Gone blind suddenly 6 months after stereotactic radiosurgery

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My mum has terminal HER2+ breast cancer metastasied to bones, lungs and liver. In August last year she had a tumour in the meningues that caused nerve pain in her face and eye socket and her mouth and nose feel numb and frozen. She had sterotactic surgery to stop the tumour which scans showed it did but the nerve damage was permanent. Since Jan her eye has been bothering her again and her sight was going slightly blurred. They said it will be damage from the radiotherapy as the tumour was very close to the optic nerve. This morning she has suddenly gone blind in her eye. They wont do another bran scan until June but I am worried the tumour is back. Anyone else had eyesight problems like this?

  • Hi

    I'm really sorry to hear that your mum has suddenly gone blind in one eye and I can understand why you're concerned that this could mean that her tumour has come back.

    If you haven't done so already, I'd urge you to contact your mum's CNS as soon as possible to tell them about this as they may need to see your mum. Your mum's team should always be informed of any new or worsening symptoms regardless of the fact that they've said she's not due another scan until June.

    I hope everything is okay and that the tumour has not returned.

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  • Thank you for taking the time to reply. We did get in touch with the oncologist who finally rang back after two days and said it will be the stereotactic radiotherapy, even though that was last August and she was improving until end of Jan. They just said they would see her next week at her normal appointment and order a new mri in June as planned. They seem not bothered. I know she wont get better but its as if because of that it doesnt matter her sight has gone but her quality of life is affected she can't sew or read or do any of her hobbies. So I guess nothing else we can do. Feeling overwhelmed my husband has prostate cancer we just found this week that it has recurred one year after prostatectomy. So I am dealing with two family members with terminal cancer now. 

  • Hi

    You really do sound like you have a lot to deal with at the moment. It may help you to talk through what options your mum might have with one of the specialist cancer nurses on the Macmillan Support Line. It's free to call, they're available between 8am and 8pm every day and the number is 0808 808 0000.

    x

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  • I might do that, thank you.