Leesa G

Hissy_Fitz

I guess this is the week for bad news, girls. All I can say is, it's a good thing I don't have an abundance of liquor in the house.

Ken, Leesa's husband, posted earlier on Facebook that she was in the hospital. I was reluctant to post anything here without his permission, but he sent me this message tonight:

Hi Carlene,

Of course you can share this... Leesa would be fine with that.

As you may know, Leesa has had a rising CA-125 for about 6 weeks. She had a CT scans that showed nothing, so we knew something was going on, but didn't know where. Her Onc GYN suspected micro tumors in her abdomen, but the PET scan was negative.

I asked her oncologist about a brain mass weeks ago, but I was blown off (I should have pressed the issue.. but hind sight is 20/20).

Anyway, a few weeks ago I noticed she was having expresive aphasia (problems finding the right words to say). So I did a neuro check on her, and discovered decreased sensation in her left cheek. (I'm a RN, and worked Neurology years ago... i knew from my assessment she had a left frontal lobe mass). I called and made an appointment with her oncologist, and her doc called us right back and told us to go to the ER.

CT scan & MRI showed two tumors in her left frontal lobe. I called a neurosurgeon who I worked with in the past, and he accepted her. She's now at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, and has the best neorusurgeons around. In fact, Johns Hopkins sends their difficult cases to this guy... he really is tops in his field.

OR may take place tomorrow, or Wednesday. They plan on taking out the large mass in OR, and removing the smaller one with Gamma Knife, which is a concentrated computer guided radiation. She'll also get whole head radiation for several weeks.

She's in good spirits, and of course is scared. On a personal note, she's also royally pissed off about the whole situation - and she's taking it out on the safest target she has... ME! But I'm good with that. I understand how pissed she is, and I'm the safest one to take it all out on. I have thick skin - I can take it

She should be in the Neuro ICU for at least 48 hours after surgery. Then she'll go to an IMC (intermediate care unit), and as it happens, it'll be the IMC I used to work on, so all of my old friends will take care of her. I suspect she'll be in the IMC for 3 days or so... if all goes well, she'll be home June 6th or there abouts...

srwruns

This spring is turning out
This spring is turning out to be very sad indeed. This is very distressing news indeed and my thoughts and hopes are for her to turn this around.

LaundryQueen

There's got to be a limit
There's got to be a limit to how much bad news is allowed to be posted in one week!

I can't imagine how you get any sleep, Carlene, this can't be good for you. I'm glad Leesa's husband is an RN but I'm sure that makes it worse for him to know all the complications of her therapy.

For anyone who doesn't know what expressive aphasia is: it's saying the wrong words. I thought saying the wrong words was all part of having chemo brain. Now I have to add that to my list of things to watch out for--I do it all the time anyway!

There's nothing to do but keep hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. This really sucks! Leesa is such a sweetheart and it sounds like Ken is one, too.

Sigh...

LQ

msfanciful

Oh Carlene,
There has been
Oh Carlene,

There has been something about the month of May it seems all around, but I'm really hating to hear of Leesa's recent challenge. She is such a tough lady.

I hope they can contain this condition for her?

I'm praying for our girl and that all will turn out just fine.

Sharon

kayandok

I have no words
which is unusual.
k

kellyh33

No!
This just doesn't seem right. I pray she will be alright, she has to be.
Carlene, you carry an awful lot on your shoulders, how are you holding up?
Kelly

Mwee

I've been searching for posts from Leesa
and had been telling myself that she probably needed a break. Once again, thanks so much, Carlene. Please let the the neourosurgeons be guided with all skill that they have developed and bring her back to her family (and to us too!) as soon as possible.
WE LOVE YOU, LEESA Maria

poopergirl14052

Mwee said:

I've been searching for posts from Leesa
and had been telling myself that she probably needed a break. Once again, thanks so much, Carlene. Please let the the neourosurgeons be guided with all skill that they have developed and bring her back to her family (and to us too!) as soon as possible.
WE LOVE YOU, LEESA Maria

I just want to scream
maybe I will. I pray for Leesa to get well. I hate the ######## disease!! val

Tina Brown

Oh no......
Dear Carlene thank you so much for letting us all know about Leesa. It seems some people go from one problem straight to another. Nothing makes any sense and it is so unfair. Leesa has always been such a source of strength to me, as are you too Carlene. You both are so solid and caring you always make me feel much better when I am down.

I am so sorry about Leesa's current ill health and I will be praying for her and her husband too. I know this cancer is hard on us but I do realise it is hard on out loved ones.

