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Should I choose to do surgery right away or wait a while?

Posted by gdcdf03 @gdcdf03, Sep 28, 2023

I was diagnosed with having meningioma measuring 2.9cm in the left posterior fossa. There is focal mass effect on left pons with suggestion of impingement of the cisternal segment of the left trigeminal nerve which causes jolting pain in my jaw. I have other symptoms such as vertigo and tinnitus. Surgery was suggested but I am 52 yo and scared to go thru brain surgery. Nerve blocker can manage my pain but I dont want to take it long term. Has anyone went thru similar surgery and can tell me what it’s like? Should I opt to do surgery or no?

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freebird36 | @freebird36 | Feb 15 1:40am
In reply to @djw "Today we had the follow up visit for my wife's MRI after six weeks of chemo..." + (show)
@djw

Today we had the follow up visit for my wife's MRI after six weeks of chemo and radiation for glioblastoma on her brain. The oncologist said the MRI showed no obvious tumor progression. This is amazing news! She will have MRI's every two months for one year. During that time she will be on a schedule of chemo, temodar, for five days on and 25 days off. She is still feeling ok and has been able to stabilize weight loss, sleep better and feel ok since she has been off chemo and radiation for four weeks. Feedback from any others who have had a similar experience is appreciated.

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Yes, my spouse has had similar experiences. Gr 4 gbm multiform , total resection of tumor, rad and Temodar, now just maint. Cycles 5 days on 23 days off. His last two MRIs were clear, he’ll keep getting mri ev 2 mos. He’s just very tired a lot it can still do minor activities , go on short walk, go out to store etc..luckily his tumor was in a location that didn’t drastically effect him. He still has slight shakes in rt hand and mild aphasia but for most part he talks and moves almost 100% normally..

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ruthannray | @ruthannray | Feb 16 7:35am
In reply to @gdcdf03 "Thank you for your response! Glad to heat about tour wife’s successful surgery…The surgeon is giving..." + (show)
@gdcdf03

Thank you for your response!
Glad to heat about tour wife’s successful surgery…The surgeon is giving me 6 months to sit on it, also to find out how fast the tumor will grow. Its been a couple months since we’ve discussed it but I am seeing more changes/symptoms so I feel like if I wait and the tumor grows, I’d have more problems. But if I go thru surgery, i’m worried about the ‘what if’s’ since the tumor is pressing on the pons, putting pressure on my trigeminal nerves.

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Your age is also a consideration. If you are young-ish, waiting is a good game. But if you’re older, the impact of anesthesia could be far more troubling in 3-5 years vs now. If surgery is inevitable, I’m a sooner vs later as was my husband 10 years ago. He was 77 and opted for surgery after watching his meningioma continue to grow for 9 months. But his tumor was readily accessible, so an “easy” decision.

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