Increase symptoms - tumour or side effect of meds?

onlyhuman

Hi
My husband was put on dex 4 weeks ago because he was complaining of headaches and tremors in his hands. The oncologist thought it was probably increased pressure in the brain and prescribed dexamethasone. Hubby had some short term memory loss after his op in Mar 09 but since July 09 has been pretty good.. Over the last couple of days he seems to forget things said to him within hours. He also seems angrier and has developed a new vocabulary of not so polite words. He threatened one of our kids with a scissors and then laughed it off (was not funny at all). He has his next scan this Friday so we'll know more after that but I was just wondering if anyone has had any side effects from dex? We have seen the GP but he did not take my concerns seriously so I'll have to wait til we see the oncologist.
He also had a mini blackout on Saturday.
Its hard enough hanging on to the hope that he has as much time as possible with us without having to worry that he's losing it.

nodramamama

We can relate to your story
We can relate to your story which is unfortunately a breath of fresh air. Our family has been feeling alone and lost although we have seeked 4th opinions. It seems as though no one can prepare us for what is going to happen next. (this is vague because we are exhausted being that it is 3:00 am)

The past month has been one hell of a rollercoaster.

Any steroids can make one more energetic. Dealing with the memory loss and lack of touch of reality is something that hits home, especially these past three months.
Mom has tried to let the cat out without opening the door, brew coffee without using water or coffee filter, almost overdosed herself on her perscribed meds before we took over the responsibilty, she has not threatened anyone elses life but she has put on 2 pairs of undies-- backwards-- followed by dad's boxer shorts, a pair of sweats, and attempted to pull her jeans over everything without being able to stand on her own.
We think her first brain tumor resection in 2006 followed by the radiation removed the part of her personality that creates a negative attitude. She is currently in a nursing home... "care center" my a$$-- However, with hopes of her returning home, the concern of finding the cat in the microwave is on the horizon.

We have learned with this disease that you really do have to take it day by day. Expect the unexpected and do not hesitate to ask why or what if. Sometimes you have to become your own "WebMD" and try to figure out what's the best route for you (babyproof the house???).

Best of luck. Your family is in our thoughts.