surgery recovery times for brain surgey

I'm 25, just had a craniotomy 7 days ago, I'm having my medicine but feel overall good, I can't contain the tears when I read all the blogs, my tumor was discover last week due to a convulsion, it was the size of a plum around 4cm .. I was hospitalized for 10 days total, before the surgery and 4 days at ICU after  the surgery, it was all a success , I'm  just really getting to learn about what I had in my head and was taken out, and I can't be more great full with God that no function Was affected I feel pretty normal and I feel so blessed. As you said the attitude is really important too, I feel so ok that I could be outside doing things however ill have to take it easy . 

My meningioma operation was done through Kaiser, and literally only cost me $500, but I was wondering if anyone knew what the average cost of brain surgery is normally? --

Have been reading through this site as I have just been informed I have a meningioma which is at least 3cm on the left side in the vertex. I have absolutely no idea what is going to go on. It was found through an incidental finding thanks to my very caring Orthopaedic Surgeron. He knew something was wrong and he kept niggling away, thankfully. My history has been extensive but it was due to this surgeon requesting a full body bone scan that it was found. A CT confirmed what it actually was. What is getting to me it the time frame. From the time to being told I had a tumour to only being told of when my appointment with the neurosurgeon will be is 23 days because it is Christmas and he is on holiday. The earliest I will know about my first appointment is Jan 4th 2013. Both my family Doctor and Orthopaedic surgeon have been so laid back as though there isn't anything to worry about. I am displaying symptoms. So basically what I am wondering is how long from finding out you had the tumour to your first appointment with the neurosurgeon and roughly how long after that before they operated. I am assuming as I have symptoms the tumour is at the stage of causing pressure. I have had a life history of migraines and in the past 12mths it is affecting my speech among other problems. Being Christmas I really haven't wanted to inform the family, so keeping it to myself is rather difficult also.

I was diagnosed with a large Meningioma 6.5cm last year on Nov 28 and underwent surgery on Dec 13. I was told that I might have had the tumor in me for over 10 years... After the diagnosis, I was given anti-seizure (kepra) and anti-immflamatory (to contain Edema) to reduce the symptoms till the surgery. A large percentage of Meningioma's are benign and slow growing. Best of luck and be positive!!!

Nirvanan2go: Thanks for your reply. I am determine to be positive. I think it depends on where you live also. I was asking because where I live when it comes to medical issues everyone is so laid back, neurosurgeons are few and far between. I fought Doctors and the local hospital for three years concerning my mother, she had a malignant parotid tumor and they kept saying there was nothing wrong with her. Her surgery when finally performed took six and a half hours which required the removal of the facial nerve as it had completely impacted the nerve. Once she healed it was followed up with 33 radiation treatments. This was massive on a 77 y.o. woman, if they had acted when she first showed symptoms and they had investigated the tumor wouldn't have grown so large. I know mine it is suppose to benign, that doesn't worry me so much as the thought of the surgery. Keeping it to myself due to Christmas is not helping either. I feel I really need to talk about it but until I have my first appointment with the neurosurgeon I am reluctant to tell people. I have known so many people who have gone to pieces over the years and the majority have been over nothing. I have so much to put in place in case anything should go wrong with the surgery but I feel tired all the time. Like you I have been told that I have had this for some time, it is only in the past 12 months that I have become symptomatic with it. I had my gallbladder removed earlier in the year and I honestly thought I had a seizure in recovery but nothing was said. I think that surgery has resulted in giving the meningioma a nudge along. Again thanks for your assuring words.

In response to earlier posts, I would encourage EVERYONE who needs it to go ahead with surgery!  In my case there was virtually no pain post surgery -- I only took a couple minor painkillers (Tylenol??).  Also, keep in mind that Keppra and other anti seizure medicine may not be necessary.  I took mine for a month, then, since I wasn't driving (e.g. wasn't a hazard to anyone else), I took myself off my medication, and haven't had any seizures since.  You have to gradually get off the meds. 

 

Yes, you WILL get tired, post-op.  It was a situation where sleep was demanded, not just requested by my body! 

But I would encourage anyone with an operable meningioma to go through with the operation!  Does anyone know what the cost of the operation is?  I have Kaiser, and I only paid $500 for it! 

Also, in terms of a time line of events leading to the operation, I experienced loss of movement of my toes, but didn't seek medical assistance until 8/2011.  At that time they couldn't find the problem.  After a first seizure in late October 2011 (I was totally conscious, but lost feeling in my right hand), an MRI of my brain showed a 3.5 x 4.5 cm meningioma.  My operation was in early November 2011 -- I really pushed the doctors for the operation!  The only issue 12 months after the operation is some numbness in my right arm. 

 

Again, I am SO glad to have had the operation, and encourage anyone else who needs it to get it done right away!  Yes, there will be a recovery period, but my guess is you will be much better eventually after your operation! 

 

If anyone knows the cost of an average meningioma operation, I would be interested in hearing what the cost might be! --

 

Hello: 

I am about 1.5 weeks post-op for a meningioma.  The meningioma was found accidentally after a fall down a flight of concrete stairs (13 of 15 to be exact) and resulting headaches (no, I did not loose balance...twisted ankle on something on the stairs - according to Neurologist/Neurosurgeon, etc - it was not large enough or in the right place to cause balance issues). 

It was diagnosed originally (once the radiology report was corrected that is) as a 2cm x 2 cm x 1 cm size, located on right side of brain stem and right 5th & 6th cranial nerves (face and eye muscles).  When the surgeons got into the area, doing an endoscopic (keyhole) surgery, it was found to be much more invasive than expected as it was literally wrapped in/around and squishing the 5-8th cranial nerves on right side, against the brain stem and, actually "eating" away the bone.  Dr. doesn't know why I wasn't exhibiting symptoms/seizures at all. 

