Dealing with things that are out of my control has never been one of my strengths. When crises happen, I tend to close myself off and shut down emotionally or fall apart. Neither of these scenarios provide optimum support for the people around me. The problem is, being able to identify your weaknesses and finding a way to correct them are two very different things.
And, oh yes, Dieter has a brain tumor.
He has apparently been having headaches for the past 3+ weeks, taking Advil like it were candy. Yesterday my mom made him go to the
Dr, assuming that he had a sinus infection or some such ailment. Not the case.
He called to tell her that they were going to give him a CAT scan about the time that I got off work. At that point, none of us knew what was going on. Dieter continued (still does) to have a laid back attitude about the whole thing. He has always tended to underplay things, so this was not unusual. My mom tried to meet him at the hospital, but he told her that he would call when he knew anything. And so we waited at home until he showed up about an hour later with the diagnosis.
Understandably, she freaked out. Grandma and I were in shock and didn't know how to react. Annie remained calm and probably internalized everything. Alex asked if he could go back to watching TV.
At this point I did what any logical thinker of my generation would do. I googled it.
What is a meningioma?
A meningioma is a type of tumor that develops from the meninges, the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. There are three layers of meninges, called the dura mater, arachnoid and pia mater. Most meningiomas (90%) are categorized as benign tumors, with the remaining 10% being atypical or malignant. However, the word "benign" can be misleading in this case, as when benign tumors grow and constrict and affect the brain, they can cause disability and even be life threatening.
In many cases, benign meningiomas grow slowly. This means that depending upon where it is located, a meningioma may reach a relatively large size before it causes symptoms. Other meningiomas grow more rapidly, or have sudden growth spurts. There is no way to predict the rate of growth for a meningioma, or to know for certain how long a specific tumor was growing before diagnosis.
Most people with a meningioma will only have a tumor at only one site, but it is also possible to have several tumors growing simultaneously in different parts of the brain and spinal cord. When multiple meningiomas occur, more than one type of treatment may have to be used.
Meningiomas vary in their symptoms and appropriate treatment options depending on where they are located.
A primary brain tumor originates in the central nervous system, while metastatic brain tumors spread to the brain from other parts of the body. Meningiomas account for about 27% of primary brain tumors, making them the most common of that type.
Who is at risk?
Meningiomas are most common in people between the ages of 40 and 70. They are more common in women than in men. Among middle-aged patients, there is a marked female bias, with a female: male ratio of almost 3:1 in the brain and up to 6:1 in the spinal cord. Meningiomas are very rare in children, with pediatric cases accounting for only 1.5% of the total.
How is the diagnosis made?
Meningiomas may cause seizures, headaches, and focal neurological defects, such as arm or leg weakness, or vision loss. Patients often have subtle symptoms for a long period before the meningioma is diagnosed. Sometimes memory loss, carelessness, and unsteadiness are the only symptoms.
Diagnosis is made by a contrast enhanced CT and/or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. While MRIs are in some ways superior, the CT can be helpful in determining if the tumor invades the bone, or if it’s becoming hard like bone.
That evening there were many talks about the uncertainty of it all. My mom called people in her extensive network of friends and acquaintances and got as much information from them as possible. Today they are off at appointments, getting an MRI and seeing the top neurosurgeon in the area.
I don't know how it will all turn out or if how I am reacting to this is "right". All I can do is react the way that I react, keeping in mind all the lives this touches and how much hurt and anger are probably going to come out of it all. And, of course, I hope for the best outcome with everything.
