Surgery or no surgery: possible low-grade glioma?

Hi @kate4damian Welcome to Connect. While I am saddened to read of your healthcare journey, I am glad you are here with so many other patients and their families and friends on Connect.

My wife was faced with a similar situation. She had an unidentified mass on her brain. The doctors said the only way she would know if it was cancerous or not was with a biopsy. One doctor said 'just live with it and skip the biopsy', but that was not the kind of person my wife was. She opted for the biopsy. Her personality was such that she knew she would be unable to just ignore it without knowing what was going on in her brain.

Now I realize each patient is unique as is each of their cancers so what she did is only what she did -- and not any kind of medical advice.

The doctors ended up doing the biopsy and due to her situation also then followed up with a resection. They couldn't get it all, but they got a lot of it and they believe that helped her down the line in her situation. Due to the type of tumor they were unable to conduct any additional surgeries along the way for her.

Certainly a tough decision and hopefully your second opinion will be enlightening!

Is yoiur follow up appointment soon?

Strength, courage, and peace!

Hi, @kate4damian - just wanted to check in with you and see how things are going lately? What did you decide on surgical removal of the tumor?

No, I am going to have an other MRI in 2 or 3 months and see what's happening. I am not comfortable with a surgery. I am boosting my system, avoiding sugar to starve the cancer cells if any.

Hello ginette55 @ginette55 ,
I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I myself have a GBM for 18 months which is centered in the middle of the brain and therefore inoperable. I have had chemo for 13 months and the tumor remains stable. This is to tell you that there are sometimes possibilities to control the growth of the tumor. Is it the best thing to do? In my case, there is too much risk of cognitive loss to have surgery. I have also been taking several supplements for 1 year and keto diet. It seems to help. Also, I am currently reading Jane Mc Lelland's book: How to starve cancer.
Hoping it will help you. Courage. There is always hope.

It is the right way to go. I have a keto regime take a lots of supplements and vitamins, exercise and be active and positive. Fortunately I don't have any symptom even I feel very tired sometimes, But there is hope as you said. Have a good day.

I was on a wait and see program and yesterday they told me the tumor doubled in size, I was furious because I did not want to wait a whole year to see if it had grown so now face more decisions. I go to Duke in NC but the Mayo seems to be the better choice according to some docs. However that is some distance and I am pretty much alone. Anyone had radiation?

Recently diagnosed with a brain tumour it is about 3 cm and doctors have decided to remove it as they do not know what it is.

Where is it located ? I am still watching and waiting having MRI every 3 month mine is about 1 cm on right temporal lobe thinking a glioma but won’t know stage until they take it out . Did you have symptoms ? Mine was found incidentally

inferior right parietal lobe and it is 3cm most likely they say glioma but will not know until it is out . no symptons but had indigestion high blood pressure and severe headache and nausea which did not go away untill the next day then went to Emergency and scans taken and found out. surgery is today

@youngwoman, I'm sure you won't read this today, but when you can return to the community, I want you to know I was thinking about you on surgery day. I hope all went well. I look forward to hearing from you.