My daddy & his tumour : (

[milo1978]

My dad is going into 7 hrs of surgery today to have a benign tumour removed at the bottom of his spine. He lives in France, so its all taking place in Paris, I am flying out tomorrow. The real worry is the location of the tumour, the dr's have described the op as more complicated than brain surgery & of course they have warned of the possibility that if something goes wrong or something unexpected happens he may lose the ability to walk : ( He's only 48 as well. Has anyone had something similar done? or know someone? Im sooo sad & worried for him xx

[burston]

Hi milo

I know of people having tumours removed and coming through ok but not from their spine.
Hope all goes well. Perhaps they have better surgery and aftercare than here in England

[lil75]

As with all surgery there are always risks, and they have to inform the patient of that...although im sure they will do there very best....I really hope it all goes as well as possible for your dad xxx

[AKMild]

My sister-in-law recently had a benign tumour (called a Schwannoma) removed from her lower back, in a complex operation carried ouy by neurosurgeons. The operation is delicate because of the number of nerves that are routed through the spinal column, but rest assured it is only carried out by specialists. Of course, the doctors have got to warn you of the potential downside, but they said that to my sister-in-law as well. She recovered from the op and is now as fit as she was beforehand.

These tumours, whilst benign, can grow to the point where they put pressure on nerves that affect movement, or they can get too big to be safely removed, so it is best to have them removed early to avoid problems later. There are downside risks to any operation, but try to see this as an opportunity for treatment that will remove future risk.

I really wish you and your Dad well.

[milo1978]

Thanks AKMild thats sooo good to hear!

Glad that your sister in law is doing fine, my dad is otherwise fit so im sure it will all be fine! Fingers crossed!!

Thanks everyone else too xx

[sanden]

Milo sorry I dont know anything about this operation, but just wanted to wish your Dad the very best, and I will think of you too. I am sure you are going through so much waiting for the op to be done. Good luck. x