Another guest post from M

Whew. I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Ross in Billings on Wednesday & it was full of good news. He says my stroke risk is no longer increased and my risk for traumatic brain injury is no different today that 2 years from now. I NEVER would have thought 10 years ago that I would cry happy tears when someone told me I could run again (slowly, carefully, not far… but hey—I’m only 3 weeks post-op!) I can xc ski, even downhill ski (again, slowly, carefully, helmeted & “don’t overdo it.”) I’m telling you, I just like this guy~ he sticks with highlighting the few things not to do & then says “listen to your body and don't overdo it” but it’s OK to start increasing activities as it feels good, so long as I still avoid anything with my head below my heart or anything strenuous (no breath holding/straining/ etc.) I can lay flat to sleep! I can drive… all sorts of stuff J, so long as I "get plenty of rest & listen to my body."

The tumor was right on top of my supplemental motor area (SMA), so he thinks that’s what’s causing my left-sided proprioception & numbness/tingling issues. That area is pretty bruised & swollen at this point. He is confident it will resolve in “weeks to months- it varies,” but hey, at least it’ll resolve. I will not be sad when the pins & needles don’t interfere with my sleeping anymore. I have learned to trust that my left side will do what my brain says, so while I still can’t feel muscles firing or it moving very well, it’s getting easier to get out and about & trust it.

I still get tired easily. An hour or so of social activities at a time are about all I can handle before I have a hard time tracking conversations or taking in information. Dr. Ross says the fatigue varies person to person; some will recover within a few weeks, others will take up to 6 months. I feel like it's slowly but steadily improving. I just try to schedule some frequent down times throughout the day- it makes a world of difference in how I feel to get some intermittent quiet time & break up the day’s activities.

Some basic internet searches turn up random statistics on meningiomas. (Johns Hopkins has a very informative site for those interested in reading more.) Meningiomas account for 30% or brain tumors and are two to three times more common in women than men. They recur within 15 years in 24-32% of cases and 95% of the time it’s in the same place as the original tumor. This is why I will have regularly scheduled MRIs for the rest of ever. Dr. Ross will track it & if it starts to grow back, he can Gamma Knife the new growth (very specific radiation & non-invasive out-patient procedure… MUCH better than going through a craniotomy again.) The fact that Gargamel was a Grade 1 tumor suggests it will be even less likely to recur. Grade 1 tumors are fairly rare in adults & associated with very high long-term survival rates.

In surgery, they typically aim to remove the tumor & about 1-2 cm around it to ensure they remove all of the cells to decrease the likelihood of it growing back, but due to location, that wasn’t entirely possible for me. It was right up against the superior saggital sinus vein (the biggest vein in our brain), so he cauderized that area to discourage re-growth. The tumor also bordered my motor strip, so he did not excise extra tissue beyond the posterior edge to spare my motor function on my left side (a decision I am totally on board with!)

For my medical nerds: Gargamel was a Grade I psammomatous meningioma with some parasitation of the cortical vasculature. He was located on the very posterior of my right frontal lobe & pushing against my parietal lobe; so he was bumping up against my motor strip & pushing down on my supplemental motor area (SMA.) I have 2 titanium snowflakes & 1 or 2 dog bones; they are KLS Martin brand. The bone flap is ~2-3 inches and a roundish square shape.

My follow-up MRI is scheduled for March 7th, so I should learn a little more about how things are looking in there after that. 

In the meantime, anyone up for Bridger Brewing for some pizza Tuesday March 5? I’m thinking noonish. They have delicious spicy ginger beer… & real beer too, for those who are so inclined ;)