My 49 year old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago. Shortly thereafter she went into remission without the use of chemotherapy or radiation. Last August, my mother had a blackout and was diagnosed with (among with other metastases to her sternum, lymph node and liver) four brain tumors. She was placed on steroids and several other meds (some for sleeping, etc) and she was treated initially with tomotherapy at UC Davis. Two tumors were reducing in size but the two sitting at the front of her brain (left side, if that matters) were growing. She experienced a seizure and so they were surgically removed in mid-February. As my mom has been on steriods, she has doubled in size, and generally is pretty horrified about her appearance. As she tapers off these steroids, she loses the ability to talk to us, she can't read, she can't use a computer, color in coloring books, or anything else. She feels better and isn't so cripplingly exhausted, but she can't talk or think at all. Now she is scheduled for another surgery to remove the one at the back left of her brain, as it has started to grow again, and has a treatment plan for Gamma Knife for the mid-brain one which is inoperable. But while her doctor sympathizes with the extremely negative effects of the steroids, and even admits that they are incompatible with her system, he has not been able to offer her anything but the occilating between doses that wreaks havoc on her system. She hasn't been out of the house since last August! She is either too exhausted, too self-conscious (despite our esteem-boosting efforts), or just plain disoriented and confused.

Please tell us that there is something that we can look into! Please tell us that there are alternatives that will keep the brain swelling in check! Please offer some relief for my poor mother, who is my hero and the strongest, most amazing woman I know! She has been through nothing but periods of hell after another, with a rocky marriage, a hellish child (me: I got better), a terrible childhood herself (losing her dad at 10 years old and taking on the responsibility of her five siblings), losing everything in a house fire, diagnosed with cancer of several descriptions, given 6 months to live on several occasions, and many many more things. She has taken everything in stride and has always been strong for everyone else. Now I would give anything I had to make her better.

Please tell me that there is a better answer!