Michael Cruz28 said:Hello,
My mother-in-law is currently unconscious in neurosurgery at Washington, D.C. Memorial Hospital.
She was hospitalized on July 25th presenting with mild right-side weakness and dizziness.
The initial CT followed by an MRI showed shadows measuring 1.5 x 1.7 cm and a larger one at 2.5 x 3 cm.
She underwent an open biopsy and partial tumor reduction.
The diagnosis is Stage 4 glioblastoma, affecting almost the entire left hemisphere.
They mentioned edema and other issues.
She’s on medication to manage the swelling, but she’s too weak for intensive treatment. I'm not sure if she'll even receive any radiation or chemotherapy.
The doctors say she's too unstable for Gamma Knife or other therapies, so they're waiting for her condition to improve before potentially treating her. But her condition is just getting worse, and they've already prepared a ventilator.
They’re giving her a few months, but a few months of what???
I see people discussing tumor cases here, so I’m wondering if there is any clinic in the US or Europe where they could intervene to temporarily halt this progression.
Basically, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl just 18 days ago—specifically, two days after her mother and my child's grandmother was hospitalized.
My wife is doing so poorly that I think it's affecting her breastfeeding, which is understandable given the circumstances. It's a tragedy because we can't fully celebrate the baby or truly grieve because we're caught between two extremely intense emotional events.
Our only wish is for Grandma to wake up and see her granddaughter. That would bring such peace to my wife and our whole family.
Is there any hope???
THANK YOU
Unfortunately, when it comes to glioblastoma, especially at this stage, medicine simply doesn't have an answer. Even in the best clinics in the world, she would receive the exact same treatment she’s getting now: anti-edema therapy (Mannitol and Dexamethasone). That edema creates massive intracranial pressure inside the skull, which pushes the brain to one side and keeps her in a coma. If there is hydrocephalus (fluid buildup), it might be possible to mechanically drain that fluid to reduce the pressure. This could stabilize her and allow her to wake up, potentially opening the door for radiation therapy combined with Temodal. My own mother was in a similar state at Rebro Hospital, and we fought hard just to get them to perform a stereotactic procedure and a fluid puncture. They took her away completely unresponsive, and brought her back to the room fully conscious after just 20 minutes. The doctors often won't do it, likely for pragmatic reasons. It is a palliative procedure, but for people in your situation, it can mean everything. Ask about it, and if you can, try to push for it.
As for the Gamma Knife, with a tumor that widespread, it unfortunately isn't an option😢. That's generally only considered for tumors under, I believe, 2cm.
The progression of this disease is inevitably horrific; the only thing you can do is try to slow it down slightly. I am so incredibly sorry, but I can't write anything positive or optimistic about this diagnosis, no matter how desperately or selfishly I might want to. Just like my mother, she ended up with the one type of tumor out of all possible ones that offers the bleakest outlook for recovery.
Hang in there.