My Mom was just diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer

LAJanus
LAJanus Member Posts: 1
in Lung Cancer #1

Can anyone help me ? My Mom has stage 4 lung cancer she is 73 and very fragile. I live almost 2,000 away but will soon be with her and my Dad.  This is a nightmare and we're still in shock.  My Mom went to the emergency room 3 weeks ago she had pneumonia that's when she was told there were other findings. We are in limbo waiting to hear what they're going to do for her. So far,  surgery is out of the options plus she had fluid on her bottom left lung that too is cancer. Is my Mom's life physically coming to an end ???

Comments

  • ClaCla
    ClaCla Member Posts: 136 Member
    edited April 2018 #2
    LA Janus

    So sorry you are going through these tough times.  First, the only way to be sure it's lung cancer is if they've done a biopsy; have they done that?  If so, what type of lung cancer does she have?  I know you were told stage IV.  Is it Non Small Lung Cancer (NSCLC) or Small Cell Lung Cancer?  And Sqeuamous Cell or Adenocarcinoma, or other?  There are a number of stage 4 long-term survivors on this site.  Also check out Inspire.com and search Stage IV Lung Cancer 10 Year Survivors.  There are several discussion threads about this subject, and lots of survivors.  With lung cancer, we really have to live in the current moment and not jump ahead too far; we have to live assuming nothing is wrong until we know for sure that it is.  When we first get the diagnosis, the odds are poor, but after treatments like chemo, radiation and immunotherapy, the odds could improve quite a bit.  So not trying to give you false hope, but also want you to know lung cancer really isn't necessarily a death sentence, not even stage IV.  Prayers and good thoughts to you and your family.  Best success.

  • jorola
    jorola Member Posts: 243 Member
    #3
    This is how my hubby was diagnosed

    We went to the ER as he could not stop coughing. Diagnosed with pneumonia but sent topulmonary specialist as big shadow on x-ay. It was a tumor 7 cm across. Squamous NSCLC stage 3b. Initally  he was given 8 months to live but they hammered him with chemo and radiation and he has been no evidence of disease for 4 years now.

    I am wondering if they found cancer cells in the fluid. It is one of the only other times and ways I know of that cancer can be confirmed. Best thing to do is go with her to the drs and get the low down on things and then you will be able to ask more questions and do more research but please be careful and only use actual medical sites and not private sites for research. And the STATS look bad but they are from information 10 to 15 years ago and treatment done 10 to 15 years ago so no longer really relevant.

  • onthemark
    onthemark Member Posts: 2
    #4
    Biopsy?

    Lung cancer is a tough journey for the patients and their families and we all go through a similar process. Do you have results of a biopsy? That will go a long way to determining treatment, depending on the type of lung cancer your Mom has. Even being frail, there are treatment options. Hopefully by now the fluid issues have been sorted and a treatment plan is in place.

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