Guest guest Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 Hi Carol, In response to your question about your mother's brain tumor, the medical people who diagnosed it (eg, neurologist and/or neuropsychiatrist) should be able to tell about the effects of such a mass on her behavior. As a general rule, tumors in old folks are slow growing. It might have been there for 20 years. And another question is, was it somehow implicated in the cause her death? I suggest that someone contact the medical specialists who were involved with her case. Their diagnostics and protocol should reveal info about whether it was maligant vs benign, type of tumor, stage if maligant, location, growth rate, size when last seen, etc. And, their prognosis (ie, predicted outcome). One would want to know whether or not it was treated, if so for how long, as well as the effect(s) of such treatment (eg, medication, radiation, chemotherapy, adjuvant immunotherapy, etc) on her behavior. That info should all be in her medical records. The location and size might have had effects on perhaps her vision (vs blindness), hormonal imbalances (did she grow a beard?), paresthesias, movement disorders, taste, smell, or other stuff. It all depends on the variables I listed above and, due to the complexity of the brain, this stuff is determined on a case-by-case basis. Lotsa fun, huh? Not! - Edith Carol M wrote: > Hi All! > > Does anyone out there know anything about brain tumors as far as " mental > competency " is concerned? If I have a brain tumor, and I can still > function " normally " , would I be prevented from entering into any legal > contracts, having a checking account, using a credit card, etc? Does it > matter if it's benign or malignant? Would it be decided on a > case-by-case basis, or would it be applied straight across to anyone > with a brain tumor? Just wondering, because mother was diagnosed with a > brain tumor 6 mos before she died last year. > > I'm going through some legal nightmares because of " mother dearest " and > the tangled web of legalities she left in her insane wake! Actually, > I'm the least affected because I took steps to remove her from the > titles of my properties just in the nick of time. However, my 90 yo > father suddenly discovered part of his fully-paid-for home now belongs > to the " retirement home " because mother turned over the ownership of > everything she had (present, future, known and/or undisclosed) to the > retirement home in exchange for full care for the remainder of her life. > Legally, the " contract " supersedes everything, but it doesn't render > her will/trust null and void, just irrelevant. In other words, she died > penniless, and dad finds himself in a fine pickle because she's still on > the title, even though he settled with her money-wise 30 years ago. He > just never bothered, or didn't realize he needed to remove her from the > title. They divorced when I was eight, then they reconciled 16 years > later and began living together in a home they purchased jointly. > > > The tangles get even more convoluted, but I shall leave it at this. Too > long and complicated to go into to here. Bottom line, I'm mostly not > directly impacted, just having to deal with lots of ancillary issues > that I'd rather leave under the carpet, know what I mean? > > And I thought everything would finally be " over " after she died! I was > sooooo ready for her death, and it was glorious when it finally came, > because of all the tough inner work I had done the past few years. But > just when the dust was finally settling this past year, splat........... > all these legal issues have stirred up lots of dust > (cough...sneeze...sniffle...cough...sneeze...cough....] But, the picture > is slowing getting clearer. I think I'll never be finished with this if > I live to be 120! > > Hey, thanks for listening. I lurk every day, even if I don't post. > It's my security blanket, because I know this is a safe place to come > when I'm feeling a little down. Like now. > > Still smiling....... > Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Hi Edith! Thanks for the info! ;-) Mother signed paperwork giving the NH cousin complete and sole say with her medical treatment, which effectively kept the family and I from any direct knowledge about her condition. We were kept totally in the dark, except for the tidbits the NH cousin gave us. I haven't pressed for any of her medical records, because I assumed none of them would be revealed to us for the above reason. Is it the law that they have to release her medical information to her immediate family, if requested? What is " paresthesias movement " ? Thanks again, Edith. Carol Edith wrote: > Hi Carol, > > In response to your question about your mother's brain tumor, the > medical people who diagnosed it (eg, neurologist and/or > neuropsychiatrist) should be able to tell about the effects of such a > mass on her behavior. As a general rule, tumors in old folks are slow > growing. It might have been there for 20 years. And another question is, > was it somehow implicated in the cause her death? > > I suggest that someone contact the medical specialists who were involved > with her case. Their diagnostics and protocol should reveal info about > whether it was maligant vs benign, type of tumor, stage if maligant, > location, growth rate, size when last seen, etc. And, their prognosis > (ie, predicted outcome). One would want to know whether or not it was > treated, if so for how long, as well as the effect(s) of such treatment > (eg, medication, radiation, chemotherapy, adjuvant