stage 3a or b. squamous cell carcinoma
Comments
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Hi, I am 56 , almost 7 years out, with small cell lung cancer, I am also inoperable because of the location of the tumor and its involvement with other things in the medestinal cavity.My tumor was located on ,in, my left lung,and was too large to start on radiation.I was started on cisplatnum and etopicide also. They were hoping to shrink the tumor enough to get into one port of radiation. I had three nine hour day cycles of chemo and then three weeks off. My second cycle I had severe reaction to cisplatnum and ended up in ICU for five days. I was then changed to carboplatnum, etopicide and taxol. I was very sick from this chemo but just eat anything you can get into your system. My fourth cycle the tumor had shrunk enough to get into one port of radiation . I then received chemo and radiation in combination. I had radiation six days a week for six and one half weeks to my chest, side and back. I had a total of six cycles . My cancer is dormant, I am not cured but am a survivor.I am still inoperable because of the location of the tumor and its involvement. I would get the second opinion, and if is possible have it removed , but again the location is the problem. I will tell you , not to listen to all the statistic's, everyone is different, I was given a 5% chance of survival, and still kicking and here. I hope this helps some and if there is anything I can do or answer , please ask. God bless Mike2
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Mike it was such an uplifting feeling I had when I read your message. Seven Years. I hope I am as lucking. I have to stop ready stats and enjoy every day. I am a 55 year old female who was diagnosed in October, 2007 with advanced stage SCLC which metastisized to liver and bones. I began chemo immediately following the diagnosis. In December I had first CT Scan after 3 rounds of chemo, etopicide and carboplatin and the results were good, the tumors had been destroyed. I continued with chemo through the end of Feb. 2008, had a PET scan shortly thereafter with positive results - I am now in remission. The doctors have told me that I am a candidate for prophylatic cranial irradiation to help prevent return of cancer in the brain. I go for an MRI today to make sure there are no lesions in my brain prior to this radiation. I have kept a positive outlook throughout this ordeal and have strong faith. I have been lucky throughout all of this, never lost appetite, only lost a few pounds during chemo, which personally looked well on me, continued to do all the everyday chores I have done for years, shopping, cooking, cleaning, banking, errands, etc. I did, however retire from my job of 30 years to work exclusively on being well. I know there is NO cure for SCLC and am very scared about the shortness of my life expectancy but your message gave me hope of longer than 12-15 months. I have a daughter in college working on her masters and would love to see her receive it. I have a terrific husband and a strong family support system which I believe helps me day to day. Good luck to you Mike and God Bless Keep a positive attitude, enjoy each day to the fullest and never give up the fight. Carolhandle said:Hi, I am 56 , almost 7 years out, with small cell lung cancer, I am also inoperable because of the location of the tumor and its involvement with other things in the medestinal cavity.My tumor was located on ,in, my left lung,and was too large to start on radiation.I was started on cisplatnum and etopicide also. They were hoping to shrink the tumor enough to get into one port of radiation. I had three nine hour day cycles of chemo and then three weeks off. My second cycle I had severe reaction to cisplatnum and ended up in ICU for five days. I was then changed to carboplatnum, etopicide and taxol. I was very sick from this chemo but just eat anything you can get into your system. My fourth cycle the tumor had shrunk enough to get into one port of radiation . I then received chemo and radiation in combination. I had radiation six days a week for six and one half weeks to my chest, side and back. I had a total of six cycles . My cancer is dormant, I am not cured but am a survivor.I am still inoperable because of the location of the tumor and its involvement. I would get the second opinion, and if is possible have it removed , but again the location is the problem. I will tell you , not to listen to all the statistic's, everyone is different, I was given a 5% chance of survival, and still kicking and here. I hope this helps some and if there is anything I can do or answer , please ask. God bless Mike
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stage IIIb nsclc Squam
1st time to speak
My wife is finishing her 1st round of rad and cemo tomorrow at MD Anderson.
We were given a toe tag and booted to the curb in corpus christi after surgery and showed up in houston with hat in hand. The team started with the term treatable and now at this juncture we have been upgraded to cureable rad 5 days a week, chem 6 to 8 hrs a day for 8 days with a three week break. She will be coming home for a rest (5 weeks) and back on Apr.29 for another look. The treatment is out there and you just have to keep the faith. Mitzi has kept her spirits high and that is a must. Now my question..Her throat is so sore she cannot swallow any advice?
Mike and mitzi
we are so grateful for the team and suppurt from drs kim and guerra
and the whole support network at MD you can beat this we are0 -
swallowingmandm1 said:stage IIIb nsclc Squam
1st time to speak
My wife is finishing her 1st round of rad and cemo tomorrow at MD Anderson.
