Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 7/25/2010

Question
my son 28 went in on friday to and er with severe head and neck pain, had been told it was inner ear but meds didnt help him, was having balance problems, and the floor would look wavey, the did a cat scan and mri and found a tumor the size of a tennis ball on his cerebellum but dr said it looked cystic, no other problems at that time but headache and neck, vitals good, scheduled surgery for Tuesday, that morning he threw up and had a seizure, came back and was talking again, they changed his pain meds tostronger ones, early sunday 4am nurse was in the room and his wife was awakened, she went over to him and he wasnt breathing, they called code blue and he was revived and went immediately to surgery to put a drain tube in his head to drain fluid off his brain , he never responded after that, he was brain dead, I still dont know what caused his seizure or for him to stop breathing the doctor was confused too, we did not have an autopsy done, still dont know what kind of tumor it was. Do you have any thing to help me with this?  thanks- a hurting mom missing her child .

Answer
Dear Tammy, I'm very sorry for your loss! But why on earth did you not have an autopsy done since that could answer ALL your questions?! In a situation like this an autopsy is the ONLY way to clarify things! Now based on available information all I could produce would be more or less guess work and I do not think that would be of much help to you. As a matter of fact I'm MOST surprised that the hospital did not INSIST on an autopsy or did handle the whole matter over to the office of the medical examiner! I think that would have been the appropriate thing to do! I'm sorry I can not be of more help to you!







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