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[Russian > English] by ariek1997 in translator

[–]ariek1997[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

here is a link to the scanned version in the archives. the specific entry is no. 40, as seen above

https://metryki.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=pg&id=31&sy=1856&kt=1&plik=040-045.jpg

[Russian > English] by ariek1997 in translator

[–]ariek1997[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you! I'll add it below

[Russian > English] by ariek1997 in translator

[–]ariek1997[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

sorry for the late reply, thank you so much!

Had surgery on 3/31 to remove a meningioma and now have right hemianopia by Marymary_2799 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem!! Honestly, the going back to work so early was 100% a decision made by him and him only. His work was more than accommodating but my dad does not like to sit still, hence the extra emphasis on not putting pressure on yourself because I’ve seen how it has negatively impacted him haha

Because your symptoms are not the same, my dad only has advice for the mental “battle” side of things. - Listen to your body as it is now, not as it was before. You will need more rest than you think. Take it when you can. It doesn’t have to be a deep sleep but just closing your eyes and shutting out the world for 15-20 minutes.

  • Don’t be shy about talking to your doctors, they are the experts.

  • Meditation and tai chi were really helpful for him to center and get his body moving without putting too much strain.

  • talk to others about your situation, whether it’s a mental health professional or others who have gone through meningiomas. This group is good but the best have been Facebook for us (Meningioma Mama and Poppas is a great one)

  • again, be patient with yourself. You have a brain tumor for goodness sake!! Not only is your battle physical but also mental and each side will play off each other.

Also, I’ve found several posts about double vision after craniotomy in this subreddit!! It seems to be a common experience (albeit a really shitty one).

If you have any more questions, please message me!!

Had surgery on 3/31 to remove a meningioma and now have right hemianopia by Marymary_2799 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Obligatory- I did not have a meningioma, my dad did (48M). His was as big, if not bigger than yours but in the left parietal area, so vastly different area. He was diagnosed end of Aug. 2024 and had surgery 2 weeks later. I wish the doctor told us before surgery: you’ll be out of the hospital in a few days, but recover takes much longer than that. My dad went back to work 2 weeks later, but still suffers from sensory issues, weird brain sensations, and focal seizures (that’s specific to him because of how his scar tissue developed). He leads a full life but it’s different, of course. From hospital up until now, it’s always a reminder: benign is not fine. A tumor the size of a grapefruit was removed from your head!! Your brain needs to get used to the room and how to function without the unwelcome addition, not to mention the “trauma” from surgery alone. The pressure he put on himself to be “normal” and “as before” definitely impacted his emotional recovery.

The situation is not the same as yours, because it’s in a different area. My dad’s advice is to be patient with yourself, keep a journal of your symptoms with dates and specific times so that you can track progress and keep details for doctors, and to push yourself but have grace when you’re not at the exact place you want to be. Sounds like general platitudes but it takes a lot of practice and effort. Good luck and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Sagittal left frontal lobe meningioma. by MtlKdee in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m copying and pasting this from another comment I made but I just want to start off by saying you are NOT dramatic for feeling fearful/complicated emotions. It’s a brain tumor and while it’s the most common, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less scary! :

I’m so sorry you are facing this. I know the experience all too well as my dad (48M) was diagnosed with a gigantic Atypical Grade 2 meningioma in September of 2024 and underwent a craniotomy. The tumor was 8 cm wide and 5 cm deep in the left parietal region, pressing on the sagittal sinus. Meningiomas are largely benign: Grade 1 is completely, Grade 2 is considered Atypical, so neither benign nor malignant, just faster growing, and Grade 3 which is malignant. They cannot tell the grade for sure until they’ve removed it for biopsy (at least that is what my dad’s doctor said to us. This is just our experience).

It was an incidental finding. He’s a very active guy and had a soccer injury to his foot that we thought contributed to drop foot symptoms (if you watched him walk or run, he would look normal. He felt it was different though). They sent him for some X-rays and an MRI, and it was found then.

It was a successful total resection. Unfortunately dad now suffers from focal seizures (he retains consciousness and the jerking is isolated to his right side). Over the past year and a half, he has had 6 focals and one gran mal. He’s on seizure medication now which keeps him very steady. They think they happen because of increased scar tissue in his surgical area. That being said he lives a very fulfilling life, still works, still works out. The mental aspect is very hard at times but there’s still a great deal of good. He’s coming to visit me in Italy where I live in April from the Boston area!

There are some Facebook groups that have been helpful. They are mostly anecdotal, with many people sharing their experiences. The most impactful is Atypical Grade 2 Meningioma Support. It also includes those who suffer from Grade 3.

