Meningioma: Anyone else? I'm frightened

I have a Meningioma tumor. My neurosurgeon recommended doing surgery to get a sample to see if it was benign or cancerous. Mine was benign. I opted at his recommendation to have radiation vs having it removed. Often when removing them you can end up with paralysis on one side. When he did the craniotomy he thought about taking it out as it was right there, but left it. I did 6 weeks of radiation, 5 days per week, and that was over 8 years ago. It shrunk the tumor and it has stayed that way all this time. I did have a few side effects from the craniotomy for awhile such as forgetting how to do things, but that all came back to normal in a few months. I have an MRI every 2 years to check the tumor. I would have lost vision if it started to grow again, but so far all is good. Listen to your neurosurgeon and you can get a second opinion if you feel uncomfortable. Do some research on your own. Best of luck and I hope your experience is as good as mine was.

My 2.7 centimeter meningioma was either sitting on my trigeminal nerve, or nearly so. (Another reason not to let doctors who are not neurosurgeons poo-poo your concerns about these meningiomas that "are almost always benign; we'll just monitor." Had mine been dealt with a year and a half earlier when I brought it to my P.C.P.'s attention (after it was found incidentally in the ER) maybe it would not have grown so close to my trigeminal nerve, or my optic nerve. The neuro doc at UCSF who saw me shortly before I was wheeled away into the operating suite specifically make a point to tell me that they were going to try very hard to scoop out the entire meningioma but that they would not in any way compromise my trigeminal nerve in the process; they would just go for partial resection if that were the case. So maybe your doctors are thinking the possible is impossible. In my situation, it was the same as yours, that being that both the neurologist and neuro oncologist told me mine was inoperable. I wouldn't settle for Joe-the-Blow neurosurgeon either to get your 3rd opinion. You are only 59, deserve the best care and outcome. Try to get into a university affiliated school where they keep up with the latest research and interventions, such as Mayo Clinic. There is no Mayo Clinic in Calif. I recommend UCSF for those that live here , or have access to a local airport with an easy non-stop flight from your city to San Francisco.

edeva14: Sometimes when all factors are considered gamma knife is the best option. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, come December, to see that everything is stable. Hugs to you.

Thank you

Go asap.

WOW!

Dollyjane: Truly, I just had a steroid injection in my ball and joint hip socket 36 hours ago and I'm in far more pain than I ever was after my craniotomy.

Thank you, Mary Ann. That is reassuring.

Good morning!
I haven’t been on for awhile but I have a quick update. I finally went to Mayo and I’m having surgery in November. Tumor will finally be out. It’s growing.
To be honest I’m scared.
Sending prayers to all of you

I was diagnosed about a month ago and still waiting to see a neapologist. Most of the information I received was from my daughter who is anRN and her friend who works with stroke patients and brain. So still don't know if mine is growing or not. I've had pain behind my right ear That seems to start there and go up into my brain. So not sure what that symptom is from, but hopefully the neurologist can give me some answers. Feeling a little worried and anxious about that. Hope you are all doing well.