Benign tumours cannot usually be left to grow indefinitely because the brain is encased inside the skull – so there is nowhere for your brain to go if the tumour pushes it out of the way. When benign tumours reach a certain size, they usually need to be removed by surgery or shrunk by surgery, by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

It depends on what kind of tumour you have, and where it is in the brain. Dr Nash will  discuss treatment options with you, which may include surgery, and/or radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. You are a key part of the decision making process!

Surgery is not usually as bad as you expect. The average operation entails a few days in hospital and a few weeks to recover.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are only needed for certain brain tumour patients. Radiation is often given five days a week for six weeks and chemotherapy is often given at the same time, then continued until your MRI scans show the tumour has gone, which may be several months.

Serious side effects from brain surgery are much less common than even 10 years ago. You may be in mild pain or discomfort following surgery, as with any form of surgery.

Side effects from drugs are more diverse. For instance, if you are prescribed steroids in order to reduce brain swelling before or after surgery, or during radiation treatment, you may experience increased appetite, ‘moon’ face, flushing of the skin or an increase in blood sugar.

Because pathology in the brain area can cause irritation and fits, anticonvulsants are routinely prescribed to reduce the risk.

Chemotherapy side effects include nausea, which can be treated with anti-nausea drugs, and hair loss.

Radiation therapy side effects include local skin reaction and transient hair loss.

Your surgeon, neurologist and other doctors will discuss anything specific to your condition or treatment with you. Medicine is both an art and a science and the best treatment will be assessed based on both the potential benefits and risks/side effects.

In the vast majority of cases, your quality of life will improve and your symptoms such as vision problems, loss of balance and headaches will disappear or be lessened. There are some conditions that despite treatment will still impact quality of life however, the purpose of surgery in all cases is to improve your quality of life or prevent or limit the further deterioration of your quality of life.

Hopefully not but all surgery carries risk, especially in very deep-seated tumours that run close to the organs of sight and smell. Loss of smell has been reported in brain surgery patients. In addition, depending on the condition, some loss of function that you present with may be permanent, or may not be able to return to normal levels but can improve. The proposed treatment will aim to improve function, or limit or stop any further deterioration.

This is unlikely but can occur in the case of a tumour. But it depends on the on the size and location of your tumour, which  Dr Nash will discuss with you. If you take steroids as part of your treatment, as outlined above, these may affect your appetite and cause weight gain.

If you have a malignant brain tumour, you will not be able to drive until you have achieved a full recovery and it is safe for you, and others to be driving a vehicle. Only once a tumour has been removed and several post-operative scans are clear, will you be able to drive again. If you have a benign brain tumour that has been removed you are often permitted to drive after sooner. Patients undergoing pituitary surgery can usually resume driving with weeks of the operation.

It depends on what kind of brain haemorrhage you have, the size and where it is in the brain. Dr Nash will assess the best treatment option which may include conservative (non-surgical) management or surgery.

Depending on the type of bleed, and the effects, surgery may be immediately required, alternatively if conservative management is the treatment option, monitoring the bleed can take a few days to a week in hospital while continuing to monitor with scans out of hospital.

Serious side effects are determined by the nature of the bleed and where in the brain it occurs. Timely intervention in many cases is critical to achieving the best outcomes.

Your surgeon, neurologist and other doctors will discuss anything specific to your condition or treatment with you. Medicine is both an art and a science and the best treatment will be assessed based on both the potential benefits and risks/side effects.

In the many cases, symptoms caused by the bleed will improve or resolve over months. In cases where the bleed is very big or in a critical area of brain function, effects will often unfortunately be permanent, however, the purpose of surgery in all cases is to prevent or limit the further deterioration of your quality of life, and in some cases to save ones life.

Hopefully not, but all brain bleeds have the potential to cause lasting effects such as visual disturbances, balance problems, speech difficulties and movement problems.

Spinal conditions predominantly encompass those in which the vertebrae of the spinal cord are causing pressure on the spine and nerves which are not dangerous but cause pain, discomfort, and possibly loss of function or feeling. For more complex spinal conditions such as tumours or AVMs, these can be dangerous in the sense that they can lead to permanent damage of the spinal cord and nerves leading to loss of function of the limbs, bladder, or bowel.

It depends on what kind of tumour you have, and where it is in the brain. Dr Nash will  discuss treatment options with you, which may include surgery, and/or radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. You are a key part of the decision making process!

Surgery is not usually as bad as you expect. The average operation entails a few days in hospital and a few weeks to recover.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are only needed for certain spinal conditions where there is a tumour. Radiation is often given five days a week for six weeks and chemotherapy is often given at the same time, then continued until your MRI scans show the tumour has gone, which may be several months.

Serious side effects from spinal surgery are much less common than even 10 years ago. You may be in mild pain or discomfort following surgery, as with any form of surgery.

Side effects from drugs are more diverse. For instance, if you are prescribed steroids in order to reduce swelling before or after surgery, or during radiation treatment, you may experience increased appetite, ‘moon’ face, flushing of the skin or an increase in blood sugar.

Chemotherapy side effects include nausea, which can be treated with anti-nausea drugs, and hair loss.

Radiation therapy side effects include local skin reaction and transient hair loss.

Your surgeon, neurologist and other doctors will discuss anything specific to your condition or treatment with you. Medicine is both an art and a science and the best treatment will be assessed based on both the potential benefits and risks/side effects.

In the vast majority of cases, your quality of life will improve and your symptoms such as loss of strength and/or feeling, and pain will disappear or be lessened. There are some conditions that despite treatment will still impact quality of life however, the purpose of surgery in all cases is to improve your quality of life or prevent or limit the further deterioration of your quality of life.

Hopefully not but all surgery carries risk, especially in very complex conditions that are affecting the nerves coming from the spinal cord. In addition, depending on the condition, some loss of function that you present with may be permanent, or may not be able to return to normal levels but can improve. The proposed treatment will aim to improve function, or limit or stop any further deterioration.

It all depends on your mobility and functionality however you should not drive until you have achieved good enough mobility and functionality and it is safe for you, and others to be driving a vehicle.