Low Grade Glioma: Any help or advice is appreciated.
My boyfriend had a seizure on 10/11, he fell out of bed and I thought he was having a dream. I crawled across the bed to see he was having a seizure, I called 911, the seizure lasted for 9-10 mins. He was very disoriented, didn’t have any memory of what had happened. They took him to the ER and did a CT scan where they saw a mass on his right frontal lobe. We are in a small town so they sent us to Indianapolis to IU Methodist for an MRI. The next morning the neurosurgeon came in and told us that they suspected a glioma. He said they could do a biopsy or surgery to remove it. My boyfriend opted for surgery. On 10/14 they did the surgery and were able to remove 90% of the tumor that was approximately 5cm.
My boyfriend got released on 10/18 and was doing fairly well outside of the fatigue and headaches. He was somewhat forgetful, would brush his teeth for 20 mins, had a bit of a blank emotionless look to his expressions. On 10/25 he was brushing his teeth and I was working on my computer and I heard him cry out and a loud thud, I ran back to the bathroom and he was having another seizure, this one was much more violent. I called 911, they took him directly to Indianapolis to IU, they did another MRI and said that his scan looked stable, they adjusted his seizure meds and sent us home. The paramedics said his blood sugar was over 400 which was very odd to us too.
On 10/28 he met with the the neuro-oncologist and she gave him the diagnosis of low grade glioma with the options of radiation for 5 weeks and chemo for 8 months.
On 11/2 he had another seizure, I was not with him, but his son in law was. They didn’t call an ambulance but did call the neurologist Dr who increased the seizure medications again. His blood sugar was 340 after this seizure.
Obviously I want the best treatment for my boyfriend and I don’t want his treatment to be lumped into the brain tumor treatment bucket. Does anyone have any experience with 2nd opinions? We requested his scans from the neuro-oncologist but haven’t received them yet. I feel such a loss as to how to even feel with all of this. I was staying with him 24/7, but needed a break and requested more help from his family.
He is an electrical engineer in a steel mill, never sick, no symptoms or anything to alert us to this happening to him. I don’t know what his progress should even look like at this point, but he is definitely not the same person that he was before this and I’m not sure what to do about this or how to even feel.
Any help or advice is appreciated.
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Hello @gilliland1102 I am Scott and I was my wife's caregiver during her 14+ year war with brain cancer. I am sorry to read about your boyfriend's health troubles. My wife's brain tumor showed up unannounced. Soon she was plagued by auditory, visual, and olfactory hallucinations. She got her first diagnosis at one hospital, didn't care for the neuro doc's style, and went for her second opinion at Mayo.
After her resection (she stayed with her docs at Mayo), she too suffered from seizures until we were able to get the right medication and its dosage for her. We did have to adjust this over time as her condition changed.
Her condition was a constant rollercoaster. Ups, downs, and changes galore. It was not a smooth curve of progression.
I know every patient, their disease, journey, and caregiving are different, but I am very willing to help with any experiences I can share and what we learned and had to deal with.
Please feel free to ask me anything that's on your mind.
Strength, Courage, & Peace