Question to the group (meningioma)

If this is off topic for the ng, please let me know and I'll take the
question elsewhere. My wife is 55 years old and has just been diagnosed
with meningioma. It is about the size of a baseball (however it is pretty
flat). It has started eating away at the bone structure in her head and
that is how we found out about it. Also, she is starting to have headaches,
ringing in her ears, loss of appetite and nausea.

She went to the doctor when the symptoms got too severe for her to ignore
anymore. They did two CT Scans and sent her to a neurosurgeon for a MRI and
consultation. The diagnosis was confirmed and she has been scheduled for
surgery the first week in January. He explained that what they saw so far
showed signs of being both non-malignant and it being malignant, so it would
be impossible to tell until after surgery and a biopsy. They are in the
process of making a plate to replace the missing bone that has been eaten
away by the cancer. If it is malignant, we are looking at a round of
radiation therapy in addition to the surgery. Also, it is around a vein
that goes to a part of the brain that affects control of her left leg and a
stroke during the surgery is a distinct possibility. However, the doctor
assures us that if this does happen, that she will be able to relearn how to
use the leg through physical therapy. Then he discussed the possibility of
the fluid around her brain building up pressure and having to do another
surgery to insert a tube to drain off the fluid and bring the pressure back
down.

So far, it seems that all the news we have is bad news. I looked on the web
to see if I could find survivor stories to give me some indication about
what we are facing and had no luck. The doctor told us that, if the cancer
is non-malignant and has no complications, we are looking at about a three
week period before she can take care of herself around the house. Neither
of us have family around, so my plan is to take at least three weeks off
work to take care of her and I will take off longer if necessary.

So, I guess what I am looking for is someone who has been through something
similar that can tell me what to expect and perhaps offer suggestions on how
to help her get through it. Any suggestions on how to find a local support
group would be appreciated. We are located near Winston Salem North
Carolina.

"Bob Brock" <bbrock@i-america.net> wrote in message
news:c4pdh.1267$hD6.86@bignews8.bellsouth.net...
> If this is off topic for the ng, please let me know and I'll take the
> question elsewhere. My wife is 55 years old and has just been diagnosed
> with meningioma. It is about the size of a baseball (however it is pretty
> flat). It has started eating away at the bone structure in her head and
> that is how we found out about it. Also, she is starting to have
> headaches, ringing in her ears, loss of appetite and nausea.
>
> She went to the doctor when the symptoms got too severe for her to ignore
> anymore. They did two CT Scans and sent her to a neurosurgeon for a MRI
> and consultation. The diagnosis was confirmed and she has been scheduled
> for surgery the first week in January. He explained that what they saw so
> far showed signs of being both non-malignant and it being malignant, so it
> would be impossible to tell until after surgery and a biopsy. They are in
> the process of making a plate to replace the missing bone that has been
> eaten away by the cancer. If it is malignant, we are looking at a round
> of radiation therapy in addition to the surgery. Also, it is around a
> vein that goes to a part of the brain that affects control of her left leg
> and a stroke during the surgery is a distinct possibility. However, the
> doctor assures us that if this does happen, that she will be able to
> relearn how to use the leg through physical therapy. Then he discussed
> the possibility of the fluid around her brain building up pressure and
> having to do another surgery to insert a tube to drain off the fluid and
> bring the pressure back down.
>
> So far, it seems that all the news we have is bad news. I looked on the
> web to see if I could find survivor stories to give me some indication
> about what we are facing and had no luck. The doctor told us that, if the
> cancer is non-malignant and has no complications, we are looking at about
> a three week period before she can take care of herself around the house.
> Neither of us have family around, so my plan is to take at least three
> weeks off work to take care of her and I will take off longer if
> necessary.
>
> So, I guess what I am looking for is someone who has been through
> something similar that can tell me what to expect and perhaps offer
> suggestions on how to help her get through it. Any suggestions on how to
> find a local support group would be appreciated. We are located near
> Winston Salem North Carolina.
>
>

Most meningiomas are benign, but need to be treated because they are locally
destructive.
Surgery is the first choice of treatment, but radiotherapy alone is also
very effective and usually stops them in their tracks,
Malignant meningiomas occur, but are quite rare.