One night in ICU and home after 5 days - I stayed a bit longer due to wanting to be mostly self-sufficient (balance/walking) before coming home because of my Mom, who was caregiver and a strong 79 y.o....didn't want to burden her strength too much.  Anyway, the right side of face was very swollen and numb, right side droopy (bell's palsy type), had trouble talking (slurred slow speech - and I wouldn't have been able to say that at all) and swallowing (baby food and ensure to the rescue) and some balance issues (minor...more weakness I think), double vision (right eye having issues) and hearing loss in Right ear. 

Now, I am able to motor around the house without a walker and if I don't try to turn to quickly or something like that, I am walking just fine.  I am almost back to talking as fast and clearly as before, am able to eat more solid foods now (not back to hamburgers or steak or anything that takes a lot of chewing or opening mouth very large), some feeling back in face, hearing...well, that's gone thing I am told however a hearing aide will get it back mostly.  Still have double vision and can definately tell the different between vision strength in each eye...reading glasses don't work as well as they did and my long vision isn't as strong either...back to full-time glasses I go me thinks (Lasik surgery in 2008 fixed my long vision and didn't have to wear glasses to drive/walk/etc...just read).  My worst thing is that I want to be back where I was NOW, preferably yesterday being the triple type A personality I am and, I push too hard (then fall into the recliner/bed and sleep, sleep, sleep). 

Long story short, as far as I can tell, I still have my memory, my intellect and my weird sense of humor (as I was told I hadn't lost it by a friend who was in recovery with me because when asked what level my pain was, I told them "ouch" - high pain tolerance)...other things may take a while to come back (if my patience doesn't wear thin..lol) however, I am thankful to be alive and know that God has had His hand in this whole scenario this year.  It truly has been a miraculous year!  If anyone has any helpful hints for me, they'd be greatly appreciated.

Call sign - Aingeal2012

P.S.  Not brave enough to drive yet because of the eye not tracking right and having to rotate a patch on the eyes.  Off steroids the night before I went home, mostly off pain meds (down to one or two per day...mostly at bedtime).

My reply to you is to please bottle whatever you have and sell it to me.  I am 8 mo. post-op and not doing as well as you.  I had a back surgery several mo. before the brain surgery, so I don't know which surgry the balance issue is coming from, but I think the vision and hearing is from my meningioma removal.  Mine was the size of  a large lemon, and was so big they did a crainiotomy, and your was even bigger and you had keyhole surgery?  Just lucky, I guess.  Best of luck to you.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, it has been a real help. It is Christmas Day, so Merry Christmas everyone. I can't believe I stuck to my guns and I still haven't told anyone so it hasn't affected their Christmas. What I am interested in is to know if anyone has had their meningioma on the left side, on the top, towards the back in what is referred to as the vertex. I am aware of what that area controls, which is everything which is me if that make sense, so it has me a bit concerned as to if I can expect any notable changes with speech or memory etc.

Hay GOD is so good.I had a brain surgery back in Nov 7,2010.It take a little time to get myself together again so dont give up. Iam fighting disabitly right now but i dont like to stay in the house all day.Thanks to God,wife,family,friends for the support because i could have been gone home god is so good all i can say to the ones who are going though. trust GOD all the time because he is the only one who can bring us though a brain surgery recovery.thank you god.

Well I can say what mine was last fall. I had 3 surgeries total. First was to embolize the tumor, then the second was to remove it. This was the big one that took 15 hours and 3 neurosurgeons and 3 ear nose throat doctors. Finally, the third one was due to a spinal fluid leak I developed. The third was $87,000, and between the first two, they were about $260,000. My tumor was (can't remember the metric measurements exactly) 2"x3"x4" going from my sinus cavity back to the base of my right ear and then straight up.

What my physical therapist told me to do, and my eye doctors backed up to an extent (I'll explain that in a bit), is to not wear the eye patch - I had to initially because of sensitivity in my right eye (the tumor was wrapped around my right optic nerve), but with wearing my eyeglasses, they put and transparent textured tape on (tape that the hospital and eye doctors use), so you can see shapes through it, but it's blurred so it helps with being able to focus with my good eye, while still allowing the eye to focus and react to stimuli. When you wear the eye patch, the eye is doing nothing and you will start to develop a lazy eye, so you are trading one problem for another if you do it long enough.

My situation is I developed an ulcer in my eye due to the stress of 3 major surgeries in 3 weeks and got scarring on my cornea so my vision is blurred in that eye. What the eye doctors did since then is put a fresnel lens on my glasses so with the double vision I am experiencing, it's helping me by allowing me to see straight when looking forward so I can function and my eye still move and stuff.

wish u will get well soon.. all the best dear

My mom who is 57 just had a craniotomy for a brain tumor 5 days ago. We are still waiting on the pathology to know what it is and what the next steps are. I am concerned because she has come out of the surgery very different. Before surgery she was experiencing difficulty speaking but only very mild. She can speak but nothing that is coming out makes sense. I can only hope with speech therapy she will improve. Her personality is quite different as well. I know its not even been a week and to give it more time.

Obviously, this was not a meningioma. I would speak with her doctor and pin him down. Ask him what the rate is for full recovery and partial recovery. Ask what the percentage of patients come out with permanent damage. And pray. And pray. And pray. Then pray some more. And remember, the older we get, the longer it takes to recover. I am 64 and mine took a long time and it was benign. Best of luck to you. Please keep us posted!