survivors of Terminal Stage 4 lung cancer
Please let me know if there are ANY survivors out there with Stage 4 Lung Cancer, (Terminal)taking radiation.
God Bless All
Stardust
Comments
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stage 4 womanwstexgirl said:survivor
My dad and I were told dec 3 that he had stage 4 non small cell..he said 2 months without chemo 10 to 12 months with chemo he has has 6 treatments and now he has what they call chemobrain its so horrible..For the 1st time Im not happy about being the only child..so its just me and my daddy e-o doing the best we can...I love him so very much... nubis how long has your husband had cancer...and I will add you in my prayers
I read a story on csn I believe, been a year. Anyway she was talking about she did everything and moved into stage 4 lung cancer, she was put on a different chemo and guess what? She beat the cancer. So nothing is short of a miracle. Everything can effect people differently and you never know and never never give up hope. I am an ovarian stage 3. Been off and on chemo seven years. Anything can happen- miracles do.
Prayers and Hugs to all
Sandy0 -
Surviving, Trying.
My mom was just given the news of having stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on March 9th. We found out 2 days later that it has spread to her brain. Radiation was started the very next day. Chemo is an option, but the doctors seem not to want to. Given my moms long history of health, they are worried she will live the remainder of her life ill (they have given her 6 to 9 months at most). She has been a fighter her whole life, she was born in 1957 in Brockton, Ma. She and 1 other baby survived, a staff infection went thru the ward and killed all of the other babies. She has spent her whole life fighting odd infections and illnesses, that have left doctors stumped. She has been physically disabled most of her life and has been limited to everything. But even with her hard life at only 51 today, she still keeps smiling and getting up every morning with hope. I don't know how she does it!!! I can't sleep and I stopped wanting to eat on March 9th. I can't stop thinking of the numbers; 6 to 9 months. Those 2 numbers are forever in my mind. I just don't know how she is doing it. We are fortunate to live in Ma, with the great Boston hospitals. The radiation treatments have been spread out, as my mom is at risk for infections, more so then the average person. We are going to Dana Farber on Tuesday to see if my mom is a canidate for any clinical studies/trials. Keep your fingers crossed and pray if you can. I will pray for all those dealing with and caring for someone with Cancer. Cancer is everywhere. My father has also been fighting lung cancer since last spring, but he has been a good prognosis, lets hope in a few months that when he goes for another scan its still as positive, he has 2 small children from his second mariage and they deserve to live and grew with their dad. It's been a tough year to say the least. I really needed to get this out, thanks for listening. Take care, hope to hear from someone soon.
~Mionie30, MA0 -
I am sorry about yourMionie30 said:Surviving, Trying.
My mom was just given the news of having stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on March 9th. We found out 2 days later that it has spread to her brain. Radiation was started the very next day. Chemo is an option, but the doctors seem not to want to. Given my moms long history of health, they are worried she will live the remainder of her life ill (they have given her 6 to 9 months at most). She has been a fighter her whole life, she was born in 1957 in Brockton, Ma. She and 1 other baby survived, a staff infection went thru the ward and killed all of the other babies. She has spent her whole life fighting odd infections and illnesses, that have left doctors stumped. She has been physically disabled most of her life and has been limited to everything. But even with her hard life at only 51 today, she still keeps smiling and getting up every morning with hope. I don't know how she does it!!! I can't sleep and I stopped wanting to eat on March 9th. I can't stop thinking of the numbers; 6 to 9 months. Those 2 numbers are forever in my mind. I just don't know how she is doing it. We are fortunate to live in Ma, with the great Boston hospitals. The radiation treatments have been spread out, as my mom is at risk for infections, more so then the average person. We are going to Dana Farber on Tuesday to see if my mom is a canidate for any clinical studies/trials. Keep your fingers crossed and pray if you can. I will pray for all those dealing with and caring for someone with Cancer. Cancer is everywhere. My father has also been fighting lung cancer since last spring, but he has been a good prognosis, lets hope in a few months that when he goes for another scan its still as positive, he has 2 small children from his second mariage and they deserve to live and grew with their dad. It's been a tough year to say the least. I really needed to get this out, thanks for listening. Take care, hope to hear from someone soon.
~Mionie30, MA
I am sorry about your mother. I am a few years older than her and have been diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer none of my dr. give prognosis they have told me they are not God and just treat my disease their best. I am wondering if anyone else's drs. are like this I myself don't believe in giving me a time I am going to die.If your mother is a fighter than she will know how to deal with this. tell her not to give up.0 -
surviving stage iv lung cancersoccerfreaks said:survivors
Stardust, there are indeed survivors of Stage IV lung cancer, some of them on this very site. I am not sure, however, that any of them were told that their particular 'version' was 'terminal'.
