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How did you prepare mentally for Meningioma surgery?

Posted by mamaseta @mamaseta, Sep 6, 2023

Having surgery on September 13 to remove a meningioma on the left frontotemporal lobe. How did others prepare mentally for the surgery? I am becoming quite anxious but trying to hide it from my family and friends so they don’t worry.

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jimw9 | @jimw9 | Sep 7, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "Welcome @mamaseta. Such a good question to ask. I moved your question to the Brain Tumor..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Welcome @mamaseta. Such a good question to ask. I moved your question to the Brain Tumor support and am tagging fellow meningioma members like @mrector @cindyt63 @nancye3 @1myhope @purpleturtle @bonthesea @pleu @colom22 @mkoch to join the discussion and share their tips and experiences with you.

It's understandable that you are growing anxious as the surgery date approaches. I'm glad you came here to find people to talk with openly and without fear of making anyone worry. It's a big weight to carry your worry alone.

That said, I bet your family and friends are worried too. Is there someone in your circle of family and friend supporters who might be relieved and honored if you share your worry with them? You might be surprised that they're keeping it bottled up too as to not worry you. What concerns are racing in your mind today?

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Which surgury process is being dicussed? There are (3) that I'm aware of; Craniotomy, Gamma Knife & Cyber Knife.

REPLY
1 reply
skullbasecancer4 | @skullbasecancer4 | Sep 9, 2023
In reply to @jimw9 "Which surgury process is being dicussed? There are (3) that I'm aware of; Craniotomy, Gamma Knife..." + (show)
@jimw9

Which surgury process is being dicussed? There are (3) that I'm aware of; Craniotomy, Gamma Knife & Cyber Knife.

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My husband had
Craniotomy for a skull based Chrondrosacroma.

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1 reply
jimw9 | @jimw9 | Sep 9, 2023
In reply to @skullbasecancer4 "My husband had Craniotomy for a skull based Chrondrosacroma." + (show)
@skullbasecancer4

My husband had
Craniotomy for a skull based Chrondrosacroma.

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Thankyou for your reply.

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cscmaryann | @cscmaryann | Sep 23, 2023

I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first one was removed by craniotomy 5-6 weeks ago as it was pressing on my optic nerve and had moved my brain 1 cm. I didn't have time to prepare, for as soon as my eye dr found that the optic nerve was swollen, he had an MRI ordered. The MRI showed a 3cm meningioma and my dr ordered me to the ER immediately and surgery was done in a couple of days, very successfully. If I had had time to prepare, I would continue to trust in the skill of my surgeon and his team. I have faith. This is important to me. Very important is to have an after-surgery plan in place. My hospital did not have one, so I relied heavily on friends who brought food over a 2 week period. This was important from a nutrition standpoint, but also from a psychological standpoint. Many brought meals and stayed to talk, which was very helpful. Give yourself time to rest and heal. Read all you can about post-surgery self-care. One online site suggested painting after a craniotomy. I took that advice. Very nice. I wish you the very best.

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3 replies
mamaseta | @mamaseta | Sep 23, 2023
In reply to @cscmaryann "I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first..." + (show)
@cscmaryann

I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first one was removed by craniotomy 5-6 weeks ago as it was pressing on my optic nerve and had moved my brain 1 cm. I didn't have time to prepare, for as soon as my eye dr found that the optic nerve was swollen, he had an MRI ordered. The MRI showed a 3cm meningioma and my dr ordered me to the ER immediately and surgery was done in a couple of days, very successfully. If I had had time to prepare, I would continue to trust in the skill of my surgeon and his team. I have faith. This is important to me. Very important is to have an after-surgery plan in place. My hospital did not have one, so I relied heavily on friends who brought food over a 2 week period. This was important from a nutrition standpoint, but also from a psychological standpoint. Many brought meals and stayed to talk, which was very helpful. Give yourself time to rest and heal. Read all you can about post-surgery self-care. One online site suggested painting after a craniotomy. I took that advice. Very nice. I wish you the very best.

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Thank you so much! My surgery was very successful. They got it all and was benign. Getting along ok - very tired. Quite an unexpected journey. Friends have been great. I wish you success in your recovery!

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1 reply
cscmaryann | @cscmaryann | Sep 24, 2023
In reply to @mamaseta "Thank you so much! My surgery was very successful. They got it all and was benign...." + (show)
@mamaseta

Thank you so much! My surgery was very successful. They got it all and was benign. Getting along ok - very tired. Quite an unexpected journey. Friends have been great. I wish you success in your recovery!

