When The Going Gets Tough...

A metastatic or secondary brain tumor is one that begins as cancer in another part of the body. Some of the cancer cells may be carried to the brain by the blood or lymphatic fluid. A brain tumor in the occipital lobe of the brain causes total or partial blindness, misunderstanding of visual information, comprehension problems with written words and seizures (usually lasts about 30 seconds to two minutes).

Other metastatic brain tumor symptoms include:

• Decreased coordination, clumsiness, falls
• Rapid emotional changes or strange behaviours
• Fever
• General ill feeling or lethargy
• Severe headache
• Memory loss, poor judgment, difficulty solving problems
• Numbness, tingling, pain and other changes in sensation
• Personality changes
• Speech difficulties
• Vision changes - double vision, decreased vision
• Vomiting - with or without nausea
• Weakness of a body area

SEIZURES:

Between 25-40% of people diagnosed with a brain tumor have a seizure at some time during their illness.

HOW TO HELP SOMEONE DURING A SEIZURE:

MOST IMPORTANTLY: MAKE SURE THE PERSON CAN BREATH.
Loosen clothing from around the neck. Move pillows, blankets or any other items away from the nose and mouth. If the person is having trouble breathing, immediately call for emergency help. Most of the time a person having a seizure requires no assistance other than caring observation.

DO NOT PANIC.
Your role is to protect the person having the seizure. Do not try to stop the seizure.

CLEAR THE AREA FROM SHARP OBJECTS.
Remove their glasses. If the person is breathing well, take a moment to move other potentially dangerous items. If possible, help the person lie on their side to keep the airway open.

PROTECT THE PERSON'S HEAD FROM BEING BUMPED.
But do not restrain their arms or legs during a seizure.

DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN THE PERSON'S MOUTH.
Including your fingers. Anything placed in the mouth will block the airway and cause breathing problems. The jaw may clench, and your fingers could be bitten.

THE NEXT FEW MINUTES WILL SEEM LIKE AN ETERNITY. TRY TO RELAX. 
After the seizure ends, allow time for the person to rest and recover. Tell them who you are, where they are and what happened. Help them find a place to rest until they feel like themselves again.

CALL FOR EMERGENCY HELP IF:

• The person stops breathing
• The seizure lasts more than five minutes
• The person is injured during the seizure
• The person is pregnant or has diabetes
• The seizure occurs in water
• The person has no history of seizures and no medical ID
• A second seizure immediately follows

Sources:

1. www.eHow.com
2. www.braintumor.org
3. ABTA Seizure First Aid wall cling

Some things are hard to explain. Sometimes the most important things are the hardest to say..especially to those who are close to us.