Stage IV NSCLC w/mets to brain

angelbabe
angelbabe Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
My dad woke one morning in the middle of Jan. 2008, thinking he had suffered a stroke. The newspaper wasn't making any sense, and he had such a disconnect with his memory. After a trip to his GP and a chest x-ray later, he was diagnosed with lung cancer w/mats to his brain. One tumor in his lung, and 4 marble to pingpong sized in his brain. It was also in his lymphatic system. Within a few days, his headaches were so bad he couldn't sleep or eat.

He got into an med oncologist and a rad oncologist within a couple of days of the head "hammers". They put him on oral steroids, and within a day his hammers were gone...only a continual slight headache. The day after that, he started 10 days of radiation. He was doing so well. He was eating better, but still wasn't able to sleep much, due to the steroids making him so hyper. He has now developed such bad sores in his mouth, he can't eat anything that is hard. He is on anti fungal meds to help with that. To top it all off, he has had a lung infection that doesn't want to clear up. He took Cipro, but his fever remains. He has been given something stronger.

On Feb. 28, he had a PET on his chest and abdomen, plus another CAT on his head. The radition on his head stopped the growth of the tumors, and the lung cancer had not mat to other parts of his body. He is holding is own. Chemo, Taxol, plus radiation on his lung were recommended.

Due to his 50 year smoking habit and emphysema, his lung capcity is at 1.5 liters. I am concerned that his strength is not well enough to start chemo. I am 700 miles away, so I can't always judge exactly how he is doing.

Any encouragement as to if he starts chemo before he can really eat well and build up his strength? The sores in his mouth are so bad, that he will think he is spitting out small bits of food, but it is actually mouth tissue. He has only lost 3-5 pounds in the last month, but I don't know if he would to start chemo now, if he could handle it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Comments

  • dscott
    dscott Member Posts: 35
    #2
    So sorry to hear about your dad. I think the doctors will not give him the chemo if he is too weak.My boyfriend has stage 4 lung also...lung ans bone. From what I can see his doctors always holds chemo up if they can not do it.This is tough stuff I know. It feels like everyday there are new problems that occur. My boyfriend gets scans Wed. and results Monday as to if the chemo is doing anything, I am mostly concerned about the bone.I wish you much luck with everything. Readd the stories on here and you can see all the miracles that do occur...Debbie
  • MadelynJoe
    MadelynJoe Member Posts: 96
    #3
    Dear Angel:

    Many prayers with you and your Father. I pray that he will receive healing from God our Father who will hold him in his loving arms.

    Just keep the faith and know that everyone here is hoping for him to have the best recovery.

    Much love and prayers,

    Madelyn
  • Lisaann63
    Lisaann63 Member Posts: 12
    #4
    I am so sorry to hear about our dad. My husband was diagnosed in November with lung cancer and it metastisized to the brain. He had 10 radiation treatments at the end of Dec and was put on oral steroids and he just had an mri done a couple of weeks ago and the tumor is almost gone in his brain-shrun 80% and the dr is confident he can get rid of it with more radiation. He is going for 5 more treatments this week. He is on taxol and carboplatin chemo also.
    He drinks ENSURE, this has helped him trememdously in keeping up his weight. Have your dad drink these, my husband likes them cold. Also have your dad drink Gatorade. My husband was given an anti nausea medication but didn't really need it. After 2 chemo treatments, the tumor in his lung shrunk about 25% and the cancer in the lymph nodes in the chest has stabilized. He is feeling much better, although some days he is very very tired. I'm told the Taxol and Carboplatin are fairly well tolerated. My husband has handled it well. They may give him a treatment and see how he does, and adjust it from there. My husband is on the highest dose they can give.
    I wish your dad the best, I will pray for him, your strength will help him get thru this...my husband has come a long way in a couple of months.
    Hang in there!!
    Lisa
  • angelbabe
    angelbabe Member Posts: 4
    #5
    Lisaann63 said:

