Brain Tumour Survivor

My mom was diagnosed with a benign meningioma almost 7 years ago. It has been monitored closely each year. However, last year it grew 20% and again this year 20%. So, it is now 40% bigger than when diagnosed and she is scheduled for surgery Nov 20th. It is in the right frontal lobe, and according to her surgeon its the best place to have a tumor IF you have to have one, because removal is "easy" from that location.

I would love to know what she can expect after surgery from those who have had a similar diagnosis and removal. I will be staying with her for a little over a week. Are there any particular foods, drinks, things that would make her more comfortable in general?

We are anxious and ready for it to be behind us. Although the surgeon says risk is minimal, she is has been through a lot (14 year cancer survivor), borderline diabetic, and heart ablation, so as an only child, I worry.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Its a bit scary getting an operation on your head but hopefully your mother won't have any problems.

I had a menigioma removed in 2008 but it wasn't in the frontal lobe. Mine was in the posterior fossa, the tumor was about the size of a golf ball and it was removed without any issues. I am not a surgeon, but I remember thinking "how the heck do they get to that!" when one of the surgeons I saw showed me a model and where my tumor was located - it didn't look that easy to get to but it all went without a hitch.

The only thing I had after the operation were headaches that lasted a few weeks but then back to normal. The surgeon will give you specific instructions but if the surgeon is confident, then it should all be good. I just did the common sense things, like avoided alcohol, and over-indulging. I felt reasonable and was allowed to leave the hospital the day after the operatin but opted to stay an extra day because home is a 12 hr drive away (my wife drove me) and I didn't really feel like doing that sort of trip. I ended up staying in Sydney where I had the operation for 5 days total - from when I had the operation - and then we went drove back to Brisbane. I was taking it easy and could have gone earlier but seen no reason to rush anything.


I hope the information is useful.

Cheers
Boris.