diagnosis

mamaandthefam

I was just diagnosed with stage four lung cancer that has spread to my brain and liver, they tell me its not cureable but its treatable...do i have any hope of living longer than six months??? If anyone out there has a glimmor of hope i'll take it. Please let me know, i am a 45 yr old woman who is not ready to give up on life.

Thank You,
mama

nanaof7

never give up
I am sorry to hear about your dx, I am in my first year so I don't think I will be much help to you but there are many wonderful stories here. I learned to never give up hope the many people here will help you through this. best of luck and hope to hear the latest news from you ...

Glenna M

nanaof7 said:

never give up
I am sorry to hear about your dx, I am in my first year so I don't think I will be much help to you but there are many wonderful stories here. I learned to never give up hope the many people here will help you through this. best of luck and hope to hear the latest news from you ...

I agree...
I agree with nanaof7 - never give up!! I was diagnosed with two different types of cancers in May '09, like you I was told they were incurable and inoperable but my doctors were convinced that I could have a lengthy remission.

You mentioned 6 months, is this what the doctors said or is this a statistic you read about? Please don't go by statistics because every case is different. If your doctors are telling you this I would advise getting a second opinion and keep fighting!!

I'm 4 months post treatment (chemo and rads) and just found out that I am in remission.

You have come to the right place for information, there are many, many great people on this site who can help you with any concerns and questions you may have. Just reading the posts has given me so much hope as there are many people on here who have gone through much worse than I am and they are still around to give advice and encouragement to those who need it.

Stay strong and keep smiling,
Glenna

SueC21

Glenna M said:

I agree...
I agree with nanaof7 - never give up!! I was diagnosed with two different types of cancers in May '09, like you I was told they were incurable and inoperable but my doctors were convinced that I could have a lengthy remission.

You mentioned 6 months, is this what the doctors said or is this a statistic you read about? Please don't go by statistics because every case is different. If your doctors are telling you this I would advise getting a second opinion and keep fighting!!

I'm 4 months post treatment (chemo and rads) and just found out that I am in remission.

You have come to the right place for information, there are many, many great people on this site who can help you with any concerns and questions you may have. Just reading the posts has given me so much hope as there are many people on here who have gone through much worse than I am and they are still around to give advice and encouragement to those who need it.

Stay strong and keep smiling,
Glenna

Mama, never give up
I am new here, so I can't give you the long term prognosis. But my husband, who is 43 was just dx in Dec 09 with same thing, he has mets to his brain, right eye and liver. He did 10 rounds of whole brain radiation and a chemo injection to his eye.
We got the results of his MRI on 1/27 and it shows all spots on his brain are smaller and tumor in his eye is drying up. Continueing on Chemo now.

Doc says he looks good and can not tells us how long he has since everyone is different. So I am hopeful. I refuse to let him think that he is dying of cancer.

Positive Mental Attitude, that's the way to go...

I tell him to think of himself as a person "Living with Cancer", I hope you do the same. None of us know how long we have on this earth. Make the most of it while your here and don't give up. I look at it as buying yourself time until the next medical advancement comes out.

I like reading everyone's posts here as it gives me strength to keep going and I thank everyone for that. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I hope this helps.
Sue

crick

SueC21 said:

Mama, never give up
I am new here, so I can't give you the long term prognosis. But my husband, who is 43 was just dx in Dec 09 with same thing, he has mets to his brain, right eye and liver. He did 10 rounds of whole brain radiation and a chemo injection to his eye.
We got the results of his MRI on 1/27 and it shows all spots on his brain are smaller and tumor in his eye is drying up. Continueing on Chemo now.

Doc says he looks good and can not tells us how long he has since everyone is different. So I am hopeful. I refuse to let him think that he is dying of cancer.

Positive Mental Attitude, that's the way to go...

I tell him to think of himself as a person "Living with Cancer", I hope you do the same. None of us know how long we have on this earth. Make the most of it while your here and don't give up. I look at it as buying yourself time until the next medical advancement comes out.

