"terminally ill"

itrustgod
itrustgod Member Posts: 41
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
hi guys..

I just have a question for the survivors:
have any of you been given a "terminal" diagnosis?

This is such a scary word and it's incredibly hard to digest. I'd like to hear from some people who've showed their doctors that you can still look forward to years with loved ones despite being "terminal".

I'm still keeping all of you in my prayers. God be with us during these difficult times.

Comments

  • CinciRick
    CinciRick Member Posts: 23
    #2
    Hi ITRUSTGOD,
    The answer is yes. Lung cancer is most often diagnosed in late stages where it is too late to expect a cure. Caught early and localized to only a few locations, surgery or radiation may eliminate the tumors. If it has already spread to to many locations or is in a place not a candidate for radiation or surgery then chemo can become your only option. That is my experience. The Doctors did a week of tests and then bluntly told my wife and I that I had terminal cancer, and surgery and radiation would not be an option. Oncologost #1 estimated 7 to 12 months, and the second opinion from Cleveland Clinic guessed at 24 months.

    The only good news is that these are wild guesses made before seeing how your cancer will react to chemotherapy. My first round of treatment was GEMZAR/CARBOPLATIN and it worked wonders. The tumors shrunk like mad and were almost gone after 5 months. I have met lung cancer patients beyond 5 years of treatment at the Wellness Center. One said he still plays basketball once a week. So I am about 16 months since diagnosis and I am still here and fighting.

    One possible outcome is that chemo or radiation can kill or shrink the tumors and then a drug like TARCEVA can keep it from comming back. Another possibility is if you are a candidate for one of the new treatments like RFA Radio Frequency Abalation, or the Cyber Knife.

    Cyberknife = http://azoncology.com/trmtoptions/cyberknife.aspx

    RFA = http://www.geocities.com/rfacancer/
  • handle
    handle Member Posts: 31 Member
    #3
    hi, I was given a death sentence at the hospital by the first oncologist. The second oncologist gave me a 5% chance of survival and told me that she was throwing everything at it , including the kitchen sink (4 chemo's) and massive radiation. I am now six years out last february, I am inoperable, the tumor is still present but not active. I am told I am not cured. I just didn't put much stock in what the statistics said, I even opted out of Prophylactic Brain Irradiation, and have lucked out with the brain mets, so just hang in there and fight the battle. God bless Mike
  • itrustgod
    itrustgod Member Posts: 41
    #4
    thank you for the reply. i'm still having a hard time dealing with the word but it is definitely comforting to hear that you guys know and understand what my family and I are going through.

    One thing I can tell you is that prayers work wonders! So let's keep praying for each other, shall we? I'm waiting for my mom's CT scan results next week (this is post radiation treatment) so please help me in praying that radiation helped (despite the naaaaasty side effects!)

    God bless!

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