Brain mets with ovarian cancer-me too newlifegal!

Hi, I'm new on this site. A friend in my NOCC group told me about newlifegal.
I hope newlifegal or her husband reads this. It is about a 1-2 percent rarity that you get Ovarian Cancer and it is another 1-2 percent rarity that it goes to the brain!  I hope you're doing well with your Whole Brain radiation. I was dx Jan2003-47yrsold. had the usual chemo and then my counts were slowly going up the following year but there were no signs of activity in my CT and a Pet showed very slight activity in the thoraic area. I didn't do chemo but it was very strange that I always asked the oncologist what about the brain? She told me that it never goes to the brain.  I was getting symptoms-vision and felt it was time to get progression lenses. My eye doctor said maybe I should get a neurologic workup. I said ovarian never goes to the brain. When I did that Pet Scan it did not include the brain! So a month or so later symptoms became so bad when I got back from my vacation that I couldn't even remember what utensils were in what kitchen drawers. Called my Primary MD and he got me an app't the very day with a Neurologist. I was diagnosed with an MRI Nov. 2004 with two brain tumors. I had one surgically removed and the other gamma knifed. My neurosurgeon didn't recommend WBR. My oncologist did. In a year no new growth. In a few weeks I do another. It's awful-now watching the brain and also the body. I hope you're doing well NEWLIFEGAL and when dealing with this you have to put yourself in a tranquil state-no stress. It spread by a tiny lymph node in the breast! Let's win the lotto

[Mary 53]

I just wanted to tell you how nice I think it is of you to report the story of your struggles so as to help others. I am sure that Newlifegal and her husband will see this.

I will keep an eye on the board, too, and can always copy and save the information to re-post in case I don't see any response from Newlifegal in the near future.

Best wishes to you,

Mary

[newlifegal]

Thank you so much for sharing your story! You are the only other person that I've heard of that has experienced this.  I remember being so stunned when I first found out that I could hardly believe it.  But it is what it is.  I had 4 separate lesions in my cerebellum and one in the brain stem (scary, I know). No traditional surgery was done since it would have been too risky but Gamma Knife was done and now it is essentially a waiting game.  I'll have another brain MRI at the end of Jan. to check the status of the tumors.  I struggle with severe neuropathy in my left side.  Basically it feels like I'm walking on a prothesis from the left knee down.  But I can manage.  

I hope to be able to report that that the tumors have disappeared when I get that scan done.  All the best to you as well!

Christa

[kimberly_dale]

i lost a best friend to brain cancer,she was terminal by the time they found it.your stories make me wonder,when my friend was pregnant,it was mentioned that she had some sort of cancer in her female parts,well,nothing was ever mentioned about it again.i just assumed she may have had a abnormal pap and everything came back ok.now i wonder if she just let it go and it over time spread to her brain. she never took care of herself they she should have because she struggled to take care of her children,worked at a hospital fulltime,went to nursing school full time,while she had a husband who wouldn't work.she was under stress all the time.since reading this , i have to wonder if her began seven years before in her ovaries? thanks for your stories,best wishes and prayers!

[freshair]

Just wanted to tell you something.

I always say "It Is What It Is."

Take care,
Helen

[newlifegal]

Helen, no one has really explained to me how it happened.  My neurosurgoen said that something broke off and then traveled to the brain.  I know that's pretty vague but honestly, I don't think they know.  My pelvic/abdominal CT scan was clear so no evidence of disease there.  Can't tell you how relieved I was to hear that.  So now I have to think about my disease recurring where is normally does as well as in my head.  I don't let it overwhelm me--I agree that it's so important to live your life as stress free as possible.

I hope to hear a good report with you.  Please keep in touch.

Christa

[freshair]

Mary--thank you.

Kimberly--You never know. Only a pathology report will tell you. There's a report that stress with ovarian is not good. I had a lot of stress.

Christa -- I'll be praying for good results on your MRI. My MRI is in a few weeks. I'm on chemo now-its my 4th. Doxil didn't seem to work for me. I'm hypothyroid and going to post a question on that. Since you had 4 lesions WBR was the way to go. Glad you're finished with them!!! Surgery is not good either. The operation itself is OK because you're not in pain afterwards but the recup takes almost 3 months. You don't think straight, your attention span is so low, going into crowded places like a store is overwhelming, etc. You are also the first person I have known to have brain mets. Did they find out how it got there. It is usually from the breast or the lung.

All the best to everyone :)Helen

[nyc lady]

Glad you made it....

Pam