We were given a toe tag and booted to the curb in corpus christi after surgery and showed up in houston with hat in hand. The team started with the term treatable and now at this juncture we have been upgraded to cureable rad 5 days a week, chem 6 to 8 hrs a day for 8 days with a three week break. She will be coming home for a rest (5 weeks) and back on Apr.29 for another look. The treatment is out there and you just have to keep the faith. Mitzi has kept her spirits high and that is a must. Now my question..Her throat is so sore she cannot swallow any advice?
Mike and mitzi
we are so grateful for the team and suppurt from drs kim and guerra
and the whole support network at MD you can beat this we are
Congrats to Mitzi and you, Mike, for this success story!
Re the swallowing issue, I am head/neck cancer survivor (as well as lung) so have some familiarity with that problem. I had 33 rad sessions, with no breaks, over a seven week period. If they have not yet told you, and if you are going to be going in for more rads, please acquire a burn prevention agent that can be applied to all affected parts of the body following the treatment. Be sure that it is NOT a petroleum-based product, as these, it seems, tend to absorb into skin and actually worsen things. I used something called Biafene (sp?), while others recommend Aquaphor and even natural aloe. My wife, by the way, is ET nurse, so her recommendation of Biafene worked for me.
In any case, the radiation treatment will cause burning both on the exterior and INTERNALLY, and the work of the rads will not end when the tx does...it will keep cooking for some time. So patience is vital.
Radiation can also cause swelling to the esophagus, so bear that in mind as well.
For a time, Mitzi may need to alter her diet substantially. I would advice yogurts (good tasting AND good for digestion...those old Russian guys didn't live to be 100 for no reason
). Boost is not bad, and is big on protein. Soups that include 'cream of' in the title are good bets, as are ice cream and popsicles.
Me, I always enjoyed V8 and drinks of that sort. I have been advised, incidentally, that sports drink, which I once swore by, are not always good for you: they may leech certain critical chemicals from your body.
Check with your docs or, in particular, with a nutritionist about all of the above, Mike, and to get some even better ideas. Also, since wife is involved with chemo (if she still is) ALWAYS talk with OncoMan before taking any supplements or herbal remedies you might have in mind, as some of these, some of them surprisingly, can negatively impact the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.
Best wishes for Mitzi's continued improvement and welcome.
Take care,
Joe0 -
swallowingsoccerfreaks said:swallowing
Congrats to Mitzi and you, Mike, for this success story!
Re the swallowing issue, I am head/neck cancer survivor (as well as lung) so have some familiarity with that problem. I had 33 rad sessions, with no breaks, over a seven week period. If they have not yet told you, and if you are going to be going in for more rads, please acquire a burn prevention agent that can be applied to all affected parts of the body following the treatment. Be sure that it is NOT a petroleum-based product, as these, it seems, tend to absorb into skin and actually worsen things. I used something called Biafene (sp?), while others recommend Aquaphor and even natural aloe. My wife, by the way, is ET nurse, so her recommendation of Biafene worked for me.
In any case, the radiation treatment will cause burning both on the exterior and INTERNALLY, and the work of the rads will not end when the tx does...it will keep cooking for some time. So patience is vital.
Radiation can also cause swelling to the esophagus, so bear that in mind as well.
For a time, Mitzi may need to alter her diet substantially. I would advice yogurts (good tasting AND good for digestion...those old Russian guys didn't live to be 100 for no reason). Boost is not bad, and is big on protein. Soups that include 'cream of' in the title are good bets, as are ice cream and popsicles.
Me, I always enjoyed V8 and drinks of that sort. I have been advised, incidentally, that sports drink, which I once swore by, are not always good for you: they may leech certain critical chemicals from your body.
Check with your docs or, in particular, with a nutritionist about all of the above, Mike, and to get some even better ideas. Also, since wife is involved with chemo (if she still is) ALWAYS talk with OncoMan before taking any supplements or herbal remedies you might have in mind, as some of these, some of them surprisingly, can negatively impact the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.
Best wishes for Mitzi's continued improvement and welcome.
Take care,
Joe
joe tks for the comments
we have improved today at home this morning 1/4 cup of cream of wheat..1/4 cup mashed potatoes..1/4 cup of broiled chicken breast (tiny bites)..1/4 cup mashed potatoes (round 2).. and 1/4 cup of cooked ham slices.. and bioten salve has been used but now that she is home with me we will probably use it more. Thankyou all for your support
M & M0 -
my boyfriend was told in sept he has stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma he has had half his tongue removed an his whole bottom jaw witch was replaced by his tibula from his leg that we r fighting to heal an had 2 separate surgerys on he has had a feeding tube in this whole time he just now finsh his frist week of rad starting tue he will have chemo an rad everyday for 7 weeks hes so down an wishes he would just die im so lost hearing this from the strongest man ive known for 21 years he to is a vet i know with chemo coming its about to get really hard i dont have a clue waht to do to help him i fell im losing my mind as well trying to stay strong for him any ideals please i need prayer an help
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