BRAIN surgery SURVIVORS unite!

has anybody been through brain surgery, or any major operation.  i am afraid i will die.  there is a 5% of complications, and a 95% success rate, and i am going to mayo clinic, which is a great hospital, but my surgery is in september... the right side of my brain, my creative side... i am so anxious.  I was just diagnosed with a tumor december of 2007, that is when i had my first seizure, and mri of my brain, which showed my wonderful buddy in my brain (my big brother says it is my siamese twin, which never grew up, he is so sweet.)

anyway- can somebody tell me they have survived this strange and inhumane surgery... i feel as though it is wrong and violating for a person to stick metal probes and things into my head.. ughh yuck yuck yuck.

i need to talk to somebody who has been there, done that... or maybe somebody with a close friend or relative who went through this.  im falling apart.  nobody really understands how much i am afraid.

please, somebody.....

Laura, I haven't been through it, but I worked 14 years at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis and watched many children go through your experiences. I worked in the MRI so I saw them before and after and for followups.  They were varied in age from baby to teens.  I remember one teenage girl with a tumor in the same location as you had beautiful log red hair. Of course after surgery, one side was shaved.  Someone a couple months later told her that her hair was cute!  We laughed and said she should have referred them to her barber.   She did very well post surgery.

I don't know if you know, but about 25 years ago parent of children with brain tumors were told go home and make them comfortable until the inevitable. Now surgical technique have improved dramatically, MRI can get a really good look at what is going on, Radiation can hit the bad parts with limited exposure to the good and there are a few chemotherapies that even help.  Having a resectible tumor is the best!!  I'm happy you got it diagnosed and are having surgery. You are soooo lucky!  Hang in there and let us know about your hairstyle.

Laura,

I dont have anybody that i know who went through this kind of surgery. But i wish i could tell you a success story. Hang in there, everything will be fine. I am sure the medical research and equipment are the best as they can be now. And i have  reasons to believe that doctors nowadays know what they are doing. A year ago u underwent the thyroid operation, and luckily i am totally healthy now. Though there was a 80 % chance of becoming underactive or whatever.  Everything will be fine, i am sure. Keep thinking positive. This really helps. I will be with you in my thoughts.

I've had two brain tumours and a series of other brain surgeries due to having to have a shunt - complicated explaination, baciscally to prevent hydrocaphilus (water on the brain) - anyway, they were all extremely successful and yes, I've been told horrific statistics, even for the smaller operations because I've had so many, so there's a higher risk. You just have to put your trust in the doctors and know that your going to be okay and have to do this. Have the same attitude towards the treatment, if you have any, afterwards as well - I had to have a 6 week course of intense radiotherapy - it'll make everything go a lot faster.

I know that the illnesses in general have made me a stronger person and you just have to look to the future and be positive which I know seems hard but the statistics are on your side.

loeloelaura, my uncle has had 2! brain surgeries and 3 inner ear tumor surgeries within 2 years. He was 34 at the time. You can tell from the number of surgeries that his case was extreme.
The good news is, it's been 5 years after the surgeries, and he is just fine, no side effects that I know about.

The first year after all the surgeries was the toughest time,  after the first surgery he gained over 50 pounds in just a few weeks, and had horrible cystic acne, but all of that magically disappeared after 3 months (no excercise, no diet). While he was on chemo, the usual nausea was there, but once that was done he was back on track.  I am telling you this not to scare you, but to let you know that strange things happen right after the surgery, but it all goes back to normal pretty fast, so don't get horrified and dont panic if you notice something wrong in that period. Wait for recovery.

After the last surgery and the chemo he hasn't had any problems, back to his usual self, no acne, no weight, no issues with brain function, nothing.

Also, his surgery was experimental because of the areas affected, risk of complications was very high. In your case, looks like it's a surgery with higher success rate. Don't despair, human brain is just wonderful, it's much more powerful than most people think, and it's got great ability to recover and delegate.

thank you for all of your stories and positive attitudes!!!! this comforts me to hear about your experiances

love laura

Laura... hi!! you need to trust and I know it's hard and if you are a person that prays then send the word out. My husband had brain surgery for a tumor in his cochlea 4 years and ago and besides being deaf in that ear is fine. Just last week my son (17) went through emergency surgery for the second time (third time all together) on his brain. He is recovering and actually had major complications this past time but he will be fine. You need to be ready and you need to be strong and you need to have faith. I had send out a prayer request (because the chances that my son was going to survive long enough to have the surgery were very slim) the day it happened and although we were told he would be in the ICU for weeks he was home in 11 days. (He also had lungs full of fluid and a heart attack because of the fluid build up.) Yes he's only 17 but that's three things that he had to overcome. Think positive and be prepared and pray like the dickens!!!

Good luck!!

Hey Laura,

My dad has to go for brain surgery soon for a meningioma on his frontal lobe. I found a really awesome support network online at meningiomamommas.org where survivors of meningioma's come together and support. All of them survived brain surgery and some of their stories are really inspirational.

Wishing you all the best!

i did it! i made it in and out with no problems other than loosing weight.  wow, that was so much easier than i had expected.  it has been 6 weeks and 2 days.

i have learned so much from this experience it is unreal.  thanks for all your good words.

being from a small town, it is hard to find people who are going through the same thing, but i found others going through life changing illnesses, and close friends even family members. i love how much strength, getting through this operation, has brought to us. 

the greatest thing i have learned is to be patient.  and i guess that applies to loosing weight as well.. patience people, patience

I'm glad to hear you're okay! I remember reading your posts in the past and it really is good to hear you've come through alright. All the best and heres to your recovering from your surgery! :D

I'm glad to hear you made it okay.  I'm new hear. I was just told I have a tumor on my frontal lobe.  I go to a neurosurgeon the end of the month.  Reading all this is very encouraging.

Hello Laura,

I had a brain tumor in my right frontal lobe of my brain. It was scary at first, and then it got much easier. However I agree with one of the other writers on this blog. I too gained 50 pounds and got acne afterwards, which the doctors didn't warn me about, so that made me depressed even more so than I was after having my head cut open. I'm alive and well, and that's all that matters. Best of Luck to you! 

Congrats Laura! I'm glad to hear that you are doing well & lost the weight, I'm still trying daily. Best of Luck to you!