Does anyone know the name of this brain condition?

Question

Alright. My mother is 46 years old, she is a stroke survior and she also has a pretty large AVM (arterial venous malformation). She also has lung cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. The other night we had to rush her to the hospital because she all of a sudden seemed sort of "loopy" and out of it (she was smoking an unlit cigarette, she couldnt hold a cup of coffee, she wasnt able to hold liquids in her mouth). just as I dialed 911, her speech became very slurred, and while she was in the hospital she was eventually unable to speak, her pupils stayed dialated,and she seemed somewhat incoherant. the doctors got a CT scan and found a lesion in the brain (from the cancer). the doctor said that one of two things could have happened, a stroke,or some other thing. it seemed liek a three word condition,and I think it had something to do with the brain being shocked or some brain reaction.anyone know?Yesterday and today her speech was there,slurred, and she keeps drooling.

Another thing- it seemed sort of like her mouth was paralyzed. her previous stroke she had when she was 16 (from the AVM) left her right side paralyzed. Three years ago she had a massive AVM bleed as well, and it left her with bad memory and a lack of an ablilty to compute numbers.

Buzz had what the doctor said it might have been.. a stroke or a
It sounds like a TIA "Trans Ischemic Attack"


thanks so much, but im looking forward to reading everyones answers and seeing what they thing.

my mother is currently in the neighborhood hospital.. she goes to another hospital for neurology, and she goes to Cancer Treatment Centers of America for her cancer.

Answer 1

Strokes or other brain injuries don't just attack the minds of the victims. They take an emotional and physical toll on their families and loved ones. Caring for a loved one who has been affected by a stroke is a life-changing experience.

When most people think of the affects of a stroke they think in regard to physical changes, difficulty walking or moving their arms. When people think of stroke recovery, they often think in terms of physical therapy - learning to walk again and regaining normal motor skills.

Most people are shocked to discover that their loved one cannot communicate like they could prior to the stroke. Many times stroke survivors cannot talk at all. Although they know what they want to say, they are not able to say it. This communication difficulty is called "aphasia".

As defined by the National Aphasia Association, aphasia is "the impairment of the ability to use or comprehend words, usually acquired as a result of a stroke or other brain injury". Some people with aphasia have difficulties with expressive aphasia (what is said) and others with receptive aphasia (what is understood). In some cases, both expressive language and receptive language are impaired. In this case, an individual has difficulty not only expressing his thoughts but also understanding what others are saying.

The severity of aphasia can range from an individual who is severely affected unable to express or understand single words to someone mildly affected who can carry on a conversation with only occasional word finding problems. In either case, the victim's ability to communicate has been affected.

Having these limited communication skills often leads to depression, loneliness, and desperation for both the victim and loved ones.

Confusion and anxiety are two emotions that loved ones often experience immediately after a stroke. What can be done? What rehabilitation methods are the best? When will my loved one get to come home? How will we care for them? Will they get better? Will life ever get back to normal again? Will insurance cover all of the rehabilitation costs?

Most likely after suffering a stroke or head injury, your loved one is receiving or has received speech therapy in a hospital setting. In most rehabilitation hospitals, speech therapy takes place 6 to 7 days a week. However, once the patient is released from the hospital, therapy usually continues either through outpatient or home health services, which is typically only 3 days a week. That leaves 4 days a week that your loved one is not receiving therapy. What can you do to help?

Communication Partner's video, Everyday Objects, is essentially "speech therapy at home". Developed by a speech-language pathologist, our video is a home therapy tool specifically for people with SEVERE EXPRESSIVE aphasia. This means the individual has difficulty expressing single words and/or short phrases. Automatic phrases such as "thank you" or "hello" may be present, but overall word finding skills are significantly impaired.

I went on google and try to look it up for you. I hope it helps. GOOD LUCK. I HOPE YOUR MOM GETS WELL.

Answer 2

Your mother had a stroke, which is the layman's term for the following medical condition: cerebral vascular accident. It could also be called a cerebral infarction.
Your mother also could have a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiform or GBM. Given that she has had cancer elsewhere in her body, it is likely that she simply has what is called a metastatic brain lesion, where the cancer cells have migrated from elsewhere and set up in her brain.
I am very sorry about your mother, and what she is going through. Her disease sounds very advanced, and I would expect that your doctor would be discussing treatment measures for her comfort at this point. Best of luck to you and her.

Answer 3

Hello Megan,

Your mother probably had another stroke. I had two TIA's and laters after that I had a big stroke after a surgery to clip an aneuryms and AVM's. Sadly, I got aphaisa which was the worst for me since I loved to read and write or speak. It took me a year at least to understand a simple word.

If you want information about strokes, check BIAUSA on the Internet (Brain Injury Associaton USA). And if you want to chat with people about brain injuries, check out the http://www.tbihome.org

I have a webpage for strokes and aphasias with my story unter http://bilway.home.att.net

If you need help, please email me anytime.

