Meningioma: Anyone else? I'm frightened

my doctor thinks the same anxiety and stress levels are through the roof, if they were in my brain they would be running away from fast conclusions. and possibly get some things corrected.
well worth a try anyway. smile it makes them wonder what's on your mind. have a great afternoon going to go ride 5 miles for the exercise.

sounds like your a fighter too, i will send a quick prayer your way and feel free to chat anytime or ask a question. glad your still among us and can pass on experiences.

Your story really resonated with me and this discussion. Nine years ago, my doctor thought I was having panic attacks. And so no brain scan. Fast forward some months, my meningioma bled, a stroke. Emergency responders, a helicopter ride and emergency surgery at 3:30 am with the doctors telling my son that even with the surgery I had a 1 in 10 chance of having a meaningful life. Without it, of course, no chance. A routine although technically complex surgery was now an emergency with iffy results. Meningiomas which bled are uncommon, but some do and if they do, odds for a successful outcome are much reduced.

I just finished radiation for it in the spring/winter. I had a craniotomy in 2023. Stay Positive. The best thing I did was quit drinking after my surgery. exercise is your best friend.

Thanks for sharing. I'm in Arizona and going to Mayo here. It is really quite frightening.

I got three consults, including Rochester Mayo. I went to Dr. Gardner at UPMC Mayo because he had done 250 that year alone (it was July) and thousands in his career. The doctor at Mayo agreed with his assessment and treatment. She does about 100 a year of tumors in this exact spot just like him. They specialize skull-base tumors. She said Dr. Gardner trained her to do these in her Fellowship. He was much closer also, so it just made sense to go to him. I think she would’ve been excellent as well. Feel free to private message me. I’m more than willing to talk more or even have a phone call.

Best,

Jason

If you wouldn’t mind me asking where did you have it done at?

Thank you for the info
very much appreciate it

It wasn’t super painful, just wasn’t myself for a while after. At 6 weeks I was quite a bit better, and at 8 weeks I actually went on a vacation to Nashville with my son. I took it pretty easy. The first couple weeks were the worst because I had a splint up my nose and had to breath through my mouth. You don’t realize how much you need the nose to help with pressure and breathing when eating! I am very glad I didn’t have to have a craniotomy like the first neurosurgeon was saying. The risks and possible complications were much higher, and no big incision. It was considered minimally invasive despite being surgery next to your brain. Crazy!

That’s where mine was. Pushing the pituitary gland over a little, pressing on my optic nerves and on the internal carotid arteries. My surgeon got 95% through my nose then sphenoid sinuses. He left a little “cuff” around the arteries because removing that would have been risky.