Stage 3B

Welcome.  Please ignore those Internet survival numbers.  They do not reflect the new, targeted therapies.  If they find no brain mets you will remain stage 3a.  That means that they can still try to effect a cure.  At the very least it is treatable.  There are long term survivors of late term LC who have survived 15 & 20 years.  They check in only occasionally as they are out there living.  

Exercise is the thing that helped my recovery and energy level.  It doesn't have to be heavy duty exercise.  Stretching and flexability exercises can be done in bed.  Chemo radiation and surgery can be very fatiguing so don't over do it.  Staying well hydrated and nourished will help you the most.  Also, when treatment starts use stool softeners.  

I look forward to hearing more from you. 

RHumphrey said:

Thank you.  This site is much

Thank you.  This site is much more helpful than the info I got from the doctor.  I was a bit shell shocked at the time and don't think my mind had fully taken in what was being said at the time.  You always seem to have questions when the appointment is over.  I feel much more confident about this situation after finding this site.

Never be shy about calling the nurse or pa to ask questions if you need an answer Or more explanation.  get copies of all your test results and keep them in one place.  Write out your questions in advance if you know what you want to ask.  This list is quite comprehensive and leaves room for answers.  Always bring someone along to help record. 

http://cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003285-pdf.pdf

RHumphrey said:

Chemo

My brain MRI was clean so I start chemo next Tuesday and talk to a doctor about radiation Monday.  I was told chemo would be two days of chemo and a shot the third day.  Twenty one days between cycles.

Good news indeed.  You must be able to breate again.  What chemo agents will you be given?  Will they do the chemo and radiation at the same time?   

Also 3B here, diagnosed April 2010, simultaneous radio and chemo, and I'm still kicking pretty hard with great quality of life. You can get through the radiation and chemo without big problems.

The stats you read aren't meaningless, but short of maybe getting some details of your life in order that you wouldn't want to leave undone if things went south, you don't want to dwell on them. They don't describe you as an individual. Hell, based on the stats, there's probably a 10% probability I should be alive right now. I'm 100% alive, so far as I can tell (pinching self to make sure).

Check in anytime; you'll get understanding and semi-educated answers out of the veterans here. Best of luck with the treatment.

Yes, that will happen if the radiation pattern overlaps or comes near the esophagus. Along with severe fatigue near the end of the course, that was basically the only noticeable side effect I had.

And although it came on me pretty near the end (luckily), it can be impressively painful, making it hard to swallow anything other than lukewarm water, and sometimes even that. I didn't have a whole lot of luck with the magic throat-deadening meds (they work well for some people), so I just toughed it out for a couple weeks. My recommendation would be to eat as though you had the problem even before it happens, and it may put off the onset. That means eating things that are slippery and go down fast. Counterintuitively, pasty but bland things like mashed potatoes are bad, because they can get stuck in one place and require a lot of swallows before they go down. I lived for a couple weeks on nothing but diced-up boiled hot dogs and boiled spaghetti.

The good news is that this usually doesn't last long, and so far as I can tell now, it never happened (i.e. I have had no lasting swallowing discomfort).

RHumphrey said:

I was told six weeks of

I was told six weeks of radiation.  Also chemo will be two days with an IV and third day will be a shot.  Twenty one days between chemo treatments then repeat for six courses.  If I can handle it then three more chemo courses.  Is this about the same as you experienced?  i have some steroids I will have to take and another drug each of the days of chemo.  I plan to try to work as much as possible during this whole process if I can.

Thirty-eight days of radiation (Monday through Friday), and three courses of dual chemo, one week on, three weeks off. The chemo weeks took the form of Cisplatin and Etoposide on Monday, Etoposide only Tuesday through Friday, and another Cisplatin the next Monday. No shots. Depending on the chemo, they may give you any number of other drugs along with. I remember Decadron (steroid) and Kytril (anti-emetic) every time, and something to make you pee like a racehorse with the Cisplatin.

I worked a fair amount during treatment, starting with on-site, then from home via computer with some off-hours on-site visits to avoid exposing myself to people, then computer from home only.

It's pretty likely that the last few weeks of radiation you won't feel like doing much of anything for any length of time. "Grand piano on your back" is how I would describe it. Some people may differ, but I think it's pretty tough to escape the fatigue even if everything else goes well.

RHumphrey said:

Radiation

Saw the radiation doctor today.  Treatment starts next week.  Five days a week for seven to eight weeks.  When I asked about possible eating issues, he said the target area was far enough away from the throat area the most I should feel is more like heartburn and it should not keep me from eating.  i may get lucky with that.  First chemo treatment tomorrow.

So glad that you are ready to start treatment.  Do be prepared with some aloe juice.  My doctor told me that I might experience some minor irritation.  She did not prepare me for the pain I would experience.  Knowing what I know now, I would still do it, just add the aloe juice.