Hi
My Wife got the all clear from the breast cancer a few weeks back. In the mean time she then went down with a brain tumor. She was told by her neurologist that it was linked to the breast cancer, has it is becoming common in women whose breast cancer was estrogen based? Is this the finding of the breast cancer care team or any of the girls out there? My Wife is 54 and has no other cancer problems.
Doug
Hi Doug,
I’m sorry to hear your wife is ill again. I have put below the link to BCC’s publication regarding secondary brain cancer, I hope you find it useful. You may find it helpful to give the helpline a ring, or your wife, and have a chat with the nurses here who will be able to discuss your wife’s possible options for treatment. The lines are open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm and Sat 9am - 2pm, calls are free, 0808 800 6000
Publication link: beta.breastcancercare.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.342
Hope this helps, kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi Doug,
I am sorry to hear of you and your wife’s latest set back.
I can’t answer your question but wanted to bring your thread back up the line so that it is more likely to be spotted by other folks who might be able to help.
Regards
Hi
Thanks for the link I have been and had a read. I will take a copy into my wife to read tomorrow as she has now had the op to remove the tumor and the out look is good the surgeon says as he has removed it all.
But now for a bit of a rant why do the doctors not give a brain scan as standard in stead of waiting for the patient to fall over with the symptoms?
Doug
Has anyone had a brain tumour operated on, mine is in the cerebellum. Initially I had full brain rads and it shrunk. it has started growing again and it seems my options are an op (if surgeon will do it) or gamma knife. Has anyone else had this
Mills
Hi Mills,
I have had a craniotomy and Gamma Knife. My tumours are in the cerebellum too. The surgery removed most of the tumours but not everything. I was due to have WBR but wanted to find out about Gamma knife and was suitable for this. I recovered really well from the surgery and the Gamma knife was done in one day. The effects take some time to show on a scan but until someone tells me it hasn’t worked I will assume that it has. I had to have a frame attached to my head for the Gamma knife and keep this on all day but it wasn’t as bad as it sounds ! I only lost a tiny bit of hair at the back where the Gamma knife was directed. I then had chemotherapy which has recently finished and will wait and see how my scans look soon. I think 3 hospitals offer Gamma knife, 2 in London and 1 in Sheffield. Hope this helps, Gemini.
Thank you for that, what hospital did you have it done at
Mills
Hi Mills,
I had Gamma knife at Sheffield Hallamshire hospital. They have a website which describes the procedure really well.
Gemini
AROUND THE 19TH OF DEC I WAS ON THE BIKE IN THE GYM TRYING TO READ ALOUD AT THE SAME TIME AND GOT SLIGHTLY WINDED. I LOOKED DOWN AT MY FINGERS AND NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT(MY RADIATION SIDE) WAS BLUE. I ALSO HAD A CRUSHING HEADACHE ALONG THE BASE OF THE SKULL THAT ONLY LASTED A FEW SECONDS. I GRABBED THE HEART MONITOR GRIPS AND IT SAID MY HEART RATE WAS UP TO 183. I BACKED OFF AND IT QUICKLY RETURNED TO 150 ±. THE BLUE WENT AWAY IN THE HAND.
I FIGURED IT WAS CIRCULATORY AND I PRESENTED THE SYMPTOMS TO MY REGULAR DR. HE LISTENED TO MY HEART AND FOUND IT NORMAL. HE SCHEDULED A STRESS TEST ON THE 23 OF JAN. FROM THAT POINT ON I CONTINUED TO HAVE THE CRUSHING HEADACHE EACH TIME I ROSE OR SAT TOO QUICKLY THAT LASTED ONLY A FEW SECONDS.
ON 1-4 WHEN I GOT OUT OF BED THE HEADACHE WAS CONSTANT AND THE BALANCE WAS PRETTY BAD. STEVE (MY HUSBAND)DRUG ME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
MY UNCLE HAD HAD AN ANEURYSM WHEN HE WAS IN HIS THIRTIES SO I TOLD THEM AT ER THAT I HAD A FAMILY HISTORY OF THEM. THEY GOT ME IN RIGHT AWAY AND DID A CT SCAN WHICH SHOWED A MASS THAT WASN’T AN ANEURYSM. IT WAS THE SIZE OF A PING PONG BALL. IT WAS PUSHING ON MY LEFT VENTRICLE AND CUTTING OFF THE PASSAGE OF FLUID BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND THE SPINAL COLUMN ACTUALLY CAUSING THE WHOLE BRAIN TO SWELL.
THEY FOLLOWED IT WITH A MRI WHICH SHOWED THAT IT WAS MOST PROBABLY BRAIN CANCER, BUT NOT TO RULE OUT BREAST CANCER METS.IT WAS IN THE CEREBELLUM, THE AREA OF THE BRAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR BALANCE. THE SURGEON SAID THAT THAT PART OF THE BRAIN COULD BE REMOVED TOTALLY AND THE PERSON COULD STILL FUNCTION. THEY DID BRAIN SURGERY ON THE 6TH AND RELEASED ME ON THE 8TH. THEY WANT TO FOLLOW UP WITH STEREOTATIC RADIATION TO CLEAN THE AREA DIRECTLY AROUND THE TUMOR UP. IF I AM REALLY REALLY LUCKY THIS TUMOR IS FLYING SOLO. OTHERWISE THEY WILL CLEAN OUT FURTHER TUMORS AS THEY APPEAR. IF I HAVE SEVERAL THEN THEY WILL HAVE TO DO WHOLE BRAIN RADIATION WHICH IS WHAT THE OTHER GROUP WANTED TO DO TO BEGIN WITH. MY DR SAYS THAT THERE IS RISK OF BRAIN DAMAGE AND CONSIDERING MY AGE, HE FEELS THAT IS OVERKILL. I WOULD RATHER HAVE QUALITY OF LIFE THAN QUANTITY!
GOOD LUCK TO ALL AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING! IT IS NICE TO KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE,
TERRI