37yrold husband diagnosed with limited sclc

tracy2377
tracy2377 Member Posts: 25
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
hi everyone i am new to the boards as well as new to cancer. my husband was just diagnosed with limited small cell lung cancer and has just started treatment cisplatin and etoposide along with radiation. i have read some hard to swallow news on the statistics of small cell and have been trying to find survivors and anyone who has any advice at all. I have been researching this and the more info i get on it the more upset i get also my husband and i are dealng with alot of doctors and they all seem to have different outlooks on limited small cell. some say that it can be cured others say it always returns after chemo and radiation some tell him how long they think he will live. i am trying to process all this information and stay strong for my husband. any info would be greatly appreciated thankyou tracy

Comments

  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    Stay off the internet sites except for in here....
    They will scare you to death and are 2-8 years old. In here you can find up to date information daily. Also any question in here is ok to ask...Be a little easier on yourself and know that even though the road may be devious, the more you ask in here, the broader your horizons will be....and you will become more relieved............Love and Hope to you......Buzz
  • medi_2
    medi_2 Member Posts: 505 Member
    oh pooh!
    I had small cell lung cancer (limited) and went through the same drugs and radiation your husband is in the winter/spring of '09 and am back to my normal (albeit a little odd) self! My hearing and eyesight aren't the same and I still have to have checkups,and I also had the PCI as a preventative. Those side effects lasted a little longer than desired but I seem to be weathering them pretty well. So please don't worry and remember you are reading old statistics. If my Oncologist had given me an expiration date, I would have given him the what-for! :O
    Take care of each other and you will do fine! Write me whenever you want to. I don't have a home computer right now so I can't do chat, but I hear it is very helpful and a blast.
    Cheers!
    Medi
  • nipcat
    nipcat Member Posts: 7
    I also had limited small
    I also had limited small cell lung cancer is now gone for 1 year don't listen to statistics my doc told me 30 to 40% of the time it will not come back . I got cemo and radiation and then 15 rads in my brain and I fell fine
  • medi_2
    medi_2 Member Posts: 505 Member
    nipcat said:

    I also had limited small
    I also had limited small cell lung cancer is now gone for 1 year don't listen to statistics my doc told me 30 to 40% of the time it will not come back . I got cemo and radiation and then 15 rads in my brain and I fell fine

    Hiya!
    Hi Nipcat, good to know you're doing well!
    Medi
  • chad76
    chad76 Member Posts: 52
    medi_2 said:

    Hiya!
    Hi Nipcat, good to know you're doing well!
    Medi

    hair
    Hi medi 2..was just wondering how long it took your hair to start growing after pci?..my wife is really wanting her hair back!..thank you and I hope that all is well
  • medi_2
    medi_2 Member Posts: 505 Member
    chad76 said:

    hair
    Hi medi 2..was just wondering how long it took your hair to start growing after pci?..my wife is really wanting her hair back!..thank you and I hope that all is well

    oh dear...
    Your wife is not going to like this...3 months. When I first lost it after chemo and rads it started coming back immediately, then I had the PCI. BUT! Look at that mop I have now! It is so thick and curly; my co-workers swear they can see it growing! So what I think is that the longer it took to come back the healthier it is. Tell her that winter is coming and the opportunity to wrap her head in scarves...
    Hope she is doing well!
    Cheers
    Medi
  • Hi,
    Sorry to hear about your

    Hi,
    Sorry to hear about your husband. I'm 43 yo, and diagnosed with extensive SCLC. If you look at the statistics, you need to remember that the average age of onset is 70 years old. So, those who are younger and healthier are likely to be able to manage the treatment better and have a better survival rate. On another board that I'm on, there is a lady who had limited SCLC 15 years ago, and no recurrence since then. Good luck for the journey ahead... stay strong and determined to beat it. Its a mental battle as much as a physical one.
  • kelli1843
    kelli1843 Member Posts: 72
    medi_2 said:

    oh dear...
    Your wife is not going to like this...3 months. When I first lost it after chemo and rads it started coming back immediately, then I had the PCI. BUT! Look at that mop I have now! It is so thick and curly; my co-workers swear they can see it growing! So what I think is that the longer it took to come back the healthier it is. Tell her that winter is coming and the opportunity to wrap her head in scarves...
    Hope she is doing well!
    Cheers
    Medi

    First thing I noticed was
    First thing I noticed was your hair and I went "OMG....look at her hair". Mine did same thing,lost it all during chemo and lung rad...had just started to come back when I started the brain rad and it's all gone again.

    Finished brain rad in early August and my head isn't even bristly yet so was wondering when it'd start back. Told boyfriend that I'm going to take hair from my aussie dog and glue it to my head....she's got this thick, thick coat with pretty brindle colors and can afford to share some!!
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    kelli1843 said:

    First thing I noticed was
    First thing I noticed was your hair and I went "OMG....look at her hair". Mine did same thing,lost it all during chemo and lung rad...had just started to come back when I started the brain rad and it's all gone again.

    Finished brain rad in early August and my head isn't even bristly yet so was wondering when it'd start back. Told boyfriend that I'm going to take hair from my aussie dog and glue it to my head....she's got this thick, thick coat with pretty brindle colors and can afford to share some!!

    Me too!
    Kelli, I lost my hair to chemo in 2006 but it grew back really well, with a little curl, unlike my original dead straight hair. Then I had to have brain surgery and WBR and I lost it again and it has never fully recovered :-( I suspect the Tarceva is the villain here, as it affects fast-growing (well, relatively!) cells like hair and nails, and cancer. I'm hoping that once I'm off Tarceva I'll get some normal hair re-growth! This may be soon, as the drug is starting to fail...