survivors of Terminal Stage 4 lung cancer

ellenm4

Skybuf said:

me too
Hi Soccerfreak, remember me Skybug.....was on the breast cancer chat and well.....now here I am again, lung ca.....just diagnosed as secondary....on meds and having to do chemo rada again.....like a rollercoaster eh!

breast cancer now lung
Sorry to hear of your secondary cancer Skybug. I too had breast cancer in 2008, stage 2b. Just a few weeks ago I was told I had lung cancer and had part of my lung removed.I have not been staged yet, but I did have the port installed. Weird....left breast and left lung! I shall keep you in my prayers. May the new year bring us all hope for a cure. Never give up and never stop having faith!

mgood

mfarner said:

Lung Cancer is survivable
Feb 12, 2012 will be my ten year anniversary surviving Small Cell Lung Cancer that spread to my stomach lymph nodes. Every time I would inhale I'd get a really sharp pain in my rib. I thought I cracked a rib screwing around on the floor with my son the night before. I went in to be checked because my wife (a Radiation/Oncology R.N. at the time) insisted. They told me I had muscle pain and tried to send me home. My wife insisted they give me an X-Ray. They found a mass in my right lung. I was given a CT Scan the very next day and a needle biopsy the day after that. The insensitive clods called me at work on my birthday Feb 12, 2002 to inform me over the phone that I had terminal small cell lung cancer. I was 37 with a 12 year old and a 15 year old boys at home. I was devastated.

The fear is the worse part. To make a long story short, after many chemo and radiation treatments they told me that my cancer was not responding anymore and to go home and spend time with my boys. From the beginning the fear sucker punched me. Then I started praying and the fear went away. I asked God to let me live long enough to see my sons graduate from High School so my wife wouldn't have to raise two teenage boys alone. Every single time I was asked I'd say God is going to let me live. Well he did. I have never been in remission or told NED. Every single CT Scan shows masses in my right lung and stomach nodes. They just stopped growing. They just sit there and don't spread anymore. I watched my youngest graduate from High School a long time ago. I also attended the Graduation Ceremony for my oldest graduating from Purdue University with his B.A. I haven't had a cancer treatment since Oct 2002.

Hope this give someone hope. When I was first diagnosed I had to stop reading the net about Small Cell and its horrible outcomes. I was told last month I am a two percent survivor. You can be too. You can reach me here or my email rush@yahoo.com if you need me. Mark

Husband newly diagnosed
I"m new on here. Not sure how all this works, so I thought I would just reply to your post. My husband is 37 and was just diagnosed in October with Stage 4 NSCLC. Barely any symptoms. And when we found it, it had already spread into his liver. No brain or bone mets though. He's about to have his 4th chemo treatment. Carbo, Alimta, and Avastin. His is inoperable at this time, but maybe that will change in the future. We were pretty much devastated with the news. We have 2 children ages 15 and 7. I know the survival rate is awful, but does it take in effect the nonsmokers out there? The ones who were so healthy, they didn't even have a doctor? My husband is a general surgeon in Arkansas. So he knows all the statistics. This makes him really negative about everything. I'm glad I found your post because I need to read that people do survive this awful disease.

iola_s_mom_is_so_brave

keepthehope said:

Help me...
my mum has lung cancer stage 4 and it is already spreading to her Liver and pancreas.
I took them to China to have a treatment.
I am so lost when the Doctor said there is no more hope (
I do not want to lose hope.

I would like her to have a chemo but my dad worry that my mum can't take it and she will be in pain.

what should I do? She is kinda weak...
I am trying to starting the cancer diet right away...

which city in China?
Hi keepthehope, My mom got lung cancer stage 4 as well. We are in Shanghai.
Which city are you staying?
Maybe we can help with each other. I need hope too...
My mom is also weak, but believe me, you need to encourage her just like your ID: keep the hope!
We have not told my mom the truth yet. I am planing to tell her and I have faith in her! COME ON! If one person can make it which means it is reachable! Keep the hope, okay?
Leave msgs if you feel want to share. I will keep you posted about me and my mom. You are not alone!!!

