Has anyone got or had a MENINGIOMA?

[ThisBloodyNoiseInMyHead]

I've just been diagnosed with a Meningioma (brain tumour). It was fist picked up by the hospital when they did a scan after I had a stroke last July. I don't yet know whether it's cancerous or not, but I'm being referred to a neurosurgeon, so I expect I'll find out more then. I haven't got any symptoms, and apparently, this thing isn't pressing on anything.

Has anyone had or got one? What treatment (if any) did you have?
Thanks.

That’s good news. Think mine was about 4cm when it was removed. If it starts to affect your memory or you have seizures, that might force your hand. Kind of wish I’d opted for surgery earlier as the damage might not be as extensive as it is but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Also smaller tumours can be removed through the nose rather than requiring a craniotomy like I did.
Are you still allowed to drive?

That is interesting and I gather I'll already need a craniotomy as medium sized... thanks Papergirl. How are you affected now? Does it make a difference to your life? Really appreciate your generosity in sharing

You’re welcome. I’m very happy to share.
I’ve had no more seizures although I’ll be on anti seizure meds for life, and will have regular MRIs. I had eight weeks off to recover from the surgery and I was able to start driving a year. While I couldn’t drive I qualified for a disabled person’s bus pass and also Access to Work paid most of the cost of taxis when I worked in a rural location which was impossible to get to without public transport.
I completely lost my sense of smell within a day or two of the operation and that has never returned.
My memory has also been affected. I have absolutely no memory of some things in the last few years and my day to day memory and concentration has been affected too, plus I get tired. I feel a bit like a duck, gliding about on the surface but paddling frantically under the water to keep up. I’m a GP receptionist and my previous employer terminated my contract the day after I was diagnosed, but the current one had been far more supportive and has made allowances for me, eg I don’t do certain more complex tasks that other members of the team do because I just found them too stressful and complicated. I don’t feel too bad about that as I know I have other strengths I bring to the team.
I only work part time and lost my PIP recently when it was reviewed which was pretty crap as losing £300 a month has had a huge impact on me and I think working full time would be too much for me.
The neurosurgeon at the QE in Birmingham where I had the surgery had been looking at the MRIs solely to see if the tumour was regrowing but in view of my memory and concentration problems, neurology at my local hospital took a closer look at the MRI and noted extensive damage around the tumour/surgery site. Due to that and other factors including my DM having dementia, I’ve been told I have a high risk of developing it in 10, maybe 20 years, so mid 60s onwards for me. That was a huge shock for me and I was very upset for a few days before picking myself up, reminding myself that any of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow and deciding to retire at 60 so I could hopefully have a few good years first.
i think that while my tumour has had a negative impact on my life in many ways, it has shown me that I’m stronger and more resilient than I thought, and I think I’m really lucky because it wasn’t cancerous, and also when I was having seizures I fortunately didn’t fall down the stairs or anything. I had one at the bottom of the stairs once, I toppled forward on to my bed one time, I banged my head off the bathroom radiator, and I cut my head open in the kitchen but it could have been worse.
The Brain Tumour Society and the charity Headway have some great information and advice on their website.
Always happy to help so just shout if you think of anything, and stay positive.

Thank you @Papergirl1968 , really helpful ... and so darn tough to lose PIP. I'm sorry.

I'm glad you're planning early retirement and hopefully knowing about the dementia risk, you might delay it for longer by doing lots of lifestyle things now... Dementia runs in my family too so I've started looking into what I might do - food, exercise, sleep and low stress seem to top the list but Im going to delve deeper. I can definitely improve the "low stress" bit as I've had a tough 13 years - I now do daily Tai Chi which I enjoy, as well as focussing on having more "fun" things in my life and not always prioritising the more boring things.

Yep, I’m losing weight with the help of mounjaro, and keeping my brain active with wordle, learning Welsh on Duolingo as preparation for retiring to Wales, and work of course. Exercise, well, could do more on that front. Ditto having fun. I think I need to give both of those more priority.
Good for you for doing tai chi. It definitely helps to make things a daily habit, like with Wordle and Duolingo for me. If only there were more hours in the day but like you say, rest is important too.

Yup prioritising having fun has definitely improved my life!!😘

It’s hard when you’re short of both energy and time. Perhaps fun isn’t the right word in my case because I’d be the first to admit I’ve never been a very fun person. Going to the cinema, for example, i used to do regularly but I wouldn’t enjoy now because I couldn’t concentrate for the length of a movie, and going to a concert would be too noisy and overwhelming. But I know I should be making more effort to do things that I enjoy now, not just existing until I retire, like creating more time to read, watching drama series that I watched years ago and have subsequently forgotten, and meeting a friend for breakfast followed by a trawl around the charity shops, or coffee and cake and a mooch around a garden centre. I think the brain tumour, combined with middle age, has changed me and I now actively avoid anything that gives me a sensory overload such as crowded pubs. Some of my colleagues went to bingo recently which just didn’t interest me, but I think I’ve always been a bit that way, happier meeting one or two friends not a whole crowd, and preferring quieter activities, and brain tumour has just exacerbated that.
But I’m trying to think of how I can push myself a bit, like visiting new places for a walk around.
And my grandchildren (aged six months and two) give me a lot of joy and there’s another on the way to look forward to.

Things you enjoy is a good way of looking at it... especially friends. I think those wonderful deep friendships that we've developed and nurtured through our lives become so valuable after retirement and feel important to give time to now...

Oh wow - grandchildren!! Huge joy and so much to look forward to with them... what wonderful ages.

Fun is not a me word either but one I am trying to develop while broadening my approach to the good things in life