Questions

[catmillieprincess22]

I have appointment with neurosurgeon in a few weeks feeling anxious and would some suggestions on what questions I should be asking

[Tumo Pioneer]

good morning, I too have meningiomas, diagnosed 8 years ago. Please ask any questions that you think of no matter how trivial they seem. I went will an A4 piece of paper, questions both sides, feeling a little apprehension about asking them. When I saw my Neurosurgeon he answered nearly every question I had written down before I asked them. Remember to take a pen and paper to write answers down to questions as you will come out of there forgetting what was said, or at least I did. This is not a journey any of us want to be on, but opening up and being honest is the key to getting through this. The Brain Tumour Charity are so helpful too, I’ve used them many times over the last 8 years. Stay strong and positive, it’s a difficult journey, I hope you have a family to talk to, although they won’t always understand how you feel, and because we look ok people think we are fine. I hope this has been of some use to you today. Good luck, you can do this.

[Maddie_TBTC Administrator]

Hi, thank you for reaching out. Receiving a diagnosis can be overwhelming and it's very understandable to be feeling anxious. We have a page on our website which includes a list of helpful questions to ask. These questions have been written from the perspective of a patient and are not an exhaustive list. There may be additional questions that you may also want to ask that are important to you: thebraintumourcharity.org/b...

Our Step by Step interactive guide walks you through what to expect at each stage after a diagnosis. You'll find questions to ask your healthcare team, suggested actions for you to take and useful resources for you to explore. You can read this here: thebraintumourcharity.org/b...

I hope this is helpful to start with, please know we are here to support you. You can email us [e-mail] or call our Support and Information line on 0808 800 0004 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). Warm wishes, The Support Team

[Hammers67]

Hi 'catmillieprincess22'

I would advise you to ask four questions. Firstly would be to agree your pain relief plan. Codeine will help, but will cause constipation! Across my 4 ops I managed to 'prize' morphine out of the nurses and even managed to go home with liquid morphine which was really useful.

A couple of left-field points which you may find of use: You will be put on 'nil by mouth' late in the afternoon the day before your Operation. When you add in your op time and your time in the critical observation ward before recovery in your ward this could all add up to16-18 hours without food. I remember coming around absolutely starving but thru experience my family had visited the M&S downstairs so could feed me as soon as I could eat. So I recommend you try and get a split of those times for you to make a comfortable decision.

Finally ask if your skull will be 'refitted' by metal screws. If yes, find out what type of metal is used. You will be amazed how many different people will ask you ''Do you have any metal in your body?'' or paper forms you are required to fill in requiring that info _ really hope that has made sense for you or at least given you a steer, but happy to expand on any of the points I've listed-just contact me directly if you wish. Best wishes and Good Luck, James.