iola_s_mom_is_so_brave

msdixie56 said:

watching the pain
Dear Seanslove,
I'm so sorry that you are having to watch your husband go thru this horrible ordeal. I can completly understand because my daughter was diagnosed in Aug. of '09 with stage 3b lung cancer. The doctors told her at that time she had probably had it for about 8 months which it means that while she was pregnant she had gotten this cancer. She was first mis diagnosed with pnuemonia until her 3rd visit back to the dr. when he sent her to a plumanary dr. She had 2 thorasentesis & then the news of cancer. From there she was put in the hospital to get a chest tube cause she could'nt breath cause of all the fluid she had. While in the hospital she had a lung biopsy & a few days later she had a talc prodedure done which was suppose to inflate in lung & stop the fluid from building. Well her lung inflated but she still has the fluid. Now she had a plurex catherer put in which she will always keep unless the fluid stops building on its own & we have to drain her lung every night. The dr. put her on Tarceva. She started having back pain and now has a large mass on her tailbone which she had radation for. We had to rush her back to the hospital 3 weeks ago because of severe diarreah & a stabbing pain in her bell. Well she now has a few "spots" on her liver & brain. She spent 2 1/2 weeks in the hospital cause she lost so much weight & was very week. While in the hospital she had a seizure & thats when they discovered the brain cancer. She is having radation on her brain & after she is a strong enough she will start chemo. Before she got sick again she had been excepted to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York but that has to be put off till she is strong enough to travel. We are hoping to go soon as we feel NY might have the magic bullet.All I can tell you is keep the faith & question everything & make suggestions.If your dr. gets pissed find a new one.I kept pushing on Jennifer's dr. to put her on TPN, which is a feeding full of calories & vitamins & nutrients to help put the weight on, well he finally put her on this and she gained everything she lost plus.I also pushed them into putting a pick line in. Jennifer's veins were virtually non-exsisent so this makes it better for IV's & blood draws, she would have needed one for the chemo anyway. Her pain is being controlled with heavy doses of morphine. She is on a 12hr pill of 60mg plus she has a 30mg morphine which she takes for her break thru pain. This seems to be working well for now. I know the anguish you are going thru & also your husband. Having to stand by & watch & being helpless is very difficult. I'll include you & your huband in my prayers.Just remember you almost have to be your own health advocate. Don't be shy about asking your doctor anything or keep pushing them on his pain meds. He should'nt have to be in pain. We also had to push for the thing we thought our daughter needed. Jennifer has 2 young girls ages 5 months & 3 years. We have now moved in with her & Her husband to help take care of the house & kids. Ask for help. You'll find they are more than willing to help. GOOD LUCK!
Keeping you in our Prayers
Sharon

You are a great mom!
The only thing I can say is well done, Sharon, You are a great mom!
I believe Jennifer can make it. Keep praying, god bless you :-)

Gilo72

Jacobman said:

RIP
My Grandpa, age 69, died of type IV lung cancer on December 23, 2009. He was diagnosed with type IV in August of '09. I am 13 now I was just a few weeks from my birthday when he died. I turned 12 two weeks before he was diagnosed. I am here to tell you his story. He started with lung cancer then was later told that the cancer was spreading to his brain and that he had only about a 8% chance to live. We were there December 17 2009. I held his hand as he fell asleep and the last words I heard was, "I love you and hope you stay safe." Then I didn't know what he meant but on the 23 I knew that he was saying he wouldn't make it. 2 days before Christmas. Christmas will never be the same. If there are any survivors of type IV cancer or People who have lost loved ones by any cancer. Go to
www.cancerwillnotwin.webs.com/ to show how they are appreciated. You can even tell there names and it will be put on the website for many to see who was lost or lived from cancer. And to all who lost someone or who survived cancer we will not forget you.

Our stories are similar
My father was diagnosed at the end of August. They found a spot on his lung. He went into the hospital a seemingly healthy man and came out 10 days later and seemed as if he aged 20 years. He also died on December 23, 2011 and I miss him. I have a daughters the oldest who is 11 1/2. Can you tell me how you have handled your loss.

Thank you

Full of Hope

PeterJr said:

Stage 4 Lung Cancer
My father age 85 was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in July 2009. He was told he had 6 months to live. Well my father has always been one that will decide his destiny. Here is what I and several of my family member did.

