign meningioma the size of a small tangerine removed from my frontal left lobe in February 2022. I did have to have radiation because it was atypical but here I am 3 years later doing great. Spent all day with my 4 y/o grandson today and had the best day. Hang in there. Praying for good results for you.

I’ve been having headaches and MRI shows that I have a small meningioma. I’m frightened regardless of the size. My doctor has referred me to a neurologist. I’m so worried.

It is definitely a punch to the gut when you hear you have a brain tumor. Make sure you get more than one opinion, including from neurosurgeons if they decide surgery is important. I’m so glad I got more opinions after the first one!

Hopefully the neurologist will be johnny-on-the-spot about referring you to a neurosurgeon. A neurologist specializes in treating disorders of the brain like epilepsy, Parkinson's, etc. A meningioma ( a tumor that is benign 97% of the time) is the specialty of a neurosurgeon. I wouldn't trust anyone else's opinion with regard to waiting to see if it grows, radiating it, or removing it. There are lots of good posts about meningiomas on this forum. Click on some of the back pages of posts.

Thank you and I appreciate your comment. Wandering if I have to get a consult from the neurologist first or can I look up a neurosurgeon with MRI results in hand? Sorry, I’m so new to this. I thought I was the healthiest person I knew. Omg, this is so stressful.

All of us on this forum were new to a meningioma diagnosis at one time. It is stressful to hear you have any kind of a growth taking up real estate in your brain. Sorry you have to go through this experience. The key, for me, (reducing my stress) was to find a neurosurgeon I had the utmost trust in to manage my care.

I was referred to the first neurosurgeon by my PCP. I did not like our interaction or lack of information he was willing to provide. Like, how many of these do you do? He brushed passed it and started talking setting up surgery. I set up the next to on my own, with UPMC Pittsburgh and Mayo Rochester. Both were excellent. Hope this helps

Yes, it is very stressful. I was in the hospital for another condition and a neurologist I didn’t know came in to say they saw a large brain tumor by my optic nerve and needed to see a neurosurgeon. When he left I burst into tears. I hadn’t cried in years but it was overwhelming. The neurosurgeon is key in handling it. I used the one recommended by the neurologist, part of the same group. If you can find a neurology group associated with a good hospital it could help you get started.