Hi just an update really. The brain scan was clear so she is to be treated for the psychiatric problem. Due to visit again this afternoon with my sis and dad and trying to mentally prepare myself. She still thinks she is pregnant and that she wants to come home, it's heartbreaking to see her in this state. I hope that she comes out of this very soon so that the chemo can be started.

Hi tinytears 71.

This all sounds really distressing. Some schizophrenias, Hebephrenic if I remember rightly, take patients to a happy giggly place where they aren't aware of anything bad happening. Your mum may be experiencing something quite different, within the paranoic family of schizophreniform illness. Terrible to think that she's having a really unhappy time believing things that aren't objectively "true" when there is a genuine reason for her to be unhappy which she seems to be denying.

Another tiny, and probably quite unlikely, possibility is dehydration. My mother, before she died, and my wife before she was recently "cured" went through periods of apparent mental ill-health simply because they weren't getting enough fluids. In both cases this was partly caused by loose bowel movements (losing more fluid than normal) and made worse by a loss of thirst. Your mother's medical staff have probably thought of this and discounted it but it's worth checking.

One of the worst, and quite intractable, aspects of this is that your poor mother may not be able to give informed consent to whatever treatments might help her. Most cancer treatments carry risks and unwanted side-effects. Some perfectly coherent people choose not to accept them. It'll be really tough not to know what your mother's true opinion would be, whilst she's so mentally unwell.

I'm hoping she comes through this episode quickly.

Best wishes

Newbie.

h, do you know if people suffer from a feeling that their body isn;t theirs ?

I've just checked and Tinytears hasn't posted on here for several years.

I do wish someone would archive some of these old threads. A few weeks ago someone was arguing with something a friend of mine (now deceased) had posted a couple of years ago. It would have amused her to know she was still causing controversy :-) 

Hello everyone,

We're locking this thread as it is an old one that might not get a response from tinytears-71.

Like davek quite rightly pointed out, they haven't been active on the forum for a while now and might not see the responses posted here. Feel free to start a new discussion on the same subject though.

Thank you for your understanding.

Renata, Cancer Chat Moderator

Francesca i know i’m replying late but can you provide more info on your relative who had encephalitis?

I’m going through a similar situation to OP right now with my mother. Thankfully though, she has NOT been diagnosed with any type of cancer however what started as a bout of “possible” vertigo or labrynthitis, has very quickly spiralled out of control to the point my mum is now in a psychiatric hospital after hurting my dad real bad during an episode of “psychosis”. This landed her in prison initially however she has now been released on bail with the condition that she gets psychiatric help. 

She believes she is dying from cancer since the vertigo symptoms started 4 months ago. She has now been diagnosed with severe depression with psychotic episodes. She has had some physical tests done which have come back clear and is in the process of having a some more. Her psychiatrist has also ordered blood tests to check for autoimmune disorders, did it show on your relatives blood tests or did they need a lumbar puncture to diagnose? What were their symptoms etc?

I would be so greatful for any information you can provide as this whole situation is extremely distressing for myself and my family.