No stage of Lung Cancer mets to brain

Hello1968
Hello1968 Member Posts: 3
in Lung Cancer #1
In August of 2010 my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. They did nothing until December of 2010 when they removed the upper left lobe of her lung. They told us it wasn't a "stage". They removed 9 lymph nodes and tested only one for invasion. They advised she would require chemotherapy as it had invaded the tissue in the outer lining of the lung. She started a round of 16 chemo treatments. The entire time carried a chronic bladder infection and on antibiotics nearly the intire time and advised in April of 2011 she was cancer free. However, she felt horrible and not cancer free. Dizzy spells, etc. her imune system could not fight off anything but she lost very little weight. She went back for a check up in June and they found 12 rumors on her brain and a very small tumor on her lung. She was told she needed whole Brain radiation and 6 months to live. We brought her to the Mayo in Jacksonville, Fl and she completed 10 radiation treatments and lung radiation treatment. They did not due a follow up on her brain after the radiation as they said the results would be false until 3 months. They had advised her she could do the gamma knife for the few if any remained. They were about to start aggressive chemotherapy for her lung as she had developed about 4 small tumors in July. She stopped the dizziness and they had taken her completely off of steroids for the brain mets symptoms. August she lost all of her ability to walk and her left arm. It took me 8 days of calling to get an MRI of her brain to find she still had a few tumors very small not a cm but one in the crown had developed a mass of inflammation and swelling. I had finally got the on call Mayo doctor to call me back and tell me to take her to the Mayo ER for a diagnoses and that is where they told me she had about 10 days to live. I had to wait there for two days for her oncologist to come see her and me and they put her back on steroids. Another two days for the radiation doctor to call to tell me he could do nothing for her. They wanted to place her on major steroids for an additional two days and offered hospice. I still have no answer why they ever stopped the steroids as the nurses and aids advised her symptoms showed she needed them and why they couldn't reduce the brain swelling/ infection. Very thankful for hospice but even they couldn't believe as healthy as her body was physical she was in this shape and her two Mayo doctors provided no answers. ??

Comments

  • Dapsterd
    Dapsterd Member Posts: 291
    #2
    Answer
    Hello....I very much do not like no replies to persons of dire need., However, I do not know what to say, this post is about two weeks old now, so I do not know a patients condition.
    I do not know the "why" of these questions, but I do know that most cancer facilities have a 'cancer board", where a group of many Doctors must decide the best care for a particular case (assuming you have a board and the situation was brought forward), so I would like to think it was the best idea at the time, at least across the entire cancer board.

    Do you have an update for us--Good or Bad, as cancer patients ourselves, we must see these kind of results and address them internally?

    Best wishes...Dave
  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #3
    Steroids?
    The only thing in your post that I'd even begin to comment on as the rank amateur I am is that steroids aren't an undiluted benefit. They can cause problems in themselves, or mask or aggravate other problems, like infections. The doctors probably had to do a balancing act between what steroids could do for her and what they might do TO her (not in a good way) based on her overall condition.

    It sounds like she has a pretty aggressive case, and I'm sorry to hear that. All the best to you.

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