Fact about A Meningioma Brain Tumor Diagnosis Needn't Be the End of the World!

Let's face it, on the list of scary things that can happen to someone, being diagnosed with a meningioma type brain tumor has got to be pretty high on anyones list. But, whether it's happened to you or to a loved one, a meningioma brain tumor diagnosis needn't be the end of the world.
In the summer of 2014 my friend was suffering from involuntary spasms in her leg. She initially thought this was probably a trapped nerve in her back, (Note to reader:- Unless you're a doctor, self diagnosis is a big no-no)!

When this started to happen on a fairly regular basis it became more than a little annoying and so a trip to the doctors was arranged. Thankfully we have a very good doctor who decided as a first option rather than a last one, to arrange an MRI scan. But an MRI scan on the head and not her back, where she had thought the problem may be!

The MRI scan was carried out and being rather optimistic by nature, we both thought that it would reveal nothing and that it would then be a case of physiotherapy or some such treatment. What happened next changed our lives overnight. A meningioma brain tumor was diagnosed as being the cause of the 'kicking leg' effect.

To say we were both shell shocked would be an understatement. When someone tells you you have a brain tumor, the automatic first thought is that you are going to die. Period. I know that was true for my friend and I'd be less than honest if I said that it wasn't the first thought in my head as well.
I believe it is the case that benign meningiomas are far more common in women than they are in men.
The fact is though, that a meningioma type brain tumor can be one of the most operable type of tumors there is. Also, they are most often benign, which was the case for my wife.
After the initial shock had subsided a little, we started to try to think positive again. We made an appointment with the neurosurgeon and my first question to him was, "how much pain will my friend experience?" His answer came as quite a surprise.

"No pain", he said. This man was exactly the sort of person you would want if someone was going to open up your skull and start delving around inside! He was the epitome of the word 'calm'. He exuded such a relaxed attitude to the whole affair that he instilled a great deal of confidence in both of us. We both began to feel that perhaps a meningioma brain tumor diagnosis was not going to mean the end of the world after all.

And so it proved. The 5 hour operation was a completed success. The meningioma was removed in one piece and after a few days in intensive care my friend was moved to a general ward area of the hospital to complete her recovery.

I kept asking her if she was in any pain and always the answer was "no". In fact we now look back and laugh at the fact that the most pain she experienced during the entire hospital stay was indigestion from the hospital food!

Within 10 days my friend was back home and the day after that she was back working on her computer. I tried to stop her but she wanted to do it, saying she was bored and just wanted to get back to normal.

So although it's a very scary thing to be told, a meningioma brain tumor diagnosis need not be the end of the world.

Fact About Brain Cancer Symptoms

From world health report, brain cancer accounts for about 1.6% of all cancer cases and about 2.5% of all cancer deaths. This may not seems like a lot but don't let the numbers fool you on the severity of brain cancer. Once the cancer turns malignant, the tumors grow aggressively and overpower the healthy cells taking up their space, blood and nutrients. This is an area of grave concern because the brain is the most important part of your body and controls everything. Whenever there is something wrong with your brain, it affects the entire body. Knowing what the brain cancer symptoms are and able to recognize these symptoms is incredibly important for our prognosis and survival from this deadly disease.

Several different factors can cause these signs. Some of these symptoms are caused by the tumor pressing on different parts of the brain and impairing them from functioning properly. The symptoms can also be caused by the swelling of the brain, the tumor or the area around the tumor. Unfortunately, these brain cancer symptoms usually develop very slowly and gradually over time and this makes it really difficult for anyone to confirm the existence of this deadly disease. For instance, people often think that a headache is just a headache or that the dizziness felt is due to any other reasons except cancer. If these symptoms occur frequently and very rapidly, you should definitely visit your doctor to see what the problem is.

The biggest problem with brain cancer and brain tumors is that their symptoms are often nonspecific making it is very difficult to know if you have it or not, unless you are seriously looking for it. The most common symptoms of brain cancer are headaches, general weaknesses, difficulty in walking, clumsiness and seizures. Other more serious symptoms include difficulty with speech, abnormal vision, nausea, vomiting, quick emotional changes, and an altered mental state. An altered mental state can include changes in concentration, memory, intellectual capacity, attention and alertness.
Brain cancer is an incredibly serious form of cancer and it is important for us to know what these brain cancer symptoms are so that we can take necessary action to arrest the situation early. If you suspect you are suffering or are suffering from these symptoms, please consult your doctor early to ascertain your actual medical condition. If brain cancer is confirmed, discuss with your doctor for an appropriate course of treatment best suited for you. An early intervention increases your chances for an early recovery and a prolonged survival.

