Double vision - 1252087

parrotfeathers
Posts:3

Hi everyone. It\'s been a long time. I\'ve been doing a very good job the past few months of living my life without thoughts of cancer intruding. There was a six-month period during which a \"spot\" was observed, but that ended in July when it hadn\'t changed.

About a week ago I had a brief episode (perhaps ten seconds) of double vision: the same image stacked one on the other, very clear. Didn\'t know at the time that I should cover one eye to find if it was binocular or monocular. Since then nothing else strange has happened.

I read that double vision can be a symptom of a brain met, but I\'ve been in remission for over four years, feel fine, and don\'t want to make a big deal of this if I shouldn\'t.

I have a regular appointment with my oncologist the 23rd of this month and plan to tell her about this. Meanwhile, would seeing an eye specialist be the right course to take? I think she might refer me to one anyway.

Thanks,
Debra (hoping my bio shows with this post)

Forums
Full Archive

Reply # - January 2, 2013, 09:50 AM

parrotfeathers
Posts: 3

Parrot feathers /Debra lung cancer bio

60 yr old female ex-smoker. September 2008 diagnosed with LCNEC Stage 1a. VATS to remove left upper lobe. January 2009 completed four courses cisplatin and VP-16. NED as of July 2012.

Reply # - January 2, 2013, 01:42 PM

catdander
Posts:

Hi Debra, Good to hear you've been living your life and trying to keep cancer out of your thoughts. I hope your doctor finds that your episode of double vision was just a fluke. It would be unusual for LCNEC to come back after 4 years. However since it happens and double vision is a symptom of brain mets it would be very appropriate for you to let your doctor know what happened and let her decide whether to do a scan or send you straight to a specialist.
How that for a non answer. Since you've been gone we changed as you can see. Dr. West still checks mostly daily unless he is out of reach, which he may be and the moderators (which is me alone at the moment) ask other doctors to comment on specific questions. However for another day and probably 3 most of our other doctors are either very busy taking care of their and other doctor's patients or on vacation. So please don't think we've stopped what I think is the most beneficial practice on the web for those with lung cancer (we've added breast, head and neck, and pancreatic cancers) putting into context all the information.
Your "bio" only shows on your profile. You will need to copy it and paste it into the "signature". To get to your signature click on your user name to the left of your posts and "edit signature". Don't forget to "submit" and don't worry about what it says about needing to do something to your email.

Please let us know how everything turns out.
Janine
forum moderator

Reply # - January 2, 2013, 10:11 PM

Dr West
Posts: 4735

I agree with Janine that it's unlikely a new, time-sensitive issue would emerge four years after treatment for a stage I NSCLC. I suspect it's not related, and hopefully it's nothing, but I think if it were a recurring symptom it would be a real concern.

That said, our expertise here is really on management questions directly related to a known cancer issue...we're not best used as a sounding board for "should I see my doctor about this?" questions. Legally, we don't want to get entangled in these kinds of questions, and it's not appropriate to use any online forum as a substitute for actual medical care. If you have a question about whether a medical issue is a concern, it's ALWAYS best to reach out to your doctor.

I hope it's nothing.

-Dr. West

Reply # - January 3, 2013, 10:41 AM

parrotfeathers
Posts: 3

Thanks Janine, Dr. west and Laya.

I will be seeing my oncologist on the 23rd, so will mention the double vision then. I wondered if I should make arrangements to see an eye doctor before then, thinking that it could be what she'd recommend anyway. I'll just wait to see what she thinks. As for seeing my family doctor, his usual response is to tell me to check with my oncologist, so....

Laya, I just read of your mom's passing. To me, the two of you represented all that Grace represents: love, strength, the power of information, compassion and perseverance. A power couple. And, she was just so beautiful. I'm sincerely sorry for both of you.

Debra

Previous PostNext Post