CAMPYLOBACTER: Anyone else had it?

[Purplemaniacs]

A very good friend of mine has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The tumour was removed on Friday. She has been allowed home this afternoon. Her OH has rung me saying that she did not recognise their car when he collected her and has not been answering her phone. I had tried to ring her a few times last night as he could not visit due to farm duties. She doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone or do anything,

 

I know it is early post op really but does anyone know if this is normal post brain surgery and if so will she return to her normal self after a short time? Her OH is understandably very worried.

 

After diagnosis she was very positive and wanted to get the op out of the way, so she could be on the road to recovery.

 

Thanks omleteers, any information would be useful.

 

I have a cough at the moment but as soon as I have got rid of that I will go and visit her.

 

Chrissie

[superkitty]

No answers I'm afraid, but didn't want to read and run. It's fairly major surgery, I guess...and given where it was, I suppose it would be understandable to be disoriented and withdrawn....but I have no experience in this area so I'm just guessing. Hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon, and that your friend makes a speedy recovery

[Couperwife]

I don't know anything, sorry, but I would assume it would take time to settle down.

 

Thoughts and prayers for your friend.

 

Cathy

X

[merlina]

I have known a perhaps surprising number of people with brain tumours - all ages (my friend was just 22, my mother 85 and others in between).

I think the only consistent thing is that there is no consistent thing

There are so many different types of tumour and operations and outcomes, it's impossible to offer anything very constructive

Except, perhaps, I had a relatively minor operation a few weeks ago (under 2 hours under anasethesia). I was very surprised by just how much it knocked me out. I slept for a week, pretty much. I certainly didn't want to deal with people or anything at all (thank goodness for Ocado!).

It took me a fortnight before I could concentrate enough to do fairly simple work emails. Normally I'm a fast and very avid reader - it took me a whole week to read one issue of Guardian weekend magazine!

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's very early days and just the fact of the operation itself can take its toll

 

I hope your friend recovers well

[Space Chick]

My cousins wife had a brain tumour, for the first few weeks after the op she couldn't remember English (she's French), their young son was needing to translate as my cousin can't speak French!

 

After a few weeks, everything clicked back, it was weird, overnight she just became herself again and could speak English and was her usual self.

 

I think these ops must provide some trauma to the brain that takes a while to recover, although I am no medic!!

 

Hope she will be OK soon.

[LolaLayla]

Have to say I do not know much about this area but my feeling would be that she seems to be home quite soon Also if her OH was not told there may be problems recognising things then he should contact the ward for their view on this. I suppose they may say it could be due to swelling However I am just guessing here. My main concern would be that if she doesn't recognise the car what other items may cause her problems If she is not answering the phone could it be that she is having problems using it following the op I would definitely seek medical advice. I hope this is just a temporary problem and that she recovers fully

[Looney]

I know nothing about brain tumours, apart from they sound incredibly scary

 

My first thought about her not answering the phone etc is that she might be frightened what talking to other people might reveal about other things she can't remember.

 

Wishing her a speedy recovery x

[Purplemaniacs]

Thanks for all your replies, in my previous life, before children I was a nurse and I think her OH thinks I know what to expect but I worked with children in London and had little experience of brain surgery.

 

It is difficult to know if it is as a result of the anaethetic she was in theatre for about 8 hours so loads of drugs in her system or as a result of the trauma to the brain. The brain is such a complex thing.

 

Before diagnosis the tumour made it really hard to get dressed, and drawing the curtains she would only do the right one, the same with closing kitchen cupboards. Fasinating.

 

Her OH seems to have received very few instructions about caring for her and what to look out for. They were great when she came home between diagnosis and op with clear if this happens do this or if this do this.

 

Hopefully back in familiar surroundings she will improve.

 

Chrissie

[patsylabrador]

Good luck to your friend. The only thing that occurred to me was that even after a minor illness I can't think straight. A tummy bug like last week's can affect how I think logically or if I have a migraine I cant read properly for hours. Thoughts and words get confused. Your friend's treatment would have had an enormous impact I think. Best wishes for your friend's recovery.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I don't know anything much about brain tumours, but I do work with people who have had strokes. It could well be swelling around the operation site causing the problems (can be similar for people who have had a stroke - swelling around the stroke site). Best advice I can give is - if in doubt, check with the consultant what effects to expect post-op.

It might also be worth contacting Headway who are a brain injury charity and can offer advice and support. They usually have a local service co-ordinator to speak to.

[LolaLayla]

With you mentioning about neglect of the left side of things, this sounds as LB says similar to the effect of a stroke. If the patient has left sided weakness they can sometimes experience perceptual problems like the ones you describe. If for example you asked a patient with this difficulty to draw a clock you would often find all the numbers squeezed round one half. Perceptual problems make everyday activities really difficult to carry out so I do hope the operation will have helped her.

[Seagazer]

I've had a couple of uncles with brain tumours (one about 20 years ago and the other more recent - both alive and well). The last uncle was very confused before the op, talking gibberish and not able to do much for himself. I think from what I can recall my mum saying, he was withdrawn after the tumour was removed. As others have said, there would be bruising etc after the removal which must have an affect on the brain.

 

Hopefully your friend's symptoms will lessen as time goes on. I hope she's ok.

[Purplemaniacs]

Thanks once again

 

I have spoken to her and she seems more herself, I am very relieved and much happier.

 

Tomorrow she goes back for the results of the biopsy so that will be another hurdle to get over, she will then find out about chemo and radiotherapy.

 

Chrissie

[Ms Marple]

Hello.

My YS had a brain tumour when he was 9, so 11 year years ago now and he is still alive and kicking aged 20. No two are the same, that is certainly true. I am surprised that she was allowed home so soon, but then medicine advances so fast and it is 11 years since I was in a similar situation. My memories are that it really does take a significant amount of time to get over any type of surgical trauma and that brain surgery can be particularly invasive- does depend too on where the tumour is/was sited. Don't expect miracles, just very small steps, a day at a time. I feel that it must have been a successful surgery for them to allow her home so fast. We were in for three weeks with YS. Also if there are questions, don't sit around wondering and waiting. I think what I took away from the whole experience was ask questions, keep clarifying when you don't understand and if something seems to not be right get on the phone right away.

 

Perhaps we were lucky because he was so young? I will never really know, but I do believe that those who are not themselves need their loved ones to be their advocates in times of need such as this. We were and are blessed in that the tumour was benign and so no did not require chemo etc.

 

I think you need to talk to her OH and keep a watchful eye and also be positive and strong especially when she is not.

I do hope that the biopsy results are good unlike my own best friend who has just been diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 bowel cancer that has spread to her liver and is having a real battle to get answers but that is another story.

[freddie]

Hellish time for all.

My very dear next door neighbour had a tumor, with a sad outcome. My friend's lovely husband had one, and is very much still with us, over 11 yrs now, and he is fine and fit!!

It was a very long old climb for him, lots of treatment, and having to re learn skills, : this depends on whereabouts the tumour is, geographically within the brain, as different areas do different things. The human brain can rewire itself to operate from a different centre too.

I think that perhaps the Oh is totally overwhelmed as well, he must be scared to death, as he feels helpless to "do" anything,

I wish them all the best wishes, and hope the human machine we live in does it's usual amazing repairs, to suprise everyone.

Hugs