immunotherapy, etc) > on her behavior. That info should all be in her medical records. > > The location and size might have had effects on perhaps her vision (vs > blindness), hormonal imbalances (did she grow a beard?), paresthesias, > movement disorders, taste, smell, or other stuff. It all depends on the > variables I listed above and, due to the complexity of the brain, this > stuff is determined on a case-by-case basis. > > Lotsa fun, huh? Not! > > - Edith > > Carol M wrote: > > >>Hi All! >> >>Does anyone out there know anything about brain tumors as far as " mental >>competency " is concerned? If I have a brain tumor, and I can still >>function " normally " , would I be prevented from entering into any legal >>contracts, having a checking account, using a credit card, etc? Does it >>matter if it's benign or malignant? Would it be decided on a >>case-by-case basis, or would it be applied straight across to anyone >>with a brain tumor? Just wondering, because mother was diagnosed with a >>brain tumor 6 mos before she died last year. >> >>I'm going through some legal nightmares because of " mother dearest " and >>the tangled web of legalities she left in her insane wake! Actually, >>I'm the least affected because I took steps to remove her from the >>titles of my properties just in the nick of time. However, my 90 yo >>father suddenly discovered part of his fully-paid-for home now belongs >>to the " retirement home " because mother turned over the ownership of >>everything she had (present, future, known and/or undisclosed) to the >>retirement home in exchange for full care for the remainder of her life. >> Legally, the " contract " supersedes everything, but it doesn't render >>her will/trust null and void, just irrelevant. In other words, she died >>penniless, and dad finds himself in a fine pickle because she's still on >>the title, even though he settled with her money-wise 30 years ago. He >>just never bothered, or didn't realize he needed to remove her from the >>title. They divorced when I was eight, then they reconciled 16 years >>later and began living together in a home they purchased jointly. >> >> >>The tangles get even more convoluted, but I shall leave it at this. Too >> long and complicated to go into to here. Bottom line, I'm mostly not >>directly impacted, just having to deal with lots of ancillary issues >>that I'd rather leave under the carpet, know what I mean? >> >>And I thought everything would finally be " over " after she died! I was >>sooooo ready for her death, and it was glorious when it finally came, >>because of all the tough inner work I had done the past few years. But >>just when the dust was finally settling this past year, splat........... >>all these legal issues have stirred up lots of dust >>(cough...sneeze...sniffle...cough...sneeze...cough....] But, the picture >>is slowing getting clearer. I think I'll never be finished with this if >>I live to be 120! >> >>Hey, thanks for listening. I lurk every day, even if I don't post. >>It's my security blanket, because I know this is a safe place to come >>when I'm feeling a little down. Like now. >> >>Still smiling....... >>Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Carol M wrote: > I haven't pressed for any of her medical records, because I assumed none > of them would be revealed to us for the above reason. Is it the law > that they have to release her medical information to her immediate > family, if requested? Hi Carol M, Dunno, I would suggest you talk to a lawyer. Usually the first talk with a lawyer is free (ask if its free when you request a appointment with one). And, that lawyer should be able to refer you to a lawyer who specializes in mental incompetence cases due to stuff like brain tumors. I would assume the lawyer could get her medical info if he considers it a case he could win. It would be nice to see her 'will' reversed. > What is " paresthesias movement " ? A paresthesia is a skin sensation, such as burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause. And, there was a comma after paresthesias in my post, followed by " movement disorders " . Movement disorders would include stuff like paralysis, spasticity, shaking, tremors, & etc. The body symptoms reveal where a tumor is located in the brain. - Edith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Carol M wrote: > Mother had a gioblastic brain tumor, Sounds like a glioblastoma. You might want to take a look at the following website: http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?brain+tumour > and she also died seven months > after the diagnosis. Except in mother's case, she apparently had no > outward symptoms. Hmmm, or none that you were informed about. She must have had symptoms otherwise she wouldn't have gone to a doctor. The common symptoms of a brain tumour include headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures, change in mentation, neurologic symptoms and loss of memory. > Never did, I don't think, but I don't know for sure, > because we had no contact with her, nor the doctors with us, in > accordance with mother's wishes. And, the info you did get was from the person who executed her will. Hmmm, veeerrryyy interesting. And she told you it was benign? Hmmmm. > Interestingly, mother had a " significant event " (stroke) in 1997 that > severely affected only her speech. That would place the stroke (ie, a bursting blood vessel), and possibly the tumor, in the left cerebral hemisphere of her brain or somewhere along that neural pathway. > When the tumor was discovered by the > MRI