Vertigo

[lovey100]

I’m on round 4 of Carb and Altima and keytruda, I swing my head to the left and experience serious vertigo and I ate and could not keep it down, two years ago I had the same symptoms and found a 3 cm tumor in my head. I have chemo scheduled in the am, should I cancel and get a mri of the brain, I bet this is a tumor cause I have dizziness and throwing up... not sure going to er is smart due to the corona virus. Any suggestions or maybe this is all side affects showing late from keytruda and I fell out a bed a week ago and hit the side of my head super hard in my sleep

[ThePurplePlace]

Dear Lovey,

Not to scare you, but for me what I first thought was "Vertigo" ended up being a brain met caused from Stage IV NSCLC. That was my very first symptom and my PCP sent me for an Urgent Head CT scan and that's how we found it, which of course lead to many more tests and ultimately my diagnosis.

Since you already have a history of a brain met, I would call your Oncologist right away and tell them you are having these symptoms and allow them to guide you.

Hoping it's nothing serious and that you are feeling better! Anytime you have any new changes or symptoms, I always feel the best thing to do is call your team. They know you best and will do what is best for you.

Take care and I hope you feel much better very soon.

[lovey100 in reply to ThePurplePlace]

Thanks and u went in yesterday for my last chemo round and the gave

Me steroids so the vertigo is gone but my wbc was so low o got put off for chemo till next Thursday and I go for contrast mri Wednesday the day before chemo, but a met sounds right which leads to a zap, but I have a question.... I do my last carbo Altima Thursday then keytruda every 3 weeks after till I don’t know but my dr added altima(oplympus) to add to keytruda and does that seem normal? Olympus and keytruda indefinitely?

[ThePurplePlace in reply to lovey100]

Happy to hear you are feeling better.

As for your treament, I'm sorry, but I have no idea, because I had a totally different treatment. Back in 2015, Keytruda (and all the immunotherapy were only in clinical trials), so we had much different treatments at that time. This combination did not exist at he time. I did have "Stereotactic Radiation" for the brain met and was also on Steroids (Dexamethasone), which worked very well for my brain met.

I've also never heard of Olympus? I know that Alimta is also known as "Pemetrexed" but the term or name Olympus, is unknown to me.

I would put a all into your team and ask them to explain. Best Wishes!

Lisa

[lovey100 in reply to ThePurplePlace]

You are right “Pemetrexed” is what I’ll take along side of keytruda. I’ll ask my oncologist why both. Mri for Wednesday so I’m sure it’s a met there but we will see, I do t look forward coming off chemo and then getting zapped ugghh drama and thanks for replying to me, helps a lot take catr

[oldsailor]

The vertigo may be related to what is diagnosed as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo BPPV. The condition is treated by using the Epley Manuever. Google it. A good physical therapist can perform it and may solve your problem in one or two visits.

[lovey100 in reply to oldsailor]

My usual thing is it means a brain met that I have to get zapped, I threw up once so no I’m on Dexedrine due to almost doing chemo but white blood count too low so they put it off a week, meantime they gave me steroids so now vertigo gone probably till it wears off Sunday then I’ll feel the vertigo which means tumor or met. Thanks for the information

[lovey100 in reply to oldsailor]

Mri found adema where I had a brain surgery to remove 3 cm tumor 18 months ago but stable so it’s being monitored and the last 9 months all 3 mri read the same no growth simple adema very little

[Jenniferroseolson]

I have a long history of vestibular issues for which the oncologist/neurologist/ENT neurology specialists all cannot pin point a cause.

I had my first bad bout in may 2018, a recurrence in October 2018...that was when a wise Occupational therapist friend recommended I see a Vestibular Therapist. I have worked with him off and on since then. I have had BPPV, which is actually fairly easily treated by a vestibular therapist in the maneuvers they use to resolve the crystals in the ear canal that are out of place. I have also more recently struggled with/lived with a kind of off-balance dizziness called Oscilopsia (spelling is wrong, I’m sure). I was unable to drive for approximately 3 months this fall. Basically, my central nervous system has something out of whack, and they don’t know why. You don’t need to know “why” to be able to improve symptoms necessarily.

Prior to the vestibular issues, I also had brain Mets treated by SRS as well as craniotomy to remove a walnut sized lesion. The nuero ENT essentially said, “they messed around in your brain there by the base of your skull, so it’s probably something to do with that.” I take Klonopin every night to calm the CNS.

I am now a doublet-immunotherapy treatment, but prior to that I had 69 (or more...lost track) treatments of pemetrexed/Alimta. That was my maintenance chemo until October 2019 when I had progression in my lung (after 4.5 years on chemo.)

I hope this is helpful. Let us know how the MRI goes. And see if you can get a referral to a physical therapist who specializes in vestibular therapy. In COVID19 times, it might be tricky to get on someone’s schedule due to the physical social distancing the therapists must maintain in their clinic/gym spaces.

[lovey100 in reply to Jenniferroseolson]

Thanks

[lovey100 in reply to Jenniferroseolson]

Hi I got my mri results and I had surgery over a year ago and last two 90 mri came back scar tissue where they remove 3 cm timer was a little Adema causing dizziness but I’m stable same report last 3 so dr will watch out for adema side affects but for now he said I’m stable a lil adema and now I finished 4 rounds of carbo Altima and keytruda I’m done yesterday but will continue every three weeks keytruda and Altima for 2 years so things are good I should be Ned and I’ll know after ct scan of chest where a small timer against chest wall was there so I am praying four rounds got rid of that 3 cm tumor in my chest thanks for hearing me out please share your thoughts

[Jenniferroseolson]

Great news! Hang in there.