Is his body shutting down?

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mrsptsu2012
mrsptsu2012 Member Posts: 63
in Lung Cancer #1
I posted a few months ago about my husband who is incarcerated and has lung cancer which has spread to his brain. Xrays were done in Sept 2010 which led to a CT scan which was conducted in Oct. 2010. In May 2011 a biopsy confirmed the lung cancer. In June 2011 additional CT scan confirmed cancer spread to brain. No treatment of any kind has begun as of yet. He is supposed to have surgery within next two weeks to remove PART of the tumor on his brain. They have been giving him steroids for the swelling on his brain and water pills due to the high blood pressure. The steriods, of course, made him blow up. A week or so ago, this reversed from being blown up to nothing but skin and bones. He has massive muscle loss now and has been found lying on the floor twice. He says he is so weak he can hardly walk and it takes every breath in his body to move. Additionally, he has become very fatigue and said if he sits or lies down he will fall asleep. Last night he was rushed to the ER because they found him on the floor; his blood sugar was 500 and they mentioned his cardiac enzymes were off. I was able to go visit him at the hospital today and he doesn't look good at all. He is a black man and his hands are now white and cold to the touch. His face was also cold to the touch and he takes very deep breaths. Although he signed a medical release form for me, no one is telling me anything. Talking to others who have lung cancer and researching on internet is my only form of information right now. I just want to know what to expect. We don't know what stage his cancer is in or anything else about it for that matter. I am staying positive for him, but I really want to know what I am dealing with. Some articles I have read are leading me to believe his body is shutting down. Please help!

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  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #2
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    If he has lung cancer and it's in his brain...
    ... that's stage 4 by definition. "Body shutting down" doesn't mean anything medically, I don't think, but it does sound like he has multiple systems that aren't doing what they should, and he definitely needs your support. At some point that may mean accepting the inevitable.

    They may not be telling you anything voluntarily, but I think if he signed a release for you, you may want to push the docs harder to give you all the facts.
  • mrsptsu2012
    mrsptsu2012 Member Posts: 63
    #3
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    Ex_Rock_n_Roller said:

    If he has lung cancer and it's in his brain...
    ... that's stage 4 by definition. "Body shutting down" doesn't mean anything medically, I don't think, but it does sound like he has multiple systems that aren't doing what they should, and he definitely needs your support. At some point that may mean accepting the inevitable.

    They may not be telling you anything voluntarily, but I think if he signed a release for you, you may want to push the docs harder to give you all the facts.

    Stage 4
    Thanks for replying. I was beginning to think no one would. I guess I wanted confirmation from someone that it is stage 4. I only thought it could be from everything I have found on the internet. They certainly aren't telling me anything. According to them, they don't have those specifics. Although he had a biopsy of the tumor in his lung, I am being told they don't know what stage or what kind it is. Is this normal? Do they have to do another procedure to find this out? I am just so in the dark about all of this. He thinks because the tumors are small, both in the lung and on the brain, that they round it early. By everything I have read, that doesn't mean anything. What can I expect from here. I don't want anything sugar-coated. I want to know what I am facing. I would rather expect the worse but hope for the best.
  • NayPaul
    NayPaul Member Posts: 230 Member
    #4
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    mrsptsu2012 said:

    Stage 4
    Thanks for replying. I was beginning to think no one would. I guess I wanted confirmation from someone that it is stage 4. I only thought it could be from everything I have found on the internet. They certainly aren't telling me anything. According to them, they don't have those specifics. Although he had a biopsy of the tumor in his lung, I am being told they don't know what stage or what kind it is. Is this normal? Do they have to do another procedure to find this out? I am just so in the dark about all of this. He thinks because the tumors are small, both in the lung and on the brain, that they round it early. By everything I have read, that doesn't mean anything. What can I expect from here. I don't want anything sugar-coated. I want to know what I am facing. I would rather expect the worse but hope for the best.

    stage iv means....
    Typically if the cancer is somewhere "distant" from the original site, it is stage iv. Lung cancer with mets to the brain would probably qualify.

    That does not mean this is over, but your husband needs quality medical care. Ask questions of the doctors and push for any testing/treatment your husband wants... you are his advocate... without your strong voice he may not get the care he deserves.
  • mrsptsu2012
    mrsptsu2012 Member Posts: 63
    #5
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    NayPaul said:

    stage iv means....
    Typically if the cancer is somewhere "distant" from the original site, it is stage iv. Lung cancer with mets to the brain would probably qualify.

    That does not mean this is over, but your husband needs quality medical care. Ask questions of the doctors and push for any testing/treatment your husband wants... you are his advocate... without your strong voice he may not get the care he deserves.

    Qaultiy treatment
    Unfortunately, because of him being incarcerated there isn't a whole lot I can do. I keep running into brick walls. Although he has signed a medical directive, there is only so much they are telling me. They can't even tell me the date of his surgery. All they can do is tell me once they have him at the hospital and then it is not gauranteed I can see him before the surgery. This is why I am looking to this discussion board to learn all I can about the cancer. They aren't telling me anything.

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