Flight attendant with Meningioma

[Monterosa]

I've been diagnosed with a small benign meningioma which has given me no symptoms until now and was found by chance whilst doing a ct scan during breast cancer.

I work as a flight attendant and have been off from work due to the breast cancer diagnosis/treatment. Now with this added complication I'm worried that I won't be able to return to work. I know it's possible to fly with a brain tumour but there is no specific information available with regards to my situation.

I would be grateful for any information from anyone who is or has been in a similar situation.

Many thanks

[Gobucks87]

hey there i had a meningioma removed in feb of 2022 and im going through radiation now for it. Completed 23 of 33 total treatments. I had this same question for my neurosurgeon. Are you on facebook at all or can i get your email? Id really like to talk to you about this.

[Thoullis]

Hi my wife was also diagnosed with a small benign meningioma in 2014. Since then it has remained stable and hasn’t grown. She was advised not to have an operation since it was unlikely ever to give her problems!! We live in the U.K. and this there is no direct financial incentive for surgeons to recommend an operation! From my wife’s experience I would say just forget about it and just go on living your life. Honestly, we never give it a second thought except when it comes to travel insurance where they load the premiums for customers declaring a meningioma irrespective of whether it’s causing problems. Apparently, 20-25% of people diagnosed with a meningioma never go on to experience symptoms and many thousands of people have the condition without realising it until it is discovered by chance as in your case😀

[Prairiehill]

Sorry to hear about your situation, one problem at a time is more than enough. You didn’t mention the size and location of your meningioma and what sort of symptoms you’re experiencing so I can only offer general comments. If you’re having what’s known as focal aware seizures (also simple partial seizures) that involve movements, feelings, or sensations that are out of your control and last for 2-5 minutes you should think about having surgery soon. They will only get more frequent and if you wait too long (like I did) you will eventually have a full-blown seizure (known as a grand mal seizure) during which you will lose consciousness and depending on where it happens, be in a life-threatening situation. I found out the hard way that even if your meningioma remains stable in size year to year, that doesn’t mean your symptoms will remain stable. For a flight attendant, having a major seizure would be much more problematic for their career than someone that works in a factory or office setting.

[Thoullis in reply to Prairiehill]

The lady specifically stated she was not experiencing symptoms!! She also stated it was a small benign tumour!

[Prairiehill in reply to Thoullis]

" . . . which has given me no symptoms until now." You missed the words "until now." I too had a small benign meningioma and it almost took my life. I stand by my recommendations.

[Gobucks87]

did they say the meningioma was linked or related to the breast cancer?

[MiracleMind in reply to Gobucks87]

usually not, meningiomas are a tumor on their own, so called primary tumor, they don't originate elsewhere but from the meninges nor spread throughout the body.

[MiracleMind]

hello! My husband had surgery for a large meningioma and then a recurrence, gamma knife treatment, one seizure right after the radiation treatment. He's a seaman so we are facing similar challenges with work - they did allow him to go back to work after the surgery, for about a year, but not after the seizure. Though it is a real fight with medical bureaucracy - I would say not to give up, especially if you feel well and the meningioma is not causing symptoms. My husband is waiting to be reevaluated in a couple of months, while also thinking of possible career change...

[touring]

Sorry to hear about your situation, but you need to talk to your Neurologist about your work. I had a meningioma discovered in 2018 and eventually had to have surgery to remove it. One of the things I was told before I had surgery was not to take a flight of over 4 hours. Now obviously this was due to the location of my tumour, the size and the rate of growth. Lots of things to take into consideration! I hope it all gets sorted successfully 🙏

[AGwarrior]

My neurosurgeon was not concerned about flying with small meniongioma but not sure if it is constant due to your work....better to discuss with your neurosurgeon