1) We put him on a diet of cancer fighting foods
2) We cut his sugar intake as much as possible. He has been a diabetic for 30 years anyway.
3) No carbonized sodas
4) Plenty of water
5) We Prayed
6) Keep stress away and try to keep his spirits high.
7) We Talked about the Cancer

He immediately started Chemo. After all the treatments as cat scan was performed. He was told by the Doctors that his stage 4 Cancer is now Stage 2 Cancer. It was decided to give his radiation. He went through all the treatments except the last two and was told to go home and he would be examined in about a month. Two weeks ago my father went back for his cat scan from head to toe. The Doctors could not find the cancer!

I do not know what the future holds for my Dad and Cancer. All I do know is that he is healthy now!

I hope this helps with Caring for your Grandma!

Foods to fight Cancer
Good Morning.

I read your post above and was so inspired that I printed it out to show my Dad in the hospital later today.

4 days ago my 79 year old Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 non small cell lung cancer and given between 2months and 1 year to live (without treatment) . When I read you put your Dad on a diet of cancer fighting foods I called my Mom and she wanted me to contact you to ask you about the diet you fed your Dad. Also how does carbonized sodas and sugar play a factor?

If you could help us we would be so grateful.

Thank you.

Full of Hope

dentdent

artmaker said:

Cancer and how diet can help you.
For everyone out there with cancer please get a copy of this book Anticancer: A New Way Of Life - David Servan-Schreiber
It is all about our diet. I believe with medical help and a diet that supports our immune system we can get healthy. This book changed my life. It certainly changed his. From brain cancer to healthy. He has been cancer free for 8 years and believes it is the diet he undertook when his cancer came back after 5 years. it can give everyone hope.

The book Anticancer: A New Way of Life
Hello! Last October 3, my husband Tony, 45, was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung cancer (nsclc). I saw this book and bought it right away. What a great read! It was easy to understand, very informative, and made so much sense! I've been recommending this book to everyone. We've been eating cancer fighting foods since and have also embraced spirituality and well-being. Tony has gone through some radiation and will be starting chemo next week. This book has helped us tremendously! We have new hope!

Yorkielover

wisezer@verizon.net said:

UPDATE
I finished 6 rounds of the Chemo in December. I had radiation to the brain in Oct. for the brain mets. The PET scan in Dec showed the lung tumor and nearby lymph nodes had shrunk The MRI showed no lesions on the brain. I had 28 rounds of radiation on my lung that finished the end of January. I feel good. I am back to work full time and waiting for my next PET SCAN and MRI in a few weeks. I only have some stiffness when I sit too long. I keep a positive attitude and work keeps me distracted.

Just finished first chemo this past Friday
Just finished first chemo and start again radiation end of month for 5 weeks"....thank you for your post

Yorkielover

wisezer@verizon.net said:

UPDATE
I finished 6 rounds of the Chemo in December. I had radiation to the brain in Oct. for the brain mets. The PET scan in Dec showed the lung tumor and nearby lymph nodes had shrunk The MRI showed no lesions on the brain. I had 28 rounds of radiation on my lung that finished the end of January. I feel good. I am back to work full time and waiting for my next PET SCAN and MRI in a few weeks. I only have some stiffness when I sit too long. I keep a positive attitude and work keeps me distracted.

Just finished first chemo this past Friday
Just finished first chemo and start again radiation end of month for 5 weeks"....thank you for your post

realiti

narwal46 said:

Update
How is your father doing?

Dear narwal46,
Up till now
Dear narwal46,

Up till now his condition is stable. The mass in his lung is now reduced from (10x12)cm to (4x2,5)cm. He stopped receiving Carboplatin in September and Alimta three months ago.

Since then, he follows only the alternative “treatment” (if I can use the word).

His last pet scan showed no bone metastasis (lymph mets still there). He is going to have another one in a couple of months. Still no symptoms whatsoever. His doctor can’t explain why he remains stable and he expects direct deterioration.

I hope to prove him wrong once more!!!

PS: apologies for my late response

frajuma5

PeterJr said:

Stage 4 Lung Cancer
My father age 85 was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in July 2009. He was told he had 6 months to live. Well my father has always been one that will decide his destiny. Here is what I and several of my family member did.