Tina

Unknown

Tina Brown said:

Oh no......
Dear Carlene thank you so much for letting us all know about Leesa. It seems some people go from one problem straight to another. Nothing makes any sense and it is so unfair. Leesa has always been such a source of strength to me, as are you too Carlene. You both are so solid and caring you always make me feel much better when I am down.

I am so sorry about Leesa's current ill health and I will be praying for her and her husband too. I know this cancer is hard on us but I do realise it is hard on out loved ones.

Tina

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Cindy Bear

Well Poop
That's all I can say.. poop. Thank you again Carlene for sharing this info. My thoughts and prayers with Leesa and her family. Thank goodness her hubby has medical background and was there to advocate for her. Hoping all goes well for Leesa and she's back on the boards soon.

srwruns

unknown said:

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I've thought about the same
I've thought about the same thing. Especially since I was having sinus headaches at my last scan and, of course, you know where I went with my toughts...but now with Leesa one starts to wonder if we really are crazy thinking that way. I mentioned it to the Dr. in a non chalant way and she said "oh, it only happens in 1% of cases". Well, true and my type of cancer only turns out to be about 5-7% of the type of OVCAs and I still got it. I think I am going to ask about a head shot for my next scan.

Hissy_Fitz

unknown said:

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Mine, too, Nancy....chest,
Mine, too, Nancy....chest, abdomen and pelvis.

We should probably all be aware of, and watch for symptoms, which may include intense headaches, numbness on one side of the face, difficulty recognizing the right word for common objects, etc. This is NOT the familiar forgetfulness we all experience with chemo brain. It is specifically the inability to remember words, for example, the word for "stove", if you wanted to say, "Dinner's on the stove."

Carlene

upsofloating

unknown said:

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Although I just get CT of
Although I just get CT of chest, abdomen, pelvis, the accompanying PET scan is always top of skull to mid-thigh. And I do always find it so reassuring to see the 'normal uptake in brain' part of the results.

This really is upsetting news about Leesa My thoughts are going her way for a very uneventful but successful outcome.
Annie

jloe

Hissy_Fitz said:

Mine, too, Nancy....chest,
Mine, too, Nancy....chest, abdomen and pelvis.

We should probably all be aware of, and watch for symptoms, which may include intense headaches, numbness on one side of the face, difficulty recognizing the right word for common objects, etc. This is NOT the familiar forgetfulness we all experience with chemo brain. It is specifically the inability to remember words, for example, the word for "stove", if you wanted to say, "Dinner's on the stove."

Carlene

Oh no! This is such another downer
My doctor alway does a "full body" scan and I alway have a CT/PET each time. The full body includes the head.

clamryn

Having a rough time
I am having a very rough time with all of this bad news. I just got back from getting a treatment today and while I was there the nurse asked me if I was depressed. H**L yes I am depressed. Sorry everyone... I just hate all of this.

If you talk with Leesa's husband, please tell him I am praying and thinking of her.

Linda

lindaprocopio

clamryn said:

Having a rough time
I am having a very rough time with all of this bad news. I just got back from getting a treatment today and while I was there the nurse asked me if I was depressed. H**L yes I am depressed. Sorry everyone... I just hate all of this.

If you talk with Leesa's husband, please tell him I am praying and thinking of her.

Linda

Damn it. damn it damn it DAMN IT!!!
My love and prayers to Leesa and her family; what lousy news. ((((Carlene))))

Another sign of possible brain mets is blurry vision or a sudden numbness anywhere in the body. I notice during my last CT/PET that they scanned me from the top of my head to my knees, so I like to think I have it covered. But when the tree pollen was so bad last month and causing my sinuses to ache, I admit to wondering if the headaches could be a brain tumor. I guess that is how we cancer-babes think.

If Leesa sees this, I want to tell her that I personally know someone who had brain mets a year ago, had the radiation, and all subsequent monitoring scans show no cancer in her head. Radiation is HIGHLY effective; more reliably efficient than chemo. Still SUCKS that Leesa has to go through this. But this, too, like so many challenges that keep relentlessly being thrown at all of us, is survivable. ((((Leesa)))).

Disneynutt

This is really a bad week.
This is really a bad week. I am happy about one thing though.. the tumor is operable. GO LISA!!!! We are all in your corner sweetheart.

-Kate

kayandok

I am still in shock,
over this. I know it is rare, but so glad it is operable and that radiation works so well. I am just so heart broken for Leesa that she has to go through all this. It sounds like she has a great husband, a nurse, no less!!! And the perfect surgeon and hospital team.

Prayers and hugs for all of us, we sure need it this week.
kathleen