2020 was a particularly difficult year for me outside the news and the COVID-29. I lost my mother in March, and was operated on from the carpal tunnel of both hands in April and June. The recovery of my right hand, although the operation prior to the left, was really not terrible, and I even had the feeling that it would get worse. She was like inert at the end of my arm, I only used it the minimum essential, I cultivated my ambidextrous faculties! At the end of July, I made a kind of discomfort when I was outside with my husband, kinds of vertigo, no loss of knowledge . I put this on the account of fatigue, heat…. And then I fell, without hurting myself, I was drunk, I stumbled upon the stairs. By nature, I do not listen to myself too much, but I still went to see my general practitioner on the advice of a friend who served me, having had different health concerns.

I thought for a time having made a "mini avc".

My general practitioner (which I consulted for the 1st time, not really having a treating physician) examined me and prescribed a complete assessment (blood and heart balance analyzes).

I also had headaches to which I did not really pay attention. I have always been migraine, I have tested all kinds of treatments and made a scanner at least 25 years ago. The only thing that relieved me a bit being acupuncture sessions that I had to stop with the covid and my two operations in the hands.

I therefore make an appointment (August 25, time having spent with the summer holidays) with the cardiologist who takes seriously what I tell him about my mini discomfort (I even doubt it to have had it). And he says to me "I think rather of something neurological, we are going to do a brain MRI" (without injection). The electro cardiogram is normal and he tells me that we will see again for a holter and an ultrasound.

Having the chance to be in a region where the medical offer is rather bloated, I have an appointment for MRI on August 27. During the exam, the radio operator comes out of the tube and said to me "There is something that is wrong, are you allergic? We are going to make the injection to continue the exam and have valid images ”. When the MRI ends, I wait for the results, the radiologist brings me into his office. I ask him what's wrong, and he assnds me "you have two tumors, meningiomas. 1 These are tumors 2, benign 3, you have to see a neurosurgeon ” . I'm shocked, I'm waiting for the report and will find my husband to tell her orally. I learned the existence of meningiomas…. I find out about the neurosurgeons who are in the region, I learn that in the Nice University Hospital, the team is renowned. I contact the cardiologist through his secretary, explaining what it is. He does not hide me that it's serious and tells me to contact the Nice University Hospital. I call the secretariat and I send the report by email. I have an appointment quickly on September 3. There the neurosurgeon confirms that given the symptoms and the clinical examination, the operation is the solution.

Meanwhile I had looked on the internet, found the Amavea association and its group on Facebook which is of great moral support but also practical. I had read that from what I knew about my case, the most important of meningiomas (frontal and rolandic) was well located and operable, the second partially introduces into my ear canal. I will come back to it.

I ask him about the urgency of the operation, he tells me to come and see the anesthesiologist the next day for an operation the following week, which will give me time to honor my appointments for the cardiac echo and the Holter (which will confirm that everything is fine on this side).

Nothing special to report concerning the appointment with the anesthesiologist and the pre-operative blood report.

The operation is scheduled for September 14, I was hospitalized the day before. Some things worry to me: the 24 or 48 hours going into intensive care, the urinary probe that we must put ... for the rest I know in good hands and I am confident. The neurosurgeon is very available, he gave me his email address to contact him and ask him the questions that will come after the appointment, I use it and his answers are precise and reassuring.

On the 13th the difficult time was when my husband returned home and the door of the room closed on him. An intern has come to put me electrodes (and shave me where he put them on my skull). The morning of the operation, I spent another MRI with injection.

I had to be operated at the beginning of the afternoon, it almost was reported for a problem of space in intensive care, the neurosurgeon came to find me in the room to offer me to spend the night in the alarm clock instead so as not to postpone the date, which for which I opted.

The night in the awakening room was a little painful, I was hot, cold, I was nauseous ... Finally I found my room in the morning. I was able to speak to my husband when I wake up and he was reassured to find me "normal" and consistent. I now know that he apprehends to end up with consequences ...

