It is okay to have Chemo and/or radation everyday?

Sandy54

First of all let me explain that the reason I am asking these questions is for my half-sister. The lady who has the lung cancer is my sister's mother & now my EX STEP-MOM!! This lady lies all the time,she has lied for many many years over the smallest things that do NOT even need to be lied about so PLEASE help me someone,anyone!! My Dad's ex-wife has lung cancer(I don't know what kind or stage). She is the mother of his child, to our knowledge she has NOT had her lung removed,she says she has to have Chemo & radation everyday for 6 weeks to 6 months but WE DO NOT believe the thing about chemo & radation EVERYDAY..not from all the info we have found. The reason she says this is to keep the child w/her & NOT send the child for any visitations w/my Dad..Has anyone out there ever heard of this(CHEMO & or RADATION one after another EVERYDAY??)..now days anyways? The lady has also said that she has a port in her neck/chest & arm..I thought you only needed one(1)port..why would anyone need two(2)ports at the same time? We wouldn't even believe that she had lung cancer but my Dad's lawyer DID confirm she does but the Courts can NOT force her to show anykind of "proof" as fas as stage or type,nothing at all(Hippa Law) so now we are forced to try and find out as much as possible from as many people as possible. Please tell us anything you know..we need all the help we can get or we will NOT get to see his child for several months at a time!! Thank You

cabbott

Ask an expert
Perhaps your lawyer could consult an expert as this discussion board is for patients. There is also an "Ask an Expert" internet site for lung cancer where you can pose a question for a real doctor to answer. I think it was with the University of Maryland, but you need something you can document if you want to confront someone in court. A consult with a live oncologist who will write down his opinion probably would stand up in court better. I can tell you that sometimes the cancer is too advanced for surgery to do any good and then chemo and radiation are the only medical alternatives for treatment. Many, too many, patients with lung cancer are not able to have surgery for that reason. It is just too hard to find out if you have lung cancer often until it is too late. Sometimes, if the tumor shrinks enough, surgery can follow. Sometimes chemo buys more time but surgery is still not done because the cancer has already spread to other places in the body. Radiation is often used to stop bone mets from causing pain while patients are taking other treatments for their lung. I don't know if lung radiation would be administered along with chemo. I also don't know the schedule for the chemo or radiation. A lung cancer specialist could tell you if any regimes require daily radiation and/or chemo. Maybe some other patients can tell you more, but you may need to ask an expert.

Sandy54

cabbott said:

Ask an expert
Perhaps your lawyer could consult an expert as this discussion board is for patients. There is also an "Ask an Expert" internet site for lung cancer where you can pose a question for a real doctor to answer. I think it was with the University of Maryland, but you need something you can document if you want to confront someone in court. A consult with a live oncologist who will write down his opinion probably would stand up in court better. I can tell you that sometimes the cancer is too advanced for surgery to do any good and then chemo and radiation are the only medical alternatives for treatment. Many, too many, patients with lung cancer are not able to have surgery for that reason. It is just too hard to find out if you have lung cancer often until it is too late. Sometimes, if the tumor shrinks enough, surgery can follow. Sometimes chemo buys more time but surgery is still not done because the cancer has already spread to other places in the body. Radiation is often used to stop bone mets from causing pain while patients are taking other treatments for their lung. I don't know if lung radiation would be administered along with chemo. I also don't know the schedule for the chemo or radiation. A lung cancer specialist could tell you if any regimes require daily radiation and/or chemo. Maybe some other patients can tell you more, but you may need to ask an expert.

Chemo & Radation EVERYDAY
I am sorry I didn't realize that this is just for patients..I am just tryin' to help my sister(my sister is a minor & has ask me for help) & Dad get as much info as possible!! I will take your advice & try to find a Doctor online that can tell me but Thanks anyways!!

Pitapocket

Sandy54 said:

Chemo & Radation EVERYDAY
I am sorry I didn't realize that this is just for patients..I am just tryin' to help my sister(my sister is a minor & has ask me for help) & Dad get as much info as possible!! I will take your advice & try to find a Doctor online that can tell me but Thanks anyways!!

Hi Sandy: This is not just
Hi Sandy: This is not just for patients. I'm not a patient, but my dad was. He died of lung cancer almost 2 years ago. I got on this site when he was diagnosed. Okay, he was a stage 4 at diagnosis. In his situation, they wanted to do Radiation everyday, except the weekends, and get him going on the chemo. The chemo would have been once a week to start. He declined the chemo. I can tell you this: The chemo is different for everyone. But I never heard of it being given everyday, and we have a huge history of cancer in my family. Radiation is given everyday, but I don't think chemo is. And if there is a port involved, it's usually only one inserted in the chest. She could be exaggerating. She could have only one port for the chemo. And the doctors would have a chemo schedule for her, like once a week, or once every two weeks. But the radiation is probably done everyday. She should still allow visits, though. As this is something that even the strongest people need to step away from to get a break. The child should not be forced to give up visitations. It will take a toll mentally. I would go to court over it if I were you and see if you can get the judge to hold her in contempt if she continues to deny visitations, sick or not, it's not good for the child. Good luck.

cabbott

Pitapocket said:

Hi Sandy: This is not just
Hi Sandy: This is not just for patients. I'm not a patient, but my dad was. He died of lung cancer almost 2 years ago. I got on this site when he was diagnosed. Okay, he was a stage 4 at diagnosis. In his situation, they wanted to do Radiation everyday, except the weekends, and get him going on the chemo. The chemo would have been once a week to start. He declined the chemo. I can tell you this: The chemo is different for everyone. But I never heard of it being given everyday, and we have a huge history of cancer in my family. Radiation is given everyday, but I don't think chemo is. And if there is a port involved, it's usually only one inserted in the chest. She could be exaggerating. She could have only one port for the chemo. And the doctors would have a chemo schedule for her, like once a week, or once every two weeks. But the radiation is probably done everyday. She should still allow visits, though. As this is something that even the strongest people need to step away from to get a break. The child should not be forced to give up visitations. It will take a toll mentally. I would go to court over it if I were you and see if you can get the judge to hold her in contempt if she continues to deny visitations, sick or not, it's not good for the child. Good luck.

Opps!
Opps! I didn't mean to leave out caregivers! You may personally kick me from here to China for leaving you out. You are all saints and certainly deserve to be recognized. I just meant that there are no doctors here on duty to answer questions. We have all experienced cancer either first or second hand, so we have a lot of expertise, but legal and medical advice sometimes need to come from the lawyers and doctors especially if you want it to stand up in court.