Jun 11, 2016 09:53AM Longtermsurvivor wrote:
Hi Golden Girls,
In the distant past, hypercalcemia from bone mets was a very bad sign that the cancer got out of control and the bone was breaking down into its components and poisoning the person.
High blood calcium levels
When cancer spreads to the bones, calcium from the bones can be released into the bloodstream. This can lead to high levels of calcium in the blood called hypercalcemia (HI-per-kal-SEE-me-uh). This can cause problems such as constipation, nausea, loss of appetite, and extreme thirst. The high calcium also causes you to make more urine, leading to dehydration. It can make you feel very tired and weak, too. You may be sleepy or even confused. If hypercalcemia is not treated, you can even go into a coma. - http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/web...
Since the bone strengthening drugs Zometa and Xgeva have been used, I almost never hear of it.
Is your mother taking either of these drugs? What do her doctors say about her condition and it's solvability?
btw, I've had a small number of bone mets for over 4 years. I don't take those drugs, because they made me ill - that's why I keep track of hypercalemia though - maybe I'll encounter it on my own unique cancer journey.
healing regards, Stephanie
PS, here's an excerpt from a longer piece for doctors
12 Key points for clinical practice:
- Bisphosphonates and denosumab improve pain in women with bone metastases from breast cancer;
- Bisphosphonates may improve quality of life, as was demonstrated with IV ibandronate;
- 8 Gy single fraction external beam radiotherapy is an effective means of palliation for bone pain;
- Combined surgery and radiotherapy for spinal cord compression is superior to radiotherapy alone in terms of functional outcomes;
- Optimal treatment of bone metastases involves integration of bone-targeted agents with local and systemic therapy and supportive care through a multidisciplinary team.
www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/3/1/1/pdf