Does anyone know anything about a lipoma???...

[Joy]

I am just looking for more information.

A few months back my neurologist found that I have one at he base of my sull after doing an MRI and they CLAIM that it's not what is causing my headaches, but just before I was diagnoised with high blood pressure as well, anyhow I found out that where the tumor is on my brain is the part that controls your blood pressure and of course other things too.......I have founds lots online saying that the lipoma is nothing to worry about and it does NOT cause headaches, but I have also found a lot online that other people suffer from headaches daily as well with lipoma. I guess I really just wonder if they can be connected. I've found that there is not much research done on lipoma as well......I just don't know. I want the headaches to go away!

If you got this far thanks for listening!
I guess it's normal for your mind to wonder and you to question things when the dr's have no answers and all they do is tests and more tests and they turn up no new answers just more questions than you had before..........

 

[musicmom]

This is a dumb sounding question but do you take birth control? If so, you may want to think about stopping. Did your Dr mention that by chance?

There are wonderful medications that will open the vessels in the back of your neck to release pressure. I can't remember the names.

 

[Ari2]

Have you asked about getting it either 1) shrunk with steroid injections or 2) cut out or sucked out (it's made of fat, so it would be liposuction for your head )? If it is cosmetically bothersome or causing problems most insurance companies will cover the removal.

There's not a lot of research on lipoma because it is almost completely benign. People usually get them removed only when they become large enough to be a nuisance or if they are compressing a nerve (have you asked about nerve compression?).

 

[Joy]

This is a dumb sounding question but do you take birth control? If so, you may want to think about stopping. Did your Dr mention that by chance?

There are wonderful medications that will open the vessels in the back of your neck to release pressure. I can't remember the names.

No I don't use birth control, I had my tubes tied 4 yrs ago.

 

[Joy]

Have you asked about getting it either 1) shrunk with steroid injections or 2) cut out or sucked out (it's made of fat, so it would be liposuction for your head )? If it is cosmetically bothersome or causing problems most insurance companies will cover the removal.

There's not a lot of research on lipoma because it is almost completely benign. People usually get them removed only when they become large enough to be a nuisance or if they are compressing a nerve (have you asked about nerve compression?).

Yes it is benign. My neurologist never mentioned doing anything to it and well I was so thrilled at the time I never thought to ask anything else.

I was told by the dr office that it was at the base of my skull and here is a copy of the MRI report if that helps any.

 

[Ari2]

Yes it is benign. My neurologist never mentioned doing anything to it and well I was so thrilled at the time I never thought to ask anything else.

I was told by the dr office that it was at the base of my skull and here is a copy of the MRI report if that helps any.

So the MRI report just says exactly what you wrote: You have a mass (the benign lipoma) at the base of your skull)

No intraaxial masses = not inside the brain
No hemorrhage, no ventricular dilatation = nothing is bleeding in the brain or causing the big spaces in the brain where the spinal fluid is formed and circulates to expand. In contrast, some brain tumors will obstruct the flow of spinal fluid and cause the ventricles to dilate.
The sella is where the pituitary gland is = normal, so no pituitary tumor seen
The posterior fossa is a small space in the brain, deep and in the back = normal, so no tumors
Normal flow voids, etc = blood flow within the brain looks normal
Probable lipoma along the left occipital convexity = most likely a benign mass of fat directly under the skin (that is the definition of most lipomas), and it is on the left, near the base of the skull

All the sagittal T1, axial T2, etc is technical stuff that describes exactly what kind of MRI was done.

So this is all that you already know. And, as you also already know, the vast majority of lipomas don't given people any problems except for disfigurement if they get large. But on rare occasion they can press on a nerve if big enough.

Even without nerve compression, you may be able to get it either removed or reduced in size for cosmetic reasons.

But you should see a MD who specializes in headache (is there a headache clinic you can go to) to figure out what the cause is, if it is not the lipoma. If your neurologist doesn't specialize in headache or you aren't comfortable with him and there isn't a headache clinic in your area, you might ask for a referral to a neuro who does headache. Your original neuro should be professional about it and not be insulted in the least.

GL!
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