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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. If your doctor suspects you may have a brain tumor, such as a meningioma, you may be referred to specialists who treat brain disorders (neurologist and neurosurgeon).
Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something you missed.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For a meningioma, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Is my meningioma cancerous?
- How large is my meningioma?
- Is my meningioma growing? How quickly?
- What treatments do you recommend?
- Do I need treatment now, or is it better to take a wait-and-see approach?
- What are the potential complications of each treatment?
- Are there long-term complications I should know about?
- Should I seek a second opinion? Can you recommend another doctor or hospital that has experience in treating meningiomas?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
- Do I need to make a decision about treatment right away? How long can I wait?
Don't hesitate to ask any other questions you have as well.
References
- Park JK, et al. Biology and clinical features of meningioma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
- Park JK, et al. Treatment of meningiomas. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
- Minniti G, et al. Radiotherapy and radiosurgery for benign skull base meningiomas. Radiation Oncology. 2009;4:42.
- Norden AD, et al. Advances in meningioma therapy. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2009;9:231.
- Alexiou GA, et al. Management of meningiomas. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. 2010;112:177.
- Meningioma. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Meningioma. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
- Armstrong TS, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medical therapy by patients with primary brain tumors. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2008;8:264.
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