The only exception to that that I know of is me, and my story is sort of strange, as I really didn't have stage IV; they just thought I did due to the spread.
Still, I have at least a couple of friends on this site who are stage IV survivors, one with both small and non-small cell, and the other with small cell, if I am not mistaken.
One recently received a proclamation of NED (No Evidence of Disease) and the other is in at least his third year of college (you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, it seems
).
But I would not want to falsely raise your hopes.
If docs are providing treatment (radiation) then they at least have hope of extending life, quality life, for the person we are talking about it here. I would advise that since that time cannot be precisely measured even in the worst case scenario, that it be lived as if every day were the last, spent enjoying life, friends, family, spent loving and laughing.
Life IS precious.
I know this does not help much, but please know that we are getting closer and closer to actually finding ways to reverse cancers; it is just a matter of hanging in there, in my opinion.
Incidentally, and I do not say this flippantly, birth is a terminal disease.
Take care,
Joe
Hey Joe.....what is different about your "version"? I was diagnosed 7/08 with stage iv lung cancer due to one metastatic site in some lymph nodes under my arm. Just wondering what your story is?0 -
survivingsuebloom said:surviving
I am a survivor of stage iv lung cancer......diagnosed 7/08.
Congratulations!
Take care,
Joe0 -
hi...my husband's nasophargeal cancer has spread to his lungsnubis said:survivor?
My husband is facing small cell lung cancer. He is only 33 years old. He is stage IV. I don't know if this is terminal, some days my husband looks healthy, somedays he is very sick, future is uncertain. Present is to fight. Of course you think in death, for me is very difficult, when my husband is on pain I think the worst, but then next day he feels better and you just know you need to keep fighting.
We do what we need to do. Rigth now, I just call for clinical trials, to see if my husband can be a candidate. We are trying all the options we have. Of course sometimes I feel sad, very very sad. I cry in the shower, so my husband doesn't see me, because I need to let my feeling get out. I need to be healthy for him. But after that, I keeping searching, keep praying, keep doing what we need to do.
Good luck.
hi my name is Patti....my husband was first diagnosed with nasophargeal cancer in 2005 and received treatment for about 7 wk of radiation and then returned again in 2007 once again he received radiation with a shot of chemo 1x a week..Here we are in 2009 and he has once again been diagnosed with this dreadful disease....this time it has spread to his lungs..about 2cm....we will be going away for the Easter Holiday....and then he will start chemo again....no radiation.....I also cry each and every day ....but out of his vision...Dont't know how I will control this one when we are away.....He has been depressed ...but not admitting to it.....Today I told him to get out of bed or we will cancel our reservations.....I love him deeply ...and been married for 40 years...and can not stand to lose him...But told him that he also has to fight and not give up....He's a Marine....And as we know they are the "Best"....so I told him once again to get out of bed and let's fight....We were told that this time no cure....hello there never was...but only that they can "control" it.....I truly believe that this time it will do the job....I have so much faith...that God will carry us through this...thanks for letting me vent...feel free to do the same0 -
I am so sorry ...........Mionie30 said:Surviving, Trying.
My mom was just given the news of having stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on March 9th. We found out 2 days later that it has spread to her brain. Radiation was started the very next day. Chemo is an option, but the doctors seem not to want to. Given my moms long history of health, they are worried she will live the remainder of her life ill (they have given her 6 to 9 months at most). She has been a fighter her whole life, she was born in 1957 in Brockton, Ma. She and 1 other baby survived, a staff infection went thru the ward and killed all of the other babies. She has spent her whole life fighting odd infections and illnesses, that have left doctors stumped. She has been physically disabled most of her life and has been limited to everything. But even with her hard life at only 51 today, she still keeps smiling and getting up every morning with hope. I don't know how she does it!!! I can't sleep and I stopped wanting to eat on March 9th. I can't stop thinking of the numbers; 6 to 9 months. Those 2 numbers are forever in my mind. I just don't know how she is doing it. We are fortunate to live in Ma, with the great Boston hospitals. The radiation treatments have been spread out, as my mom is at risk for infections, more so then the average person. We are going to Dana Farber on Tuesday to see if my mom is a canidate for any clinical studies/trials. Keep your fingers crossed and pray if you can. I will pray for all those dealing with and caring for someone with Cancer. Cancer is everywhere. My father has also been fighting lung cancer since last spring, but he has been a good prognosis, lets hope in a few months that when he goes for another scan its still as positive, he has 2 small children from his second mariage and they deserve to live and grew with their dad. It's been a tough year to say the least. I really needed to get this out, thanks for listening. Take care, hope to hear from someone soon.
