Meningioma after a night out

My kids were young 6, 8, 13, and 14. I had been in amazing physical and mental shape at the time. I had many friends and family; who could ask for more. I was 39 at the time and it was that night in the late spring of 2009 that I went to a friends for wine and appetizers.

I had only sipped on not even a quarter of a glass of red wine in about a period of 2 hours. I made my rounds talking with many friends that I hadn’t talked to in awhile when all of a sudden something hit me hard! It took everything I had strength wise to find the restroom. Eventually, I found a way to get out of the restroom and barely said goodbye. I was so sick and I could barely see in front of me.

Luckily I lived next door. My husband said I looked grey when I got home and I literally passed out. Just like that, I was in the hospital for the next two weeks. They discovered about a 3-inch Meningioma in my right sphenoid ridge that they determined was benign. We were sure this was what caused the change of everything in my life that evening.

I was bed bound with symptoms and malaise for two months, most of which Neurologists and Neurosurgeons told me was not cause by the tumor.

Later that summer I ended up getting Gamma Knife Radiation to freeze the tumor but to this day I still have the brain tumor about the same size, along with some other health problems.

It has been a very rocky road and extremely expensive BUT I am very grateful to be alive! I know others who have are in worse situations and I count my blessings everyday! This is my story thank you for reading!

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Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.