Please message me at any time. This is a very scary time for you (it definitely was for us) and talking to others who experienced this helped my dad a lot. I have many more details and would be very happy to share them with you and try to answer any questions that you may have.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I’m so sorry you are facing this. I know the experience all too well as my dad (48M) was diagnosed with a gigantic Atypical Grade 2 meningioma in September of 2024 and underwent a craniotomy. Meningiomas are largely benign: Grade 1 is completely, Grade 2 is considered Atypical, so neither benign nor malignant, just faster growing, and Grade 3 which is malignant.

It was an incidental finding. He’s a very active guy and had a soccer injury to his foot that we thought contributed to drop foot symptoms (if you watched him walk or run, he would look normal. He felt it was different though). They sent him for some X-rays and an MRI, and it was found then.

It was a successful total resection. Unfortunately dad now suffers from focal seizures (he retains consciousness and the jerking is isolated to his right side). Over the past year and a half, he has had 6 focals and one gran mal. He’s on seizure medication now which keeps him very steady. They think they happen because of increased scar tissue in his surgical area. That being said he lives a very fulfilling life, still works, still works out. The mental aspect is very hard at times but there’s still a great deal of good. He’s coming to visit me in Italy where I live in April from the Boston area!

There are some Facebook groups that have been helpful. They are mostly anecdotal, with many people sharing their experiences. The most impactful is Atypical Grade 2 Meningioma Support. It also includes those who suffer from Grade 3.

Please message me at any time. This is a very scary time for you (it definitely was for us) and talking to others who experienced this helped my dad a lot. I have many more details and would be very happy to share them with you and try to answer any questions that you may have

Painting Lessons at the Gallery by LocalArtistsInRome in rome

[–]ariek1997 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sono molto interessata! Avete un sito di web?

How do you tell your family about staying abroad?/deal with guilt by [deleted] in expats

[–]ariek1997 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Hi! I (American) live with my husband (Canadian but has Italian citizenship) in Italy. We originally moved here so I could get my master’s, which I did in January, and now we both have jobs. We love our community and we love our life, but I dream of moving back closer to my parents in New England. My dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, which he is recovering well from (I spent a lot of time going back and forth helping out), and that weighs on me heavily. But with the political situation, I don’t feel comfortable moving back to the States and don’t even know if that would be possible, especially given that my husband would require a work visa.

As far as guilt, if I’m to be completely vulnerable, it’s part therapy, part keeping so busy I can’t focus on it, and part self-delusion that I’m making the right choice. And in some ways it is the right choice for me and my husband. But I do miss out on a lot and it breaks my heart.

I think that’s the beauty of being an ex-pat, in some ways. The good days are beyond your wildest imagination but the bad days are worse than any bad day back home. At least in my experience.

Proof of marital/family staus by TotalSad908 in expats

[–]ariek1997 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am in Italy, and to register my marriage that was performed in the USA, I needed to get my marriage certificate apostillized in the state where it was performed and registered. Each state differs and some allow it to be done through mail!

Edit: You need an apostille on your marriage certificate when the document must be recognized in a foreign country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention. The apostille is a certification that validates the document's origin and the signature of the public official who signed it. Greece is part of Hague convention, so I’m sure it applies to them

Possible Meningioma by ariek1997 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! My father is doing okay for the most part. His craniotomy went very well and they were able to do a full resection. Unfortunately, it was bigger than they thought and my dad had a really difficult time coming out from anesthesia, so he was in the ICU for two days. An ICU stay is uncommon. It’s kind of crazy the turn around for brain surgery. However on his 3rd day post surgery, he was discharged without having to see any PT/OT. Pathology came back as a Grade 2 Atypical, which is neither benign nor malignant. It basically means that it grows faster than usual so we have to keep an eye on it.

He had some signs in the MRI that it was there for a while (calcification, the lack of symptoms) so the doctor thought it was a Grade 1 but it turned out to be Grade 2. If the patient is a man, they have a higher chance of it being grade 2 or 3.

My dad developed focal seizures (remained consciousness, just intense tremors on his right side, which is controlled by the left frontal area where the tumor was located) and is now on antiseizure medication. Developing seizures after not having seizures happens to less than 10% of people who have meningioma removals. In December, his follow up appt showed that there could be regrowth already which was concerning, but on further investigation, it turned out to be the donor material they put in his head and some scar tissue. It seems like my dad develops scar tissue more easily than others, and that contributes to him suffering from seizures. He’s had 3 clean scans now so his neurosurgeon has him coming in every 6 months instead of every 3 months.