~Mionie30, MA
I too had a Mom with non-small cell lung cancer ..and took care of her. Love her, cater to her her and give her whatever she wants. If it breakfast time, give her her favorite dessert. My Mom's was ice cream or jello. It slid down without any trouble. and she really enjoyed it...Does it really matter what she eats as long as she enjoys it....All I wanted to do was to make my mother confortable and what little she could eat, she enjoyed it...Love her and make sure she knows it.....You are her little angel...so help her fly to God's arms peacefully! take one day at a time...............0 -
my versionsuebloom said:surviving stage iv lung cancer
Hey Joe.....what is different about your "version"? I was diagnosed 7/08 with stage iv lung cancer due to one metastatic site in some lymph nodes under my arm. Just wondering what your story is?
suebloom:
I was diagnosed with head/neck cancer the first of september, 2005, surgery in october, chemo and rads into january of '06. In June of '07 results of a cat scan showed 'cancer' across both of my lungs, shotgun-spread. No surgery, no rads, only palliative chemo-therapy offered, and the advice that I had 'a minimum of ten months to live.'
In the meantime, I started taking Keflex for an infection in my jaw and lower face area. Subsequent CAT and PET scans (about two months later) showed that the 'cancer' had disappeared, with one exception: it had clearly been a lung infection of some sort, misread by the experts.
Ultimately, the one remaining node was removed and biopsied, and though it proved to be squamous cell cancer (same as my head/neck cancer) they decided to remove that lower right lung lobe since there was no evidence of any cancer around it. (The node was too small to stage or to determine whether it was indeed metastasis from the tongue/neck.)
Last november ('08) I was diagnosed NED and received the same dx just three weeks ago.
I have a page and a blog on this site, if you would care to read more.
Best wishes to you, suebloom!
Take care,
Joe0 -
Stage IV NSCLC already in remission!
We're ALL terminal in the end! Don't let the statistics scare you (even though I did!)... I was dx Stage IV NSCLC adenocarcinoma (inoperable) in Jan 2009. Underwent three rounds of chemo ( Carboplatin/Taxol /Avastin ) and then had a CT scan for assessment last week. I'm in remission already and I have to say that the chemo wasn't bad either -- so MUCH better than in the past. SO ... call it a miracle or call in modern-day progress, but whatever it is, I'm happy as a clam! I attribute it to not only my treatment, but also to BIG support in the form of prayers from lots of folks. STAY POSITIVE by all means because. no matter what, we all need to enjoy whatever days we DO have on this earth. We could be hit by a Mack truck tomorrow! BTW, I also highly recommend The Lung Cancer Alliance for great support and discussion. They are under the umbrella of the "Inspire" network. Check them out! Best of luck!0 -
Hi there - my heart brokeMionie30 said:Surviving, Trying.
My mom was just given the news of having stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on March 9th. We found out 2 days later that it has spread to her brain. Radiation was started the very next day. Chemo is an option, but the doctors seem not to want to. Given my moms long history of health, they are worried she will live the remainder of her life ill (they have given her 6 to 9 months at most). She has been a fighter her whole life, she was born in 1957 in Brockton, Ma. She and 1 other baby survived, a staff infection went thru the ward and killed all of the other babies. She has spent her whole life fighting odd infections and illnesses, that have left doctors stumped. She has been physically disabled most of her life and has been limited to everything. But even with her hard life at only 51 today, she still keeps smiling and getting up every morning with hope. I don't know how she does it!!! I can't sleep and I stopped wanting to eat on March 9th. I can't stop thinking of the numbers; 6 to 9 months. Those 2 numbers are forever in my mind. I just don't know how she is doing it. We are fortunate to live in Ma, with the great Boston hospitals. The radiation treatments have been spread out, as my mom is at risk for infections, more so then the average person. We are going to Dana Farber on Tuesday to see if my mom is a canidate for any clinical studies/trials. Keep your fingers crossed and pray if you can. I will pray for all those dealing with and caring for someone with Cancer. Cancer is everywhere. My father has also been fighting lung cancer since last spring, but he has been a good prognosis, lets hope in a few months that when he goes for another scan its still as positive, he has 2 small children from his second mariage and they deserve to live and grew with their dad. It's been a tough year to say the least. I really needed to get this out, thanks for listening. Take care, hope to hear from someone soon.
~Mionie30, MA
Hi there - my heart broke when i read this... i can not sleep either - my mom is going through a similar diagnosis. How is your mom now?? It's hard sometimes to stay positive, eh? I'm trying but having difficulty. Miracles happen EVERY day though - that i know for certain.0 -
I wish you and your husbandnubis said:survivor?
My husband is facing small cell lung cancer. He is only 33 years old. He is stage IV. I don't know if this is terminal, some days my husband looks healthy, somedays he is very sick, future is uncertain. Present is to fight. Of course you think in death, for me is very difficult, when my husband is on pain I think the worst, but then next day he feels better and you just know you need to keep fighting.
