My Dad's Diagnosis/Lung to brain 14 spots/1 tumor on brain

cabbott said:

Thinking of you
I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I have heard of many people that did not catch their cancer until later, especially with lung cancer. It is a hidden cancer that does not present a lot of symptoms until late in its progress. Having pneumonia that won't clear up with regular antibiotics can be a sign of lung cancer. I found that out myself after several rounds of antibiotics for bronchitis. I figured that they just weren't giving me the right antibiotic. I figured wrong. My lung infections cleared right up after the cancer was removed.

Sometimes cancer in the lung is a met from an earlier cancer. In that case, he has colon cancer that has spread to the lung and the brain. Sometimes a cancer patient develops a new kind of cancer. That happened to me. I have both breast cancer and lung cancer, no mets. They told me that when you get one kind of cancer, it is a sign that you have an immune system that doesn't recognize when cells are messed up. Because of that, you are at risk for developing more kinds of cancer. If a patient is up for chemotherapy, it makes a huge difference what kind of cancer they have as different drugs work on different kinds of cancer. Even lung cancer itself is an umbrella term for many different kinds of cancer, many with unique features that require different kinds of chemotherapy or other treatment. They can't tell what kind of cancer you have without doing a lung biopsy. There are many kinds of biopsies. Some you have to do under anesthesia. Some require only an office visit. It depends on where the cancer is and how easy it is to get to.

Some kinds of chemotherapy are not as hard on the patient as other kinds. Doctors can give you their recommendations and what the probable side effects will be. Then it is up to the patient to decide what they want to do.

If a patient is very frail and would only be made worse with chemotherapy, then palliative care is recommended. Palliative care is when all care is directed at making the patient as comfortable as possible and extending their quality of life rather than their length of life. Sometimes radiation is used to remove tumors that are causing problems. Sometimes various kinds of drugs are used to stop pain or relieve symptoms. Hospice care added on to what medicines or treatment the doctor recommends can give you the support to care for a patient at home or in another setting. Sometimes patients stay in the hospital, but hospice can still provide counseling and support for all family members. It is important for you to have support when you go through a crisis and they can be alot of support. A medical social worker that works with your Dad's hospital can also be a great support. Medical social workers can get you in touch with equipment, agencies, and counseling. They also would be familiar with what needs to be done with paperwork after someone dies. That may be a legal problem, but it goes along with the medical crisis and most of us need help with everything.

I like what I read in another post. None of us come with an expiration date stamped on the bottom of our feet. A doctor can give you his best guess at life expectancy, but no one knows for sure. If you or your dad are uncomfortable with what the doctors recommend, get a second opinion. Good luck!