1) We put him on a diet of cancer fighting foods
2) We cut his sugar intake as much as possible. He has been a diabetic for 30 years anyway.
3) No carbonized sodas
4) Plenty of water
5) We Prayed
6) Keep stress away and try to keep his spirits high.
7) We Talked about the Cancer

He immediately started Chemo. After all the treatments as cat scan was performed. He was told by the Doctors that his stage 4 Cancer is now Stage 2 Cancer. It was decided to give his radiation. He went through all the treatments except the last two and was told to go home and he would be examined in about a month. Two weeks ago my father went back for his cat scan from head to toe. The Doctors could not find the cancer!

I do not know what the future holds for my Dad and Cancer. All I do know is that he is healthy now!

I hope this helps with Caring for your Grandma!

Thank you for sharing this inspiring story about your dad
Hello PeterJr,

I wanted to thank you for sharing your dad's story. It is certainly inspiring, and believe it or not lifted my dad and my family's spirit.

My dad was diagnosed about a week ago with stage IV lung cancer, which we did not expect at all, as my dad has not been displaying any symptoms other than his chronic cough (which he has had for years, way before they found something in his xrays, and scans).

I came across your story after googling stage iv survivors and I am happy to have stumbled on your dad's story. I showed it to my dad, and it gave him even more of a fighting spirit. I guess that's what we all need with all of our cases, examples of hope. You and your father are such an example of hope and optimism, that after reading this, my dad has asked me to print your post and to put it on the refrigerator to look at daily. I see it as a token of survival, so God Bless you!

The doctor said that his cancer at this point is incurable, but I adamantly feel that it should not be hopeless. Since his diagnosis, we also have heard of survival stories, one which came from our home country (Philippines) of a famous newscaster who was diagnosed in 2008 and was given only three months to live. He miraculously lived for almost 5 years past his prognosis when he succumbed to the cancer just this month.

We are faithful that our dad will live through several more years and we are faithful that he manage a normal life even with this cancer. Thank you to stories like yours, there is much hope for those in despair. Just because this cancer and the stage that it is in is incurable, it does not need to be a stamp of a death sentence.

God Bless you, your family and especially your father.

frajuma5

frajuma5

daughter82 said:

Surviving Stage 4 Lung Cancer
My father was diagnosed with Stage IV NSLC in April 2004. He had mets to his femur, spine and scalp. He started chemo and radiation in May 2004. He is in his seventh year since diagnosis and we keep praying for more. The lessons I have learned from being his advocate all these years is pray, treat everything and never give up!! What I mean is the minute he starts running a fever we treat agressively, it's the little things that make a difference! I have spent too much time on the oncology floor listening to doctors talk about hospice. We feel our life span is in G-d's hands and we are required to do everything in our power. At the moment he is too weak from infections to do chemo right now, but I tell every doctor we wish to treat what is treatable. It's our hope he will get strong enough to resume treatment. In the meantime we are planning a father's day BBQ which will include his great grandson whom he would have never known had we given up when they started pushing hospice in 2005. I wish you the best of luck and much success in your battle.

thank you for sharing! lifted our spirits and will keep us fight
hi daughter82:

thank you for your post, as you share in the same outlook as I have. our journey with my dad's cancer is just beginning and I am very thankful for stories of inspiration and hope like yours and your dad's. my dad just got diagnosed last week with stage IV and we just met with his oncologist yesterday, which was surprisingly more devastating on that part, since the first thing that came out of his mouth was hospice. my dad is in great shape even with the diagnosis and even says he does not feel anything. he is still maintaining his daily 2 mile walks without breathing problems.

it eases my worries a bit and raises OUR hope a lot reading stories like yours. we will fight this like hell, and our first agenda is getting a second opinion for treatments since our meeting with the oncologist was so disappointing. he was already treating my father like a hopeless case and pushing hospice and even was talking about the financial difficulty of traceva before he discussed the aid it can offer my dad. we will definitely make an example of your story though, since it is and the fighting spirit you guys had and have kept your dad alive for so long. thank you again for sharing

sirwmscott

realiti said:

Dear narwal46,
Up till now
Dear narwal46,

Up till now his condition is stable. The mass in his lung is now reduced from (10x12)cm to (4x2,5)cm. He stopped receiving Carboplatin in September and Alimta three months ago.

Since then, he follows only the alternative “treatment” (if I can use the word).

