crot1998-info on stable disease

rpatt
rpatt Member Posts: 23
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Hello crot1998!
I remember you asking back a time regarding people out there with stable diseases and how they were progressing. I though of you and your father when I was talking with this cancer survivor I recently met. She had stage IV NSCLC with effusion in both her heart and lungs. That was 3 years ago. She stated she went through approx. 18 mo. of treatment, no surg. or radiation due to the location of the tumor, just behind her heart. As a result of her response to chemo, she is now in stable disease with some activity in her lymphnodes near her clavicle, but no where else. She was on a drug to supress growth but the side effects were too adverse for her to deal with, so for a year now she hasn't been on anything and has had no new growth. She is working and dating (she is single) and appears to be in great health. It seems that the grade of cancer (I had mentioned that in a previous post) has to do with how long it takes for cancer to return or start growing again. She has moderatly differentiated, which according to our doc., along with midly differentiated, stands a much better chance of remaining stable or in remission.
I hope some of this info. gives you hope or is a help in some small way!

Comments

  • crot1998
    crot1998 Member Posts: 67
    #2
    Hi there, what a blessing to hear from someone today. My father is in ICU at the hospital with a collapsed lung and 1.5 litres of fluid removed. I have literally spent the last 24 hours crying. I am the youngest of four children, my father is 68 and this has had such an emotional impact on me that I find it hard to keep it together, thank God that I have my husband and a lot of faith. Thank you for your post regarding the person you just met, it means the world to me right now. Please keep my Dad in your prayers. Congratulations on your husband's response to Navelbine, the battle isn't over!!!
  • rpatt
    rpatt Member Posts: 23
    #3
    crot1998 said:

    Hi there, what a blessing to hear from someone today. My father is in ICU at the hospital with a collapsed lung and 1.5 litres of fluid removed. I have literally spent the last 24 hours crying. I am the youngest of four children, my father is 68 and this has had such an emotional impact on me that I find it hard to keep it together, thank God that I have my husband and a lot of faith. Thank you for your post regarding the person you just met, it means the world to me right now. Please keep my Dad in your prayers. Congratulations on your husband's response to Navelbine, the battle isn't over!!!

    My husband has gone through the same thing several times, although he was never hospitalized. Sometimes, especially if there was effusion to begin with, radiation can exacerbate this and even cause more fluid than originally was present. My husband intially started out with cancerous effusion, which was taken care of by the chemo, but as the months went on, he ended up developing more effusion which actually impacted his breathing more than the original but was non-cancerous. He has had the fluid removed several times and has experienced almost immediate relief in his breathing. Since it keeps coming back, he probably will have to have the procedure done where they chemically seal the lung to the outer area to prevent more fluid build up. I guess this requires a hospital stay, but is a relatively easy (but I've heard painful) procedure. I guess through all of this what I am trying to say is, first of all the effusion may not be cancerous, secondly it can be recovered from pretty quickly. My husband went for a hike about three days after he had the liquid drained for the first time!
    I'll keep you and your family in my thoughts! I hope you are taking care of yourself!

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