    I am so sorry to hear about our dad. My husband was diagnosed in November with lung cancer and it metastisized to the brain. He had 10 radiation treatments at the end of Dec and was put on oral steroids and he just had an mri done a couple of weeks ago and the tumor is almost gone in his brain-shrun 80% and the dr is confident he can get rid of it with more radiation. He is going for 5 more treatments this week. He is on taxol and carboplatin chemo also.
    He drinks ENSURE, this has helped him trememdously in keeping up his weight. Have your dad drink these, my husband likes them cold. Also have your dad drink Gatorade. My husband was given an anti nausea medication but didn't really need it. After 2 chemo treatments, the tumor in his lung shrunk about 25% and the cancer in the lymph nodes in the chest has stabilized. He is feeling much better, although some days he is very very tired. I'm told the Taxol and Carboplatin are fairly well tolerated. My husband has handled it well. They may give him a treatment and see how he does, and adjust it from there. My husband is on the highest dose they can give.
    I wish your dad the best, I will pray for him, your strength will help him get thru this...my husband has come a long way in a couple of months.
    Hang in there!!
    Lisa

    Thank you Lisa! Sounds like your husband and my dad are going through many of the same things. My dad is starting chemo by IV on March 24th. He will do 4-6 days worth, and then be off for 30. He will be on a very low dose.

    He has been drinking Ensure, and that does help with getting at least something in his stomach. I am hoping that he will be able to eat a bit better in the next couple of weeks before he starts his chemo. He will have some pretty good anti-nausea too.

    We all know it is stage 4, terminal cancer, but after the PET came back so good, we just hope we get a bit more time with him. He is trying so hard to get to my daughters' college graduation in May. I really think that is a huge reason he is doing so well. The first prognosses he was given was 3 months, so that would cut him short of making it. Anything can happen between now and then, but we are praying so hard!

    I thought I had said my last goodbyes when I visted him at the beginning of Feb. Since he has stabilized, I am making a trip to see him at the end of this month. It will be the weekend after his 5th day of chemo, so I planned that trip well!

    Your husband sounds like he has come a very long way in a short amount of time. That is wonderful!! My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

    Thank you again for your encouraging post!

    Nikki
  • angelbabe
    angelbabe Member Posts: 4
    #6
    dscott said:

    So sorry to hear about your dad. I think the doctors will not give him the chemo if he is too weak.My boyfriend has stage 4 lung also...lung ans bone. From what I can see his doctors always holds chemo up if they can not do it.This is tough stuff I know. It feels like everyday there are new problems that occur. My boyfriend gets scans Wed. and results Monday as to if the chemo is doing anything, I am mostly concerned about the bone.I wish you much luck with everything. Readd the stories on here and you can see all the miracles that do occur...Debbie

    Debbie

    How did your boyfriends scans and results come out? I hope they are positive, and that he is able to start chemo very soon!

    I send thoughts and prayers your way!

    Nikki
  • angelbabe
    angelbabe Member Posts: 4
    #7
    MadelynJoe said:

    Dear Angel:

    Many prayers with you and your Father. I pray that he will receive healing from God our Father who will hold him in his loving arms.

    Just keep the faith and know that everyone here is hoping for him to have the best recovery.

    Much love and prayers,

    Madelyn

    Madelyn,

    Our prayers have been answered, in that, his scans came back so good, that we think we have a bit more time with him. My dad has such a strong will and faith in God, so I believe that is why he is still with us, and doing better than expected.

    Thank you for your prayers and kind words!

    Nikki
  • dscott
    dscott Member Posts: 35
    #8
    angelbabe said:

    Debbie

    How did your boyfriends scans and results come out? I hope they are positive, and that he is able to start chemo very soon!

    I send thoughts and prayers your way!

    Nikki

    Thank you so much for your interest in my boyfriend. We get the results tomorrow and I will let you know.I say my boyfriend but he is my everything.We closed on ahouse together and the next day he was in the hospital where he got his diagnosis. Does not seem fair but none of this is for anyone.My thought and prayers are also with you...Debbie
  • dscott
    dscott Member Posts: 35
    #9
    angelbabe said:

    Debbie

    How did your boyfriends scans and results come out? I hope they are positive, and that he is able to start chemo very soon!

    I send thoughts and prayers your way!

    Nikki

    We got the results today.They said everything is stable.That was great news.No progression, Short of the cancer going away this was the best news we could have hoped for. He will get a break from chemo then start again...Debbie
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #10
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