Answer 4

It sounds like a TIA (Trans Ischemic Attack), the best way to describe it is a mini-stroke. Its very common for folks who have had larger strokes to suffer from multiple TIA's over their lifetime.
Symptoms mimick a stroke, except they are smaller scale, and the victim usually recovers, and damage is not typically permanent.

Answer 5

Might have been some sort of seizure, my stepdad had lung cancer and started to have seizures when it spread to his brain. After he had one he wouldn't be able to speak for a while and some other wierd stuff like not being able to control one half of his body. He also had what I can only describe as 'personality changes' where he would be like a different person sometimes.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this, I know how hard it is.

Answer 6

In addition to the good answers that you got, another three letter word associated with brain malfucntions is TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) which implies a temporary obstruction of blood supply to brain, leading to cell death in the brain, which can affect the faculties such as speech.

Answer 7

CVA, or cerebrovascular accident, maybe. Just another word for stroke. There's also TIA, which is transient ischemic attack: that's like a "temporary stroke."

Answer 8

I am sorry to hear of your mother's troubles. I think you have the name of the condition almost correct: T.I.A. or transient ischemic attack. Transient because the symptoms usually pass through, don't stay around. Ischemic because it cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain. Attack because it is usually comes on quickly and usually leaves within 24 hours.

A T.I.A. can be from any number of things. One of them, as you wrote about, is that a brain lesion from the cancer may have weakened some blood vessels causing them to not be able to perform their job of enriching the brain with oxygen as well as they should.

Doctors will usually order specific tests in order to identify the cause of a transient ischemic attack. There may be medicine to take which can help to prevent a full-blown stroke. Or there may be shunting. A shunt is like a lever put in the brain to relieve it of any swelling. The swelling is from the fluid surrounding the brain developing too much pressure. The pressure is kind of like the force with which water flows from a faucet. The advantage to having a shunt if one is taking chemo for a lesion in the brain [in your mother's case the cancer crossed from the lungs to the brain over what is called "the blood brain barrier."] is that chemotherapy can be delivered through the shunt instead of the regular way.

Chemo is not only just in hope of remission or cure. Chemotherapy also has painkillers in it which can help lessen pain. Your mother may be receiving chemotherapy now or she may have already decided to not have more chemo. That is a very personal decision best decided between the patient and the family and the doctor.

A stroke may be called an ischemic stroke [not transient or an attack] because although the initial symptoms may be identical, strokes usually "evolve;" that is they come on slowly and one can sometimes identify the progression. Also, strokes leave brain damage [or "acquired brain injury"] in their wake but T.I.A.s don't.

For the drooling, you can ask the doctor or the nurse if you can put a small dab of vasiline along her chin where she is drooling. That may keep the skin from "breaking down," or getting red and irritated from her saliva. If your mother's skin is dry on her scalp, use of a conditioner for hair can alleviate it-- even if she is temporarily bald! [Be sure to ask first if it is permitted. Don't overdo it though. Just a tiny dab]. A nurse may also teach you how to give your mother mouthcare using "toothettes" [if your mother will let you].

As long as your mother is willing for you to do so, keep talking to her. Bring in her favorite music and play it for her. Ask the nurses to teach you how to exercise your mother's limbs gently [called R.O.M. or range-of-motion] to prevent her muscles from stiffening up.

Drop in the hospital at odd times to be sure that your mother is turning herself in her sleep [or that the nursing staff is doing it for her]. You can check this by making sure there are no red spots on her hips. Blanket rolls may be used to keep her positioned comfortably. [That is also to prevent skin breakdown from being in one spot too long.]

You can also ask for a pressure points mattress [they are usually green] which helps keep the skin good if your mother is already not using one. Or a green foam [they sometimes have "fingers" which will help her when laying down or sitting in a chair or recliner.

If your mother will not raid a drawer or shelf for candy, leave a box of individually wrapped candies there and tell a friendly-looking nursing assistant from each shift that the candy is for them and the nurses. They will come in more often to grab a piece of candy and talk to your mother at the same time. [I learned that from experience with a nursing home and relatives.]

If your mother is quiet and does not seem to want to talk, then sit quietly with her. If she is in bed, you may want to hold her hand. Instead of putting your hand over hers, put your hand on the bed, palm up, under her hand. Then when she wants to not hold your hand for awhile, you will find that she may move her hand away.

It is difficult to keep on going when a parent is so sick. It is okay to cry and to take a bit of time off. If you are open to it, your mother may even talk about death or her hopes for her children. If she does, try hard not to tell her that she is being silly. Listen to her. It is an honor to have a loved one speak to you about death. And more of an honor to be there when they pass away.

Meanwhile, take care of you too. You are doing the very best you can. Good for you for rushing her to the hospital the other night! I wish you all the best and I hope that your mother will find healing.

Answer 9

call the doctor and ask. it sounds like a stroke to me, but I don't know.

Answer 10

Try webmd.com or ask the person treating her