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Wonderful! Being tired is expected. I am still tired a lot after about 5 weeks. I think it is too easy to forget to rest and let our bodies heal. I tend to jump right back into things when I begin to feel good, but am learning I need to sleep more and rest a lot. Something I read online about after-surgery for craniotomy: try painting. I have been doing some of that. That led me to a YouTube video about "neurographic art" which is a term coined in 2014 which mimics, in drawing, the neural pathways of the brain. Incorporates the concept of mindfulness. You might enjoy checking that out.

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mkoch | @mkoch | Sep 24, 2023
In reply to @cscmaryann "I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first..." + (show)
@cscmaryann

I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first one was removed by craniotomy 5-6 weeks ago as it was pressing on my optic nerve and had moved my brain 1 cm. I didn't have time to prepare, for as soon as my eye dr found that the optic nerve was swollen, he had an MRI ordered. The MRI showed a 3cm meningioma and my dr ordered me to the ER immediately and surgery was done in a couple of days, very successfully. If I had had time to prepare, I would continue to trust in the skill of my surgeon and his team. I have faith. This is important to me. Very important is to have an after-surgery plan in place. My hospital did not have one, so I relied heavily on friends who brought food over a 2 week period. This was important from a nutrition standpoint, but also from a psychological standpoint. Many brought meals and stayed to talk, which was very helpful. Give yourself time to rest and heal. Read all you can about post-surgery self-care. One online site suggested painting after a craniotomy. I took that advice. Very nice. I wish you the very best.

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Thank you so much for your reply/input. My original post was before my scheduled Sept. 11 surgery. One week before surgery I got covid even though I have been double masking and going out for the bare necessities. (I think I got it from my husband who forgot to put on a mask a few times when he went into the grocery store.) At any rate, my surgery is rescheduled for October 16 and your positive experience was a god-send as I, once again, go through the stress of waiting. I will think positive after having read your post.

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suemarie3 | @suemarie3 | Sep 24, 2023
In reply to @cscmaryann "I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first..." + (show)
@cscmaryann

I have/had two meningiomas, both behind the eye area and near the optic nerve. The first one was removed by craniotomy 5-6 weeks ago as it was pressing on my optic nerve and had moved my brain 1 cm. I didn't have time to prepare, for as soon as my eye dr found that the optic nerve was swollen, he had an MRI ordered. The MRI showed a 3cm meningioma and my dr ordered me to the ER immediately and surgery was done in a couple of days, very successfully. If I had had time to prepare, I would continue to trust in the skill of my surgeon and his team. I have faith. This is important to me. Very important is to have an after-surgery plan in place. My hospital did not have one, so I relied heavily on friends who brought food over a 2 week period. This was important from a nutrition standpoint, but also from a psychological standpoint. Many brought meals and stayed to talk, which was very helpful. Give yourself time to rest and heal. Read all you can about post-surgery self-care. One online site suggested painting after a craniotomy. I took that advice. Very nice. I wish you the very best.

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Craniotomy on Feb 28 for a meningioma , pathology came back malignant.
6 weeks of daily radiation,
Turned out to be a solitary fibrous tumor of the CNS.
Very rare.
I agree, aftercare is so important especially because of the uncertainty and fear. Don’t want to burden my family, thank God for good doctors, friends and faith.
I go tomorrow for a PET scan and MRI to see my prognosis. Praying for good results.
Good luck to you!

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1 reply
mamaseta | @mamaseta | Sep 24, 2023
In reply to @suemarie3 "Craniotomy on Feb 28 for a meningioma , pathology came back malignant. 6 weeks of daily..." + (show)
@suemarie3

Craniotomy on Feb 28 for a meningioma , pathology came back malignant.
6 weeks of daily radiation,
Turned out to be a solitary fibrous tumor of the CNS.
Very rare.
I agree, aftercare is so important especially because of the uncertainty and fear. Don’t want to burden my family, thank God for good doctors, friends and faith.
I go tomorrow for a PET scan and MRI to see my prognosis. Praying for good results.
Good luck to you!

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Praying for great results for you!

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cscmaryann | @cscmaryann | Apr 25 10:06am

I would add that it is important to keep track of your incision. Mine became infected, the reason being infected hardware which then had to be removed before bone flap could heal. This is something I am living with and drs say just to wait and see how I do. Evidently only 1-3% of patients deal with post-crainiotomy infection, but I wanted you to be aware it can happen - even after weeks from the surgery.

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