Update on Mother - Gliadel/Cyst Problem

Hi all,

 Further to my request for help on Thursday, I'm glad to say mother did get to see her consultant neurosurgeon on Thursday and was informed of the following :

 1 - The surgery in November, removed almost all visible tumour (as illustrated by the follow up MRI scan) - good news.

2.- The Consultant is not concerned by her symptoms, considering these to be normal and a result of the gliadel wafers.

3 - She has another appontment in 2 weeks (I will be attending this one).

 I think point 2 was the consultant trying to boost my mums fragile confidence, as I don't think the side effects she's sufferred (cyst, severe headaches, vomiting, confusion & memory loss) are atypical of patients receiving gliadel. Looking up info on gliadel it appears a 'minority' of patients suffer these side effects, so from that perspective she appears to have been unlucky.

The consultant also said she's at the worst point now and things should improve in the run up to Christmas. He changed her painkillers to the next grade up to help deal with the headaches.

Well I hope he's right. Having spoken to my dad last night, he was very gloomy and depressed with the situation. Apparently the new pills haven't done anything to dim the intensity of the headaches, which were so bad yesterday she was apparently close to screaming in pain.

Bearing in mind my mother sufferred from migraines for years without 'screaming' I can't begin to imagine how much pain she must be in. The next painkiller level is co-codamol, but she's allergic to this so can't take them. Guess its morphine after that ??

Anyway I'm praying her condition starts to improve soon, we're really regretting using gliadel now, considering it only gives an extra couple of months boost to life expectancy anyway.

Has anyone else out there sufferred similiar problems with gliadel wafers, or seen them with other patients ? How much longer does she have to put up with these side effects (they were implanted 7 weeks ago).

Any help and prayers would be much appreciated.

 Best wishes to all

 Dan 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't be afraid to start the morphine.  It is a blessing.  My husband, 65, dx, surgery Dec. 05 prognosis 6 to 12 months.  He had cyber knife treatment Aug. 1 and it did not work on the 2 new tumors and the one of the front of his head has just exploded over the top of his head the neurologist said when he started falling Labor Day weekend and was hospitalized for 5 days.  At that point they also found a new tumor on the left side and told him there was nothing else they could do.  He has been on hospice since mid Sept. and they have been great.  He rallied after a couple of weeks and was walking again able to go out for about an hour a day for about 3 weeks and 2 weeks ago he fell again and has rapidly declined since then.  He started having breathing problems off and on and when the Ativan doesn't work after 15 minutes I give him a small amount of morphine by dropper under his tongue and he is fine after 5 minutes and sleeps well.  Ask about it in a hurry.  He only needs it once or twice about every 2 days.