The doctors will often make you take a CT scan if they feel you have brain cancer. A CT scan is like an x-ray except in shows the brain in three-dimensions. A harmless dye is usually injected into your bloodstream to make abnormalities more visible in the CT scan. Other tests include blood tests, liver tests, urine tests and blood coagulation profiles. MRI scans are sometimes used instead of CT scans. The reason for this is because MRI has a better ability to assess the changes in a tumor.

Fact About The Symptoms of Brain Cancer


Are you know about brain cancer? Brain cancer is a disease of the brain where cancer cells (malignant) grow in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain tissue functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions. Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of noncancerous cells are called benign tumors. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors. Statistics suggest that brain cancer is not rare and is likely to develop in about 20,000 people per year.

Primary brain cancer rarely spreads beyond the central nervous system, and death results from uncontrolled tumor growth within the limited space of the skull. Metastatic brain cancer indicates advanced disease and has a poor prognosis.

There are two main types of brain cancer. Primary brain cancer starts in the brain. Metastatic brain cancer starts somewhere else in the body and moves to the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly.


Metastatic brain tumors are made of cancerous cells from a tumor elsewhere in the body. The cells spread to the brain from another tumor in a process called metastasis. About 25% of tumors elsewhere in the body metastasize to the brain.

Symptoms of Brain Cancer

Cancers are typically painless at first. As they grow, the first symptom is often a mild discomfort, which may steadily worsen into increasingly severe pain as the cancer enlarges. The pain may result from the cancer compressing or eroding into nerves or other structures.

Brain tumors can damage vital neurological pathways and invade and compress brain tissue. Symptoms usually develop over time and their characteristics depend on the location and size of the tumor.

A sign is also an indication that something is not right in the body. But signs are defined as things that can be seen by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. Fever, rapid breathing rate, and abnormal breathing sounds heard through a stethoscope may be signs of pneumonia.

The symptoms are caused by the tumor pressing on or encroaching on other parts of your brain and keeping them from functioning normally.

As the skull is made of bone, there is a fixed amount of space for the brain to take up. The growing tumor increases the pressure inside this fixed space. This is called 'raised intracranial pressure'.

Motion sickness is a very common disturbance of the inner ear that is caused by repeated motion such as from the swell of the sea, the movement of a car, the motion of a plane in turbulent air, etc. In the inner ear (which is also called the labyrinth), motion sickness affects the sense of balance and equilibrium and, hence, the sense of spatial orientation.

Fits are one of the commonest symptoms of brain tumors. About 1 in 4 people with a brain tumor first go to their doctor because they have had a fit. A fit can just be jerking or twitching of a hand, arm or leg.

Brain tumors can often present different symptoms depending on the location of the tumor. There are general brain tumor symptoms that need to be checked out by a doctor if they are experienced.

At the late stages of the disorder, dramatic changes in blood pressure may occur. Seizures are a common symptom of benign brain tumors and slow-growing cancers. Tumors can cause a part of the body to weaken or feel paralyzed. Hearing, sight and the sense of smell can be affected.

We Must Know About Brain Tumor Symptoms

My friend right now was diagnosed with a brain cancer, and he exhibited some of normal Brain Tumor Symptoms. However he did not have all the typical symptoms of a brain tumor, this is quite common for someone to only exhibit a selection of the normal brain tumor symptoms.

So what are the brain tumor symptoms you should look out for?

Brain Tumor Symptoms are very much related to where in the brain the tumor is located.

This is a short resume of what symptoms are related to which part of the brain.
Occipital lobe - Tumors in the Occipital lobe can cause the following: vision impairment especially on one side.

Temporal lobe - Tumors in the Temporal lobe can cause the following: Fits, strange feelings like fear or familiarity like dé jà vu, unusual smells, blackouts, difficulties with speech, memory problems.
Parietal lobe - Tumors in the Parietal lobe can cause the following: problems with movements especially co-ordination of movements, difficulty in understanding words reading and writing, disorientation.

Frontal lobe - Tumors in the Frontal lobe can cause the following: some weakness usually in one side of the body, unco-ordination especially in walking, some speech difficulties, changes in personality or intellect.

numbers and calculations, weakness on one side of the body.

Cerebellum - Tumors in the Cerebellum can cause the following: Co-ordination affecting walking and speech, vomiting and nausea, unsteadiness, involuntary movement of the eyes - flickering, neck stiffness.

Brain stem - Tumors in the Brain Stem can cause the following: Vision issues usually double vision, facial weakness can be one-sided smile or eyelid that droops, Unsteadiness usually un-coordinated walking, speaking and swallowing difficulties.

As you can see the different tumors exhibit different symptoms.

After you know about it, you need to look out for any brain tumor symptoms and if there appears to be a problem get it check by a qualified doctor or medical person immediately before late.