I like reading everyone's posts here as it gives me strength to keep going and I thank everyone for that. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I hope this helps.
Sue

Never give up
I am new as a care giver. My wife was dx with small cell lung cancer three weeks ago. We both are starting to accept this fact. I am trying to stay positive for her as she take this new journey. I agree that having a positive attitude has help me accept my wife's condition. HOPE is what we have and every situation is different and we need to stay focus on maintaining positive and in prayer.

RICK

catcon49

crick said:

Never give up
I am new as a care giver. My wife was dx with small cell lung cancer three weeks ago. We both are starting to accept this fact. I am trying to stay positive for her as she take this new journey. I agree that having a positive attitude has help me accept my wife's condition. HOPE is what we have and every situation is different and we need to stay focus on maintaining positive and in prayer.

RICK

The people who said don't
The people who said don't give up are right. Someone once told me that no one has an expiration date stamped on their head. (I think some one from this site). And believe me there are miracles everyday. Stay strong and positive. Good luck

c

stayingcalm

catcon49 said:

The people who said don't
The people who said don't give up are right. Someone once told me that no one has an expiration date stamped on their head. (I think some one from this site). And believe me there are miracles everyday. Stay strong and positive. Good luck

c

Quotable Quotes
I think it was soccerfreaks, I know I've heard him use that expression, and right he is!

pkaz53

stayingcalm said:

Quotable Quotes
I think it was soccerfreaks, I know I've heard him use that expression, and right he is!

agree
Don't ever give up Mamma, you are facing a lot of challenges, and I agree as others have said, no one has an expiration date stamped on their forehead.

All our hopes,wishes and prayers are with you.

cobra1122

Mama you have the strength
I want you to realize there is always hope, I have out lived every prognosis I have been given, when I just stop and think I truly understand it is because of the hope that my wife and I have that keeps us going. I believe in faith, hope, and a positive attitude, those will keep you going when everything seems to be going south (so to speak)
If you read my bio, you will understand that I am here now because I have faith and a strong positive attitude, my wife sometimes looks at me and says she cant understand sometimes how I can be so strong, I say I get it from her , we keep each other going by keeping the positive attitude that we can/will endure. That today is a great day, tomorrow is the future and we will deal with it then. I am only 49 and not ready to giveup either.
I keep telling the Docs that they need to realize that I am not a stat on a page, no one can say for sure how long I have, I have no out lived my last prognosis by over 6 months.
You cant give up, you have a life today to live. Enjoy every moment and cherish the time you do have. Dont let them set in your mind a date that is only a statistic, you are different than the next person, so no one knows how long. Keep your hope alive, think positive and when you start to find you are sinking in spirit, talk to someone, this board is great and so are the people on it, They have helped me many times and that is what we are all here for to help each other.

Our Prayers and Best Wishes to You, Your Family, and Everyone else,

Dan (cobra1122) and Margi Harmon

soccerfreaks

Then don't
If you are not ready to give up, then don't!

If your doctors are saying that your cancer is treatable, I think you might consider that to be a fine assessment indeed (relatively speaking, of course), based on where the cancer has been and where it is. I would think that you might take that word 'treatable' and turn it into 'hope'.

In my experience, especially in talking to others on this site, cancer docs aren't in it for the money. They are not afraid to tell you that while you were once Wonder Bread, you are now toast. So if they are telling you that your cancer is treatable, I would suggest that you put on your happy face, wear your Hope and Humor cape, and get after it.

It will not be easy, for sure. Yours is a tough row to hoe, without doubt. The trick, I think, is to embrace the treatment that makes you 'treatable' while retaining the ability to enjoy the life that makes the treatment endurable. That is not always so easy to do, but if you trust your doctors and if they are good doctors (and it seems like they are, based on limited information), they will help you balance that. Your loved ones can help with that, too.

And when it seems really bad, if it ever does, and it will, there are a lot of wonderful people in this joint who can help you. Some of them have been down the same row, some of them still have hoe in hand.

Take care,

Joe