My husband was diagnosed with extensive small cell lung cancer in April. Underwent 6 rounds of Chemo (etoposide and Carboplatin) and 2 weeks preventative brain irradiation and 2 weeks radiation on the primary tumor in the lung. Last treatment was 6 weeks ago. About 2 weeks ago he started being extremely fatigued and exhibiting signs of confusion - unable to focus. I took him to ER where his kidney creatinin levels were elevated to 2.7 and he had a bladder infection and anemia. All of those things are being treated but he is still in bed all the time and can't focus. He is not eating at all but drinking some.
Has anyone had a similar experience to this? Any advise? I've been to oncologist, radiologist, urologist, PCP and kidney specialist - they all just say - well we'll just try a few things....He had a catheter put in to help drain the kidney's due to a large prostate.
Any help would be appreciated.
Symptoms of confusion and extreme exhaustion - 1271961
krislee
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Reply # - November 26, 2015, 07:32 AM
Hi krislee,
Hi krislee,
Welcome to GRACE. I'm sorry to hear of these new symptoms. His own physicians would best be able to determine their cause, but I would think that either or both of two factors could be at play. First, it is not unusual to experience profound fatigue and some cognitive issues following whole brain radiation, and the fatigue could be exacerbated by his chemo and radiation. The other possible factor would be disease progression, which could be checked with follow-up scans if that has not already been done. The problem with scanning so soon after radiation is that the damage it causes to cancer cells (and some healthy cells) can make it difficult to judge if there is new cancer activity. That may be the reason his doctors are trying to deal with his symptoms, waiting to see if the effects of radiation lessen over time, with the intent to re-scan when a clearer picture would be likely.
I hope his symptoms improve soon.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - November 26, 2015, 09:07 AM
Thank you JimC - it is
Thank you JimC - it is certainly scary and you feel completely helpless. I need some kind of help taking care of him and I'm not sure where to turn.
Reply # - November 26, 2015, 11:54 AM
krislee,
krislee,
I'm sorry if using this word will trouble you, but I would suggest a consultation with hospice. Though your husband may not be at that point, hospice personnel can offer many good suggestions on obtaining help caring for your husband. If your cancer center has a palliative care specialist or unit, talking to them can be equally helpful.
Keeping you in our thoughts,
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - November 29, 2015, 11:41 AM
Thank you JimC - We did get
Thank you JimC - We did get hospice involved and I'm hoping that they can give me some valuable advise as to how to handle this. One of the most troubling aspects is the non responsiveness - I don't know if we are dealing with disease progression or after effects from the brain radiation - either way is daunting. Do you have any knowledge of SCLC patients who have received the PCI brain radiation having intense cognitive difficulties or should I presume this is disease progression. I have tried to research the PCI effects and they would seem to be more of a short term type situation. So hard to have definitive answers at this point.
Reply # - November 29, 2015, 06:53 PM
Hi krislee,
Hi krislee,
I am sorry that your husband has been having these problems, which I know can be heartbreaking to witness.
Although most patients do not experience such side effects from WBR/PCI, there is a subset of patients who suffer from significant cognitive deficits. Absent new scans which can reveal disease progression, it can be difficult to determine the source of those issues. It certainly could be the profound fatigue which WBR/PCI can cause.
JimC
Forum moderator