Radiation Killed my Dad's good lung.

RadiationKills
RadiationKills Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
My father had half of his left lung removed. Then, had to follow up with chemo and radiation. 6 months later, he is in Huntsville Hospital, with pneumonia, his right lung is not functioning(due to radiation). So, he is functioning on half of his bad lung only with loads of complications. The good lung is destroyed.... Anybody with similar outcome. His prognosis does not look good at present. I am so mad.. Radiation kills... Good and Bad. Is it worth it really?

Comments

  • hope0310
    hope0310 Member Posts: 320
    #2
    So sorry..
    I am sorry to hear of your dad's condition. Yes, radiation does kill both good and bad cells.
    Please keep us updated, stay strong and positive, and never give up hope.
  • ms.sunshine
    ms.sunshine Member Posts: 707 Member
    #3
    I went thru chemo and
    I went thru chemo and surgery for breast cancer. Pet scan showed no cancer surgery pathology showed one dead cancer cell. Now my doc wants me to go thru rad. I said no. I'm due for a checkup test in July, I told her IF anything shows then I will go. Doesn't make sense for me to go thru rad. when there is no evidence, and suffer the side effects. I will have permanent damage to my lung and rib cage among other effects. I feel within I need to allow my body to heal and allow nature to repair damage. I feel rad. will only make me weaker.

    This is the decision that I made, everyone has to decide for themselves.

    I understand why you are angry. My docs. keep telling me there are no guarantees when one is battlin cancer. Which means they are not 100% sure themselves. Sorry that your family now has to endure this along with all the other crap cancer brings. I wish the best for your dad.
  • vlash
    vlash Member Posts: 4
    #4
    hope0310 said:

    So sorry..
    I am sorry to hear of your dad's condition. Yes, radiation does kill both good and bad cells.
    Please keep us updated, stay strong and positive, and never give up hope.

    Radiation
    Help, I just read hope0310 and in your story you said that radiation kills good cells too??

    I am starting Radiation and have started Chemo and this all scares the crap out of me. Please enlighten me on what to expect. I am now in pain and I can not get it to stop, should I call my Oncologist or is this normal? I am stage 1 Small Cell Lung, lower lobe. The doctor told me it is not operatable, this seems strange since I have seen in here that some have had surgery.. I wonder what makes the difference???

    Any answers are appriciated.
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #5
    vlash said:

    Radiation
    Help, I just read hope0310 and in your story you said that radiation kills good cells too??

    I am starting Radiation and have started Chemo and this all scares the crap out of me. Please enlighten me on what to expect. I am now in pain and I can not get it to stop, should I call my Oncologist or is this normal? I am stage 1 Small Cell Lung, lower lobe. The doctor told me it is not operatable, this seems strange since I have seen in here that some have had surgery.. I wonder what makes the difference???

    Any answers are appriciated.

    chemo and rads
    vlash, both radiation and chemo are broad-brush attempts to kill cancer cells. The first burns the targeted area (and they are getting better at their targeting techniques, or so I have read), and the second inundates the body, frankly, with poison (and they are getting better at that too, coming up with chemicals that are both more successful and less stressful to the body).

    Still, there is the trade-off between trying to eradicate the cancer and suffering some pain. Since you have read some posts here, you are obviously aware that there are a great number of folks who have chosen to endure some pain in order to continue living and are happier for the choice.

    Not everyone survives cancer, but those who do, as far as I know, are the ones who fight it, not with magic potions but with the tools that the medical profession provides.

    Your fear is not only understandable but palpable: we have been there.

    Hang in there. If you do not trust your doctors, get new ones. If you do trust them, then let them work with you, using their admittedly clumsy tools, the best tools available at this time, to fight the disease.

    Hope and humor!

    Take care,

    Joe
  • nanaof7
    nanaof7 Member Posts: 127
    #6
    ms.sunshine said:

    I went thru chemo and
    I went thru chemo and surgery for breast cancer. Pet scan showed no cancer surgery pathology showed one dead cancer cell. Now my doc wants me to go thru rad. I said no. I'm due for a checkup test in July, I told her IF anything shows then I will go. Doesn't make sense for me to go thru rad. when there is no evidence, and suffer the side effects. I will have permanent damage to my lung and rib cage among other effects. I feel within I need to allow my body to heal and allow nature to repair damage. I feel rad. will only make me weaker.

    This is the decision that I made, everyone has to decide for themselves.

    I understand why you are angry. My docs. keep telling me there are no guarantees when one is battlin cancer. Which means they are not 100% sure themselves. Sorry that your family now has to endure this along with all the other crap cancer brings. I wish the best for your dad.

    radiation
    I had radiation for my NSCL but they focused on my left lung they targeted a certain area and marked it. so my question is how did they get his good lung why would they put radiation there, have you asked how this happened?

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