Lung mets.

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Fergus2007
Fergus2007 Member Posts: 109
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
After fighting Stage 4 colon cancer for a year now my father was told he had lived most of his 22 months life expectency.

He never had any surgery and was only treated with chemo - the cancer in the colon is almost gone. The cancer in the liver has reduced greatly.

The doctors at this point are worried about "speckles" on the lung.
The spots are believed to have gotten smaller with the October chemo treatment ... but have remained the same size with the December treatment.

Any words of wisdom?

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  • Fergus2007
    Fergus2007 Member Posts: 109
    #2
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    I Should add:
    His overall condition is very good!
  • MoonDragon
    MoonDragon Member Posts: 183
    #3
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    Confused
    That to me is a confusing statement from the doctors. They're either saying that he's lived his 22 months and in his condition is doing very well and that things are looking up or that there is more that they haven't told him which isn't usually the case.....unless I read your post wrong. :) Why would they say that he's lived his 22 months unless it's been 22 months and they're pleased by his progress?
  • Fergus2007
    Fergus2007 Member Posts: 109
    #4
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    MoonDragon said:

    Confused
    That to me is a confusing statement from the doctors. They're either saying that he's lived his 22 months and in his condition is doing very well and that things are looking up or that there is more that they haven't told him which isn't usually the case.....unless I read your post wrong. :) Why would they say that he's lived his 22 months unless it's been 22 months and they're pleased by his progress?

    It is a rather confusing
    It is a rather confusing statement by bother the oncologist AND the family doctor.
    (I was there with him)

    The oncologist's exact words were "people with your stage of cancer and that amount of spread live 22 months on average - you've lived most of that already" (meaning he's lived a year past his initial diagnosis)

    They are happy with his improvement (getting stonger and the liver tumor shrinking)

    ... but I guess what they are saying is: the lung spots (most likely cancer) will get you within the next couple of months.

    I went to see the family doctor yesterday.
    He says there are a number of small spots on the lung - and it looks like the cancer has spead allover the lung.

    .. in the end he said: they can never be 100% sure though - and some of those spots (that have remained the same) might be calcivications, or scar tissue - but right npw they are no optimistic.
  • MoonDragon
    MoonDragon Member Posts: 183
    #5
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    Fergus2007 said:

    It is a rather confusing
    It is a rather confusing statement by bother the oncologist AND the family doctor.
    (I was there with him)

    The oncologist's exact words were "people with your stage of cancer and that amount of spread live 22 months on average - you've lived most of that already" (meaning he's lived a year past his initial diagnosis)

    They are happy with his improvement (getting stonger and the liver tumor shrinking)

    ... but I guess what they are saying is: the lung spots (most likely cancer) will get you within the next couple of months.

    I went to see the family doctor yesterday.
    He says there are a number of small spots on the lung - and it looks like the cancer has spead allover the lung.

    .. in the end he said: they can never be 100% sure though - and some of those spots (that have remained the same) might be calcivications, or scar tissue - but right npw they are no optimistic.

    Sounds to me like his
    Sounds to me like his oncologist thinks he's doing well; that most people live 22 months on average and your father has outlived his prognosis. That's great news!! Each day, even just one past the prognosis is a gift and a feat accomplished!

    Why is the family doctor giving you the news about the cancer spreading and not the oncologist? The family doctor, while still a doctor, is not an oncologist and I'd be more apt to go with what the oncologist is saying.

    Remember, numbers are just numbers and we all go when we're meant to go. If your dad isn't meant to go for another 5 years, he won't. His life might not be a bed of roses till that time, but he won't go a second before he's supposed to. Same thing if he's meant to go sooner. All we can do is prepare ourselves and our loved one and cherish each moment we have together whether our loved ones have cancer or not.

    Scary, but keep hanging in there!

    Jorie

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