The hospitalization went well, everyone was adorable. I was not hungry at all, disgusted by drugs, I hardly took "optional" anti pain because I had no pain. I was removed the infusion and the probe after two days and I came out after 5.

The day after the operation and for one or two days, my right hand trembled when I was holding something, as if we had put the current at once. And then it disappeared and I did some hand rehabilitation sessions, as well as some exercises relating to balance in a physiotherapist.

I felt in shape and full of energy and I had trouble understanding the testimonies of other patients on the association site who were talking about fatigue. I think the cortisone held me in this state and I thought I had the backlash later, which did not miss.

Finally, the consequences were more complicated than expected, the healing seemed on the right track, although a little slow, the nurses came at home every two days to make the dressing, it was not painful. They removed the points fifteen days after the operation as prescribed on the prescription, I had no staples, only twenty (roughly) of points. To remove them was not very painful either.

The dressings then continued. Until the day when the scar began to ooze a little , exchanges of photos and emails with the neurosurgeon, counseling dressings in the hospital ... It followed his course until the beginning of November when finally it seemed about to end. It was counting without the covid, which I contracted at the same time. And so the city's nurse noticed the reopening of the scar, a pocket pocket .. .. and that was very complicated, no longer a question of going to the hospital, the neurosurgeon prescribed me antibiotics at a distance, the previous and old samples had not revealed any infection but it was several days before this story of pus ... I had fever, I was totally shattered. I asked for information on the association's FB group and there, unlike usual, I was not reassured, stories of infection, meningitis, abscess, hospitalization and antibiotics in infusion…. I did not have the slightest desire to return to the hospital in a covid room isolated from all, and without visit. I already felt sufficiently plagued like this. The nurses came by fully equipped, blouse, Charlotte, visor, mask…. The antibiotic having no effect after 3 days, my general practitioner that I was able to consult on video prescribed me another, stronger, and antibiotic ointment to put locally. It ended up getting better, slowly…. I still went after the contagion period of the covid once a week to the hospital show the scar to the surgeon who adapted the protocol and the type of dressing. Finally he gave on December 22 (3 months and a week after the operation) the green light to stop dressings

There is still the crust and I remain cautious by making the shampoos (it was my Christmas present be able to redo an almost normal shampoo!)

There remains the second to monitor, I have an appointment next week for a hearing and vestibular assessment which will say what it is and if it is necessary to treat.

The headaches have returned, different from my usual migraine, in the morning upon waking especially, and pain sometimes in the limbs, but nothing too bad and upon raising it tends to disappear.

All this was obviously not trivial, I still remain tired and I have not yet resumed the way to work but it is also a lesson in life that I draw. I am aware of my luck and the fact that in relation to others, my symptoms and consequences are very light. Nevertheless, I will never be carefree again and I suppose that I will be monitored for life. So the term "benign tumor" seems a bit of an oxymoron as one does not live it as "benign" precisely.

I was under Sterilet Mirena for ten years, I do not know if it has influenced the formation of these meningiomas but I am scandalized that certain hormonal treatments are recognized as favoring or "nourishing" and nevertheless continue to be administered without precaution.

Two years later

Almost two years have passed since the operation, and I have the impression that it did not arranged ...

I have underestimated the consequences. At the time of the operation, I was in warlike and confident mode ... I did not yet know that I would be marked for life. I first resumed three months in half therapeutic, then at full time and there things deteriorated quite quickly.

The second tumor caused dizziness, which we were able to eliminate thanks to sessions of vestibular physiotherapy. But above all an immense fatigue, and a lack of concentration, losses of memory, the inability to do my work correctly. I practically made a burn out, I lost all confidence in my abilities, doubting everything, having memory holes, no longer remembering the figure that I had just read on a document and which I had to postpone on another, etc ...

In short, I was arrested for depression at the end of October.

Everything continued to degrade: hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea. I had the impression of being 80 years old, chaining medical appointments, physiotherapy for problems of cervical and osteoarthritis.

To date, I have not returned to work and it is almost certain that I will not resume

Then the term "Benin" is completely incorrect and unjustified! Thanks to Amavea for saying it and repeating it….

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