His last pet scan showed no bone metastasis (lymph mets still there). He is going to have another one in a couple of months. Still no symptoms whatsoever. His doctor can’t explain why he remains stable and he expects direct deterioration.

I hope to prove him wrong once more!!!

PS: apologies for my late response

Dear Realiti,
Thank you for
Dear Realiti,

Thank you for your updated post. It is very encouraging. I too believe eating healthy is a very important part of a "successful" treatment program. My Mother was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC July 2011 at just 79 years old. She went through 4 treatments of carboplatin and Alimta and has been on Alimta every 3 or 4 weeks since (7 or 8 treatments). Got the results yesterday from latest CT that all is stable (2 lymph nodes decreased just 1mm each - we'll take any reduction we can get). On the way home yesterday Mom said "maybe the doctors are wrong and I can beat this cancer". Great attitude helps!! She has mets to 3 ribs, pluerel and 4 or 5 lymph nodes in addition to right lung.

Mom flew to Portland this morning (before the chemo takes hold tomorrow and she is down for a few days). The doctor asked me a lot of questions about how I analyze the blood work and test results yesterday - thought I kept an excel spreadsheet (lol). Mom thinks it is because he does think it is helping her stay stable.

Your Father is lucky to have you around to help him with this fight - it does make a difference. May your Father continue to have few, if any, symptoms and stable disease!

costello782

nubis said:

survivor?
My husband is facing small cell lung cancer. He is only 33 years old. He is stage IV. I don't know if this is terminal, some days my husband looks healthy, somedays he is very sick, future is uncertain. Present is to fight. Of course you think in death, for me is very difficult, when my husband is on pain I think the worst, but then next day he feels better and you just know you need to keep fighting.
We do what we need to do. Rigth now, I just call for clinical trials, to see if my husband can be a candidate. We are trying all the options we have. Of course sometimes I feel sad, very very sad. I cry in the shower, so my husband doesn't see me, because I need to let my feeling get out. I need to be healthy for him. But after that, I keeping searching, keep praying, keep doing what we need to do.

Good luck.

Hello - I am hoping that you
Hello - I am hoping that you may check this message...my husband is also 33 and has been diagnosed with stage IV non small cell lung cancer. I understand that your husband has small cell but I was hoping that you could share any information. My husband has been accepted into a clinical trial with 3 drugs that he will receive every 3 weeks. Praying for you and your husband.

Sue_J

andiques said:

Stage IV NSCLC already in remission!
We're ALL terminal in the end! Don't let the statistics scare you (even though I did!)... I was dx Stage IV NSCLC adenocarcinoma (inoperable) in Jan 2009. Underwent three rounds of chemo ( Carboplatin/Taxol /Avastin ) and then had a CT scan for assessment last week. I'm in remission already and I have to say that the chemo wasn't bad either -- so MUCH better than in the past. SO ... call it a miracle or call in modern-day progress, but whatever it is, I'm happy as a clam! I attribute it to not only my treatment, but also to BIG support in the form of prayers from lots of folks. STAY POSITIVE by all means because. no matter what, we all need to enjoy whatever days we DO have on this earth. We could be hit by a Mack truck tomorrow! BTW, I also highly recommend The Lung Cancer Alliance for great support and discussion. They are under the umbrella of the "Inspire" network. Check them out! Best of luck!

Such great news for you! You are an inspiration for those of us fighting the fight. Prayers are all important indeed.

Sue_J

River view

Not only Surviving but Thriving
Stardust, I celebrated 5 years this past March. I contribute it to incredible doctors and they say it is my determined attitude. It might be both but after the shock and anger wore off, I decided to do my best to stay positive while waiting for science to step up. I had it in both lungs and then it spread to my neck and adrenal gland. NOTHING is showing right now and I go for scans every 3 months. So Always have faith, hope and most important, BELIEVE in your own strength to WIN.

River view

Stardust1 said:

Please reply any Stage 4 survivors
Dear Members,
Soccerfreaks,mentioned there were survivors to Lung Cancer Stage 4,please reply.


Stardust1

Stage IV survivor
Just celebrated 5 years so keep believing in your own strength to fight along with the science.

River view

Stardust1 said:

Please reply any Stage 4 survivors
Dear Members,
Soccerfreaks,mentioned there were survivors to Lung Cancer Stage 4,please reply.


