Living with a meningioma: What warning signs may indicate changes?

Hello @wayneesc and welcome to Mayo Connect. I appreciate the thoughtful questions you are asking about your mom's condition. As you said that your mom is quite frail, I'm assuming that she is elderly and most likely has other health issues. Is this the case?

If you would like to connect with other members who have discussed having a meningioma, here is a link where you will find several discussions about this. Feel free to post any questions in any of these discussions,
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=meningioma

Have you considered having your mom evaluated by a physician who specializes in palliative care? Palliative care is not the same as hospice but does provide help for anyone who has a serious health condition. Here is some information about palliative care

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/palliative-care/about/pac-20384637.
Here is a quote from the above referenced article.
"Palliative care is provided by a team of health care providers, including doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other trained specialists. The team works with you, your family and your other providers to add an extra layer of support and relief that complements your ongoing care."

Palliative care workers might be able to answer some of these questions that you have. Often, palliative care nurses will come to the home of someone who is homebound.

As you are comfortable doing so, could you share what type of symptoms led to your mom's diagnosis? How is she feeling now?

thank you for your reply. she is quite frail and the doctor suggested waiting a while before having another scan as it appears that the meningioma is not growing. The only symptoms she has from it, is that her speech is impaired. What I am trying to establish is any possible warning signs to look out for that would indicate that there are other complications developing and what the possible further complications could be, so that I can rather catch them early. This is assuming that there may be further complications, which there are not at the moment

Wayne,

It is great that your mom is basically symptom free, outside of the speech impairment. Is the speech problem particularly frustrating for her? Does she live by herself?

I do hope you have the opportunity to inquire about Palliative Care for your mom. They can provide a great deal of insight into a chronic health issue like this and monitor any changes, (however slight), which may be occurring and that you may not be aware of.

i have had a meningoma for almost a decade and have had followup mri’s every year or two. My last mri showed changes and i was referred to a neurosurgeon and an oncologist radiologist. We agreed that i will have another MRI done in six months. i asked what symptoms i need to be on the lookout for—and was told not to worry—symptons are highly unlikely to develop in six months. i strongly encourage you to ask your moms dr more questions

please ask a lot more questions eg about the size and what area of the brain/motor functions it is near.

I’ve repeatedly been informed meningomas grow very slowly…and tend to be benign

I think best to ask your mom’s dr. I have a meningioma and asked neurosurgeon what symptoms to look out for and he told me none. Apparently, the potential of symptoms really depends upon where the meningoma is located

Hi there I been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017
And my family was told I want survive the biopsy alone was a risk so I didn't do it fast-forward I'm still here haven't been back to the hospitals but I have been experiencing mobility issues on my left side I can hardly use my left hand but I'm a right hander I'm also a mixologist/bartender so it's been a complete struggle but I'm still fighting.

"bill1980": Did you get a second opinon about the biopsy in 2017? It would seem if the tumor is malignant, you would be in far worse shape now, 7 years later. That brings up a particular type of brain tumor called a meningioma, 90% ( add or minus a few percentage points) of the time benign. (I'm quoting stats from my doctor)
But, benign meningiomas can cause mobility issues if they are pressing on particular nerves. I had a meningioma last year and 3 doctors, (my primary care doc., a neurologist, and a radiation oncologist who does gamma knife) all
told me no surgeon would operate because of the location. (sphenoid wing tumor) But a neurosurgeon at UCSF was totally unintimidated, said he did one or two a week, and the tumor was totally resected.

I was diagnosed in 2005 and for awhile had annual MRIs. Nothing changed so I got remiss in following up. Fast forward to 2019. I had seizures and 2 strokes resulting in surgery to remove the tumor . I have been diligent in having follow up MRIs. Last year I had a stroke. I dismissed the symptoms at the time. Thankfully it wasn't major but my left side weakness is worse requiring me to use a cane or walker and being on seizures medication.

Thank you, "purple turtle" for the reminder to remain diligent in our follow-ups.