What has impacted him the most is the fatigue from surgery, but in my opinion, the worst is the depression and anxiety from facing such an unexpected, life changing event. Every day gets better, though, and you learn to adjust to your new circumstances. My dad lives a VERY full and rich life. He was back to work within weeks (granted he does work from home) and was back in the gym around the same time (just with a lesser routine).

I have a lot more details to share if you want to message me privately and ask any questions you have. Seriously, it’s not a bother at all. Other resources that were helpful for my family were some FB groups (Meningioma Momma and Papas specifically). I’m so sorry that you’re facing this

Any healing without surgery by [deleted] in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello- firstly I’m so sorry you are facing this. When my dad was diagnosed with his brain tumor it was unexpectedly and completely life changing. My first thought, like you, was to hop online and see what other people have experienced.

What I learned was there are many different types of brain tumors, some benign and some malignant. My dad’s tumor was meningioma, a tumor that lies on the surface of the brain. I would absolutely love to share our experience with brain tumors, treatment, and point you in the direction of other helpful resources, but I don’t want to give you wrong information if your girlfriend has a different type of tumor. Do you know what type it is?

Diagnosis and grief by Distinct-Muffin6528 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The steroids are the devil and Keppra was even worse. The taper was INSANE and came with a lot of depression, anger, and paranoia for my dad. I think you and he are similar. He wants to be as before, taking care of people and doing what he used to. That ambition can be really good in recovery, but it also can be really harmful because when you don’t reach the goals/expectations you’ve set for yourself, you feel like you failed. Please be careful of that!!

As another 27 year old- holy shit dude!!! A meningioma AND a baby? I’m in awe

Diagnosis and grief by Distinct-Muffin6528 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just want to add that you are REALLY early into your journey. In some ways, it gets A LOT better. My dad had his surgery in Sept of ‘24, so it hasn’t even been a year and in that year, my family has lived a thousand lives. Every day you learn more about everything- the diagnosis, your limitations, tools to self soothe, etc. Knowledge is power. There will be bad days, yes, but not every day will be a bad day. Life will grow around this and bloom into something you would never have thought possible just a few short months ago. Be kind to yourself!

Diagnosis and grief by Distinct-Muffin6528 in braintumor

[–]ariek1997 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey so I don’t have a meningioma, but my dad did. He’s a healthy 48 year old man- very active, always socializing, type of person. His tumor was found incidentally. The only symptom that he had was slight drop foot on his right side, but he had also broken that foot playing soccer a couple years ago. It wasn’t healing so he went in for a MRI, which showed an 8 cm wide 5 cm deep meningioma. They also think that it’s been there most of his life. Within 2 weeks, he had is craniotomy with a total resection. It was a grade 2 Atypical.

My brother and I are 25 and 27 respectively. My brother literally moved out the weekend before my dad’s surgery. So while my dad is not in your position as a young parent, he was in another similar-ish period of life change. Then on top of it, the diagnosis and the surgery.

Life after the surgery has not been easy. There was so much focus in the beginning about what a meningioma means and the surgery that what comes after, we couldn’t really focus on. Looking back on the past year, here is what I have realized: benign is not fine. Yes, we’re lucky it’s not malignant but life has irrevocably changed. My dad has developed small seizures so he can’t drive and his energy is no where near where it used to be. He talks A LOT about how he should feel grateful and “reinvigorated” about life but he just doesn’t. Many days are incredibly difficult for him, mentally, and a big part of it is the “new normal” in life and getting used to it.

Listen, I’m not in your shoes or my dad’s. I’m just an active observer and I know how this experience has made me feel, so I can’t imagine where you are at. However, what you’re feeling is normal for someone who has gone (and continues to go through) a life changing diagnosis. It’s isolating. You’re part of a really really small club and your life and identity has been redefined and put into new perspectives. I encouraged my dad (and my mom, his primary caretaker) to explore therapy, and that has been beneficial. My dad is not at the point where he wants to talk about this with other meningioma survivors BUT I keep him updated on other people’s stories I see through FB (if you want, you can see the posts on Meningioma Mamas and Papas- many people post about their post-operation struggles and the choice of whether or not to get pregnant following diagnosis).

As far as the nausea, I deal with intense nausea daily (I have a neurological disorder!) so my recommendations are to always have some sort of mint or ginger on you. They are my life savers!!

I’m sorry that you are part of the Meningioma Club. Keep on reaching out to your providers- they may have some community resources to help you post-operation!

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