Benign brain tumor in the front: I'm freaking out

Don’t give up yet! I had a golf ball sized frontal meningioma removed nearly three years ago. I probably never will get over residual dizziness and joint pain. But the mental relief is nearly instantaneous. Most of my memory and speech and just plain happiness came back within 3 days. Don’t be afraid, it’s pretty painless, though not necessarily fun to go through. So, so glad it’s over for me and someday you will be too!

My husband had a meningioma removed 10 years ago. The surgery went well and his recovery was excellent. No memory issues, no mobility problems, no seizures. He took all the meds as prescribed, including anti seizure, and it was great. His only complaint was that the surgical staples removal was uncomfortable.

His meningioma was watched for a year. It continued to grow, so he elected to remove it at age 77 vs waiting until it created symptoms and he was older with more risk of anesthesia after effects. It was a good decision.

ruthann: Thanks for posting your husband's success story. It gives hope to us seniors who are on active surveillance that surgery isn't out of the question even at 77.

Thanks for the great story! This is good to hear. I have a Foramen Magnum Meningioma and my original MD's @ KU Medical Center have been to slow in relieving my symptoms. I have appointments @ Mayo Neurosurgery/Neurology in early September. So, if it is decided to remove the FMM I will worry less now that I know your husband's surgery went well.
Thank you

When I asked my neurologist how long it would take for my cognitive function to recover, he said 18 months after the meningioma removal. He was right. I could tell this by how long it took me to completely track and control my finances and pay bills on time.

Thank you for all your information. I was just diagnosed with a 6mm meningioma during an MRI for something else, and my neurosurgeon has recommended another MRI in a year. In fact I already have the script for it. I think I'm just starting to say ok what do I want to do about this. For those of you who've already dealt with this, how did you decide between say gamma knife and surgery, did your neurosurgeon advise what would be best depending on where the meningioma was located or size?

I completely understand, because I was freaking out too! It’s a very scary thing to learn you have a brain tumor and that is a normal reaction. Second opinions are a great and get somewhere that they deal with your type of tumor A LOT.

@jaz22 I had one that was above my ear on the left side of my head and I went for like 7 years after they saw it and I started getting headaches and it grew like small amounts over time and they decided it was time to do the radiation. I did five treatments and the worst part I think was losing my hair there but no pain involved.

@methel
I had a large frontal lobe meningioma removed January 2025. I recently read an article from AARP that described symptoms of various kinds of dementia. My symptoms exactly matched the description of frontotemporal dementia. One of the signs was that I was paying bills late or not at all. My credit report got hosed thanks to that. Fortunately cognitive function returned almost immediately after surgery. After getting home from the hospital I had to spend a weekend fixing my screwed up finances.

jaz22: Since you asked I'll put in my 2 cents worth. My neurosurgeon at UCSF told me during my consult that, with regard to meningiomas, it is always preferable to remove them, if possible. Of course the location or one's health may preclude that possibility.