Stardust1

Stage IV survivor
Just celebrated 5 years so keep believing in your own strength to fight along with the science.

River view

realiti said:

Dear narwal46,
Up till now
Dear narwal46,

Up till now his condition is stable. The mass in his lung is now reduced from (10x12)cm to (4x2,5)cm. He stopped receiving Carboplatin in September and Alimta three months ago.

Since then, he follows only the alternative “treatment” (if I can use the word).

His last pet scan showed no bone metastasis (lymph mets still there). He is going to have another one in a couple of months. Still no symptoms whatsoever. His doctor can’t explain why he remains stable and he expects direct deterioration.

I hope to prove him wrong once more!!!

PS: apologies for my late response

5 Years and Counting
I have only just joined this site but I was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in March 2007. I was inoperable and had masses in both lungs. I endorsed 2 years of core chemo before it spread to my neck and then 6 months of a trial. My neck cleared but it reared it's ugly head in my right Adrenal Gland. At that time, I started Alimpta which at the time was a 2nd line drug. That along with (as my doctor puts it) my determination found me with only one tumor which had shrunk to a very small one, in August of 2011. At that point, I had been on chemo for over 4 years. My doctor along with 3 other doctors decided to give me the option of a fairly new type of Radiation for lung cancer which had only been used with Stage I . It was 5 doses of extreme radiation over a 10 day period. Four months later, scans showed no new signs of cancer and the charred remains of what they had zapped. I am going for the scheduled 3 month scan in a couple of weeks. I feel fine, a little short breath sometimes, but that's nothing! I haven't had chemo since July 2011 and celebrated 5 years and still fighting this past March. So my message is to keep fighting the fight as science is getting better and better. Believe in tomorrow as I was not expected to have too many of them.

Sincerely. ....

thatng

tropicgirl2780 said:

I'm a mom too
Hey I have a little girl, 2 and a son, 7. I was diagnosed in Nov. 2009 with stage 4 NSCLC. I immediately did a clinical trial with carboplatin, pemetrexed and avastin. After 12 weeks of that I went to pemetrexed and avastin. IN July of 2010 I started having a bad reaction to the pemetrexed. I have been on Avastin since then, every 21 days. After the first 12 weeks of chemo the tumor was almost non existent and all the lymph nodes were back to normal size. I just had CT results today and infusion. The Dr's said they have no idea how I haven't had a reoccurance AT ALL. I am going on 18 months and most typically occur at 3 months they said. They have now said they are thinking outside the box and would like me to consider letting them go in microscopically and remove the very tiny bit of tumor left in my lung to further test it and basically get it out of my body. I am leaning towards yes, why not try right? In the mean time I have divorced an abusive husband, moved into an apt with my kids and am loving and living every minute. I feel great and I am anxious to see results of PET scan next friday and brain MRI. Keep fighting, you have 2 reasons to give it your all. I really believe that attitude and being surrounded by loved ones helps.

Tropicgirl2780
Hi Tropicgirl,

I find your post very encouraging and inspiring. My mom was diagnosed a month ago with stage 4 NSCLC. She went to the hospital with pneumonia and discovered that she has cancer. It has been very difficult for her and all of us. She is 63 and was never a smoker. I want to share with you and everyone else here that she was given carboplatin and pemetrexed. She also received radidation to reduce the tumor in her lung since it was in her air passage and she was having a difficult time breathing. The radiation and chemo appears to shrink the tumor in her lung because she can breathe better now and on her own. There were several nodules (lumps) on her body (head, chest, waist) and one of them (1/2cm) has disappeared. We are trying to be hopeful. She does not have any mutations so the doctor is not recommending any target therapy at the moment. I brought up Avastin to the doctor but he said it was not recommended since 1 in 100 will die from internal bleeding. Especially since my mom has coughed a little blood, he doesn't want to give her avastin. She will be going in for her second dose of chemo tomorrow and a new CT and MRI of the brain in two weeks. I am hoping that it will show us some positive signs. We have noticed some of the nodules on her body is getting smaller but we can quantify the results when we get the CT.
It has been a year since your post, how are you doing? Has the cancer went into complete remission? Did you change your diet at all during chemo? Did you do anything different? I hope you are well and look forward to hearing from you.