Anaplastic Astrocytoma Grade III

SH2012

I am new to this network as my miseries are new. April 22nd my wife (49 otherwise healthy) had a seizure and then it has been one roller-coaster ride and we are yet to come to the ascent. Initial diagnosis was cerebral hemorrhage then stroke, benign tumor and finally biopsy confirmed it as AAC-grade III one in left frontal and another possibly in thalamus. Surgery was ruled out and radiation started. It has been 4 weeks and week 3 she developed headache and nausea/vomiting. Was told that its due to brain swelling and she is now on Decadraon 8mg and seems to be stable. The plan was to complete 6 wk radiation and wait 4 weeks to allow the radiation to complete the job and consider Tem... chemo. She seems to have some difficulty in her short term memory and motor movt right leg after the swelling. Drs opine that with the steroid kicking in and the swelling going down she will feel better. What should we expect? Please advise.
Thanks
Shankar

Tubbs

My wife has a very similar
My wife has a very similar condition, though she had surgery which removed about half the tumor. Original diagnosis will be 5 years in a few weeks time.

As far as what to expect, it's hard to say because there is so much that you have gone through and will continue to go through. I would expect lots of ups and downs.

The radiation itself will bring hair loss (my wife's has not grown back in the front of her hair line). The decadron could bring some anger and moodiness, so look out for that. You just have to roll with it and not take it personally.

My wife had a recurrence almost 8 months ago. This has been harder then the original diagnosis, since her MRIs had been fine until that time. It was a kick to the gut which we are still recovering from as she goes through avastin and chemo treatments every two weeks.

I'm not saying this should be something for you to expect, but as I wrote, it's a path of ups and downs. You will need to be a pillar of support, which you probably have been all along. My thoughts are with you and your wife.

I_Promise

Tubbs said:

My wife has a very similar
My wife has a very similar condition, though she had surgery which removed about half the tumor. Original diagnosis will be 5 years in a few weeks time.

As far as what to expect, it's hard to say because there is so much that you have gone through and will continue to go through. I would expect lots of ups and downs.

The radiation itself will bring hair loss (my wife's has not grown back in the front of her hair line). The decadron could bring some anger and moodiness, so look out for that. You just have to roll with it and not take it personally.

My wife had a recurrence almost 8 months ago. This has been harder then the original diagnosis, since her MRIs had been fine until that time. It was a kick to the gut which we are still recovering from as she goes through avastin and chemo treatments every two weeks.

I'm not saying this should be something for you to expect, but as I wrote, it's a path of ups and downs. You will need to be a pillar of support, which you probably have been all along. My thoughts are with you and your wife.

A horrible disease
Dear Sankar,

I am so sorry you are going through this; this is the time to love your wife unconditionally; the steroid will make her have mood swings; my sister has anaplastic astrocytoma since July 2011; her disease is stable and she is fully functional. My sister's hair has not grown back like it was.

As far as what to expect? Life will never be the same. The truth is most people will succumb to this horrible disease; it does not matter how much they fight or pray. But there is hope. A few will survive: a combination of healthy approach to life, surviving the treatment and just ... luck.

J.