in 2003, it was near a couple of lesions, one of which they figured > was caused by the 1997 stroke. I've since learned that a tumor like > this can cause strokes, so now I wonder if the 1997 stroke was tumor > related. The attending medical personnel should be able to answer that question. The answer is somewhere there in her medical records. > Looking back, she started turning on me (behind my back) AFTER the > stroke, although it wouldn't be until 2000 that I began to gain that > insight. You weren't a doctor, so how were you to figure it all out? You didn't have the relevant info - either about BPD or about brain tumors. And you weren't in contact with her. > Too many of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place to not connect the > serious developments in her latter years with the cracks in the surface > that were all to easily brushed under the carpet decades ago. Her > latter years were a manifestation of the demons that she managed to keep > hidden deep within her psyche for six decades. She finally met her > waterloo. Yup. It sounds like the tumor caused her to drop the mask she was hiding behind for those many years. In the months before my nada died, it was like her layers of negativity and hatred were slowly peeled off by the cancer like the layers of an onion. At the end she could no longer speak. She had slowly 'forgotten' who she hated and just how much she hated them. She was like a pussy cat toward the end. But it was still a tremendous relief when, on her deathbed, she finally breathed her last breath. I turned to dad and said, " That was her last breath! " And then she took one more breath. And dad said, " She just HAD to win (by breathing just one more time)! " And then there were no more breaths and we both felt a ton of weight lift from our shoulders. It was 12 years later that I first learned about BPD. - Edith Knowledge is empowering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Thanks so much for all your responses, Edith! I really appreciate it. So much to think about! Sigh! Your quote: " Knowledge is empowering " Yes, it is! But, oh how painful it is to move ignorance out of the way first ! Smiling still........ Carol Edith wrote: >Carol M wrote: > > > >>Mother had a gioblastic brain tumor, >> >> > >Sounds like a glioblastoma. You might want to take a look at the >following website: >http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?brain+tumour > > > >>and she also died seven months >>after the diagnosis. Except in mother's case, she apparently had no >>outward symptoms. >> >> > >Hmmm, or none that you were informed about. She must have had symptoms >otherwise she wouldn't have gone to a doctor. The common symptoms of a >brain tumour include headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures, change in >mentation, neurologic symptoms and loss of memory. > > > >>Never did, I don't think, but I don't know for sure, >>because we had no contact with her, nor the doctors with us, in >>accordance with mother's wishes. >> >> > >And, the info you did get was from the person who executed her will. >Hmmm, veeerrryyy interesting. And she told you it was benign? Hmmmm. > > > >>Interestingly, mother had a " significant event " (stroke) in 1997 that >>severely affected only her speech. >> >> > >That would place the stroke (ie, a bursting blood vessel), and possibly >the tumor, in the left cerebral hemisphere of her brain or somewhere >along that neural pathway. > > > >>When the tumor was discovered by the >>MRI in 2003, it was near a couple of lesions, one of which they figured >>was caused by the 1997 stroke. I've since learned that a tumor like >>this can cause strokes, so now I wonder if the 1997 stroke was tumor >>related. >> >> > >The attending medical personnel should be able to answer that question. >The answer is somewhere there in her medical records. > > > >>Looking back, she started turning on me (behind my back) AFTER the >>stroke, although it wouldn't be until 2000 that I began to gain that >>insight. >> >> > >You weren't a doctor, so how were you to figure it all out? You didn't >have the relevant info - either about BPD or about brain tumors. And you >weren't in contact with her. > > > >>Too many of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place to not connect the >>serious developments in her latter years with the cracks in the surface >>that were all to easily brushed under the carpet decades ago. Her >>latter years were a manifestation of the demons that she managed to keep >>hidden deep within her psyche for six decades. She finally met her >>waterloo. >> >> > >Yup. It sounds like the tumor caused her to drop the mask she was hiding >behind for those many years. In the months before my nada died, it was >like her layers of negativity and hatred were slowly peeled off by the >cancer like the layers of an onion. At the end she could no longer >speak. She had slowly 'forgotten' who she hated and just how much she >hated them. She was like a pussy cat toward the end. But it was still a >tremendous relief when, on her deathbed, she finally breathed her last >breath. I turned to dad and said, " That was her last breath! " And then >she took one more breath. And dad said, " She just HAD to win (by >breathing just one more time)! " And then there were no more breaths and >we both felt a ton of weight lift from our shoulders. It was 12 years >later that I first learned about BPD. > >- Edith >Knowledge is empowering... > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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