New Member with 3 years of Cushings "cured" (Update: Macroadenoma)-Jackson has passed

Thank you for those links on radiation. Dr says Jackson would need 18-20 doses over 4 weeks. Sedated every time. Survival rate 9 month to 1 year. Hmmmm
Robin

The Pred. has given Jackson more appetite and he wants to play a lot more. Just a little muscle weakens, but he still hops up the 6 railroad-tie steps on the hill outside. He's lost a lot of hair, so I bought him a jacket and tonite it's chilly and, for the first time, he seems happy to be in it. I wonder if he has a chronic headache. He never whimpers or moans--just the on/off tremors which could be from something else.

Just to add my Staffie boy had Radiotherapy last christmas and is doing fine. He is a bit odd; but he was probably before he had some brain lesions before he got diagnosed with is macroadenoma (his too was 1.5 but he is a little bigger than your Jackson).

His radiotherapy was once a week for five weeks, with a GA each time. Just wanted to say that he was on steriods which gradulally reduced and stopped before the course ended but during that time we noticed no side effects at all from the Radiotherapy, he was not tired or anything and in fact appeared to be much better... the main 'side' effect was as a dog who has had alot of treatments over hte years it just increased his dislike/ suspicion of the vets. I know your course is different in length so he might have to stay away, but I would definately do it again.

Interesting to hear different cycles, I am in England.

He is now 9 months post treatment end and seems to be doing fine (apart from being odd!)

He has the opposite problem he is completely obsessed with food; yesterday he broke into the cupboard at my friends house and into the sack of kibble and gorged himself senseless; he is currentlyu like a piggy barrell with a leg at each corner and a bad tummy after it swelled up.

I wish you luck anyway in whatever you decide; it must be hard with more options here in the UK radiotherapy was the only option and he was deemed a good case being so young (4 symptoms first presented) - they do not do surgery here in England, not sure what would do if they did.

That is encouraging. What was his prognosis for how much time the radiation would give you?

I was advised approximately a year and 15 months would be excellent...

he is 10 months in ... that year thing is getting scarily closer

They said it is not a cure and in most cases it comes back and that 15 months is considered 'cured' (not quite sure what that means!).

My boy has youth on his side, and he seems to be very fragile on the one hand the amount of things he has had wrong with him and times he has faced death and gone on in great spirits!

The figures I have looked at over here seem to imply that a year is about average; but I suppose in that average you get some who are no where near that and some who are way over? The specialists that did it say its quite a small pool of dogs who make up the stats.

The only other person who has had it done in the UK that I have ever been able to make contact with was advised at a different specialist to have the every day radiotherapy and could expect 3-4 years... it seems that no one seems to know.....

What symptoms did your Staffi show?

He became very quiet and withdrawn and used to sit and stare into space loads and became disinterested in life; he wouldn't climb the stairs any more, or play with my other dogs. He would sit and stare for hours unless you moved him.

At first no one believed me when I said anything was wrong.

He was only 4 when this started and turned 5 during.

He showed no signs at all of cushings but when he was younger he had a serious accident, ran into a post and paralysed himself, he burst the discs in his neck and had a massive brain trauma and broke his nose, had to bring him home and he couldn't even roll over from his side at first. He made a pretty good recovery and we can only thing the tumour is a result of this even though the vet says they are probably not related, else h is a pretty unlucky dog.

As he was such a giddy livewire and so young the vets started to investigate with simple things first, a course of painkillers (which made no difference), vivitonin in case was dementia related to his head injury; bloods.

The next step was x-rays and during that time he went downhill quickly, i found him wandering i the night would get stuck in the spare room; I got home from work and he was circling and crying; he would flinch too . He became really weak and would lean up you and fall over if you moved (which may have been the mini stroke)

He also stopped wanting to walk and would just stop keep trying to take the short cuts home. Now people mention tremour he does a litlte but he has done since he had nerve damage and so who knows - he never had a tumour then on his mri from the accident.

The vet knew was something serious then, he was put on steriods which made him like a new dog overnight. The x-rays showed nothing so went for MRI, luckily then knew him at the hosp from before and it showed he had a spinal mini stroke from his damaged neck and also a macroadenoma... we didn't hesitate for the radiotherpay as would do anything for him; they said they thought would be a good case.

Thank you Marianne for the link to Lucygoo's thread. It was your comment that gave me what I needed to decide to do the surgery. You wrote:
"My own experience was that it was quite heartbreaking to watch my boy decline with all the neurological problems ...".
I just sent the Vet an email saying "lets do it". As the song says, "I'd rather be sorry for something I did, than for something that I didn't do." It might not work out, but at least I'll know that we tried. Waiting to hear back. I will continue to post as this unfolds.

I think I would have definately done the same if I had had the option - wishing you both all the best.....

Is another round of radiation is an option down the road if his symptoms return?