Hi Sue,

I'm so sorry that your husband is having these worrying symptoms. I have no personal experience of SCC, only melanoma, so I can't really advise but didn't want to pass by without replying to you.

All I know is that brain mets can present with several different types of symptoms but so can other medical problems. It's not too common for SCC to metastise but his plastic surgeon is obviously trying to get to the bottom of what is causing the symptoms and the scan & blood tests should give them some indication. Hopefully they will show it's not the SCC and will point them in another, more easily treatable, direction.

If your husband's symptoms continue to get worse over the weekend, I would certainly try & get him to agree to a visit to A &E. They are used to patients who are awaiting/undergoing diagnostic cancer tests to attend when their symptoms become worse, especially if affecting the head.

Good luck, I hope all goes well and please let us know how you both get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)

Thank you so much Angie really appreciate your reply. 
 

We've heard the bloods are mostly okay. phosphate a bit low and one of the liver function tests mildly raised. 
 

how likely are bloods to indicate anything? 
 

hope you are keeping well 

I'm not an expert on blood tests I'm afraid. They will look for certain markers that indicate a problem but I don't know if brain mets show up anything in the blood. Liver function is a common one & can be raised for several reasons, fighting an infection being one of them (mine were raised & it turned out it was due to a gall bladder infection). 

*UPDATE*

Following a trip to A&E mid August they did an urgent CT on my partners brain.  This came back clear.

The original referral / body CT with contrast was done two days later. 

The following week he was called back for a repeat CT scan on his neck area.

Results - enlarged nodes found around neck area. 

Also found something on his liver -  hepatic cysts? and some non-specific areas difficult to characterise. 

What could this be? 

ALT bloods slightly raised also. 

Now waiting for urgent MRI of liver

and Biopsy and Ultrasound on neck nodes.

And he has to go back for repeating the Liver function tests and referral to specialist. 

Anyone else been through similar journey?

The not knowing is awful!