We do what we need to do. Rigth now, I just call for clinical trials, to see if my husband can be a candidate. We are trying all the options we have. Of course sometimes I feel sad, very very sad. I cry in the shower, so my husband doesn't see me, because I need to let my feeling get out. I need to be healthy for him. But after that, I keeping searching, keep praying, keep doing what we need to do.
Good luck.
I wish you and your husband the best - he is so young!! Keep praying and loving and him to pieces. I'm also a strong believer in natropaths. Google ESSIAC Tea - see what you think. My mom is on it and I swear it in conjunction with radiation, it is shrinking her tumor. Ya never know - if anything - it is a good body cleanse.
Take care!0 -
NSCLC adenocarcinomaandiques said:Stage IV NSCLC already in remission!
We're ALL terminal in the end! Don't let the statistics scare you (even though I did!)... I was dx Stage IV NSCLC adenocarcinoma (inoperable) in Jan 2009. Underwent three rounds of chemo ( Carboplatin/Taxol /Avastin ) and then had a CT scan for assessment last week. I'm in remission already and I have to say that the chemo wasn't bad either -- so MUCH better than in the past. SO ... call it a miracle or call in modern-day progress, but whatever it is, I'm happy as a clam! I attribute it to not only my treatment, but also to BIG support in the form of prayers from lots of folks. STAY POSITIVE by all means because. no matter what, we all need to enjoy whatever days we DO have on this earth. We could be hit by a Mack truck tomorrow! BTW, I also highly recommend The Lung Cancer Alliance for great support and discussion. They are under the umbrella of the "Inspire" network. Check them out! Best of luck!
My mother was recently diagnosed with NSCLC adenocarcinoma.
She had a malignant mass in her mediastinum and it spread to her lungs, lymph nodes.
First the doctor said that she was stage 2 but recently we found out that she might have metastisis in her brain and her bones (skull and right upper arm)....
She has started brain radiation to take care of the brain metastisis and she will soon do some rounds of chemo.
What is your story exactly? Where did yours metastisised?
I am getting really frustrated and frightened because we got several medical opinions and each doctor has a different interpretation of the best treatment possible.... Do you have any advice with regards to the treatment that you had.... Did you have radio + chemo...? how often?
i would really appreciate your advice since my mother seems to have the same illness as you do... P.S. My mom is only 51 years old.
Thank you in advance.
Fran0 -
My mother was recentlysuebloom said:surviving
I am a survivor of stage iv lung cancer......diagnosed 7/08.
My mother was recently diagnosed with NSCLC adenocarcinoma.
She had a malignant mass in her mediastinum and it spread to her lungs, lymph nodes.
First the doctor said that she was stage 2 but recently we found out that she might have metastisis in her brain and her bones (skull and right upper arm)....
She has started brain radiation to take care of the brain metastisis and she will soon do some rounds of chemo.
What is your story exactly? Where did yours metastisised?
I am getting really frustrated and frightened because we got several medical opinions and each doctor has a different interpretation of the best treatment possible.... Do you have any advice with regards to the treatment that you had.... Did you have radio + chemo...? how often?
i would really appreciate your advice since my mother seems to have the same illness as you do... P.S. My mom is only 51 years old.
Thank you in advance.
Fran0 -
My mom is going through aMionie30 said:Surviving, Trying.
My mom was just given the news of having stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on March 9th. We found out 2 days later that it has spread to her brain. Radiation was started the very next day. Chemo is an option, but the doctors seem not to want to. Given my moms long history of health, they are worried she will live the remainder of her life ill (they have given her 6 to 9 months at most). She has been a fighter her whole life, she was born in 1957 in Brockton, Ma. She and 1 other baby survived, a staff infection went thru the ward and killed all of the other babies. She has spent her whole life fighting odd infections and illnesses, that have left doctors stumped. She has been physically disabled most of her life and has been limited to everything. But even with her hard life at only 51 today, she still keeps smiling and getting up every morning with hope. I don't know how she does it!!! I can't sleep and I stopped wanting to eat on March 9th. I can't stop thinking of the numbers; 6 to 9 months. Those 2 numbers are forever in my mind. I just don't know how she is doing it. We are fortunate to live in Ma, with the great Boston hospitals. The radiation treatments have been spread out, as my mom is at risk for infections, more so then the average person. We are going to Dana Farber on Tuesday to see if my mom is a canidate for any clinical studies/trials. Keep your fingers crossed and pray if you can. I will pray for all those dealing with and caring for someone with Cancer. Cancer is everywhere. My father has also been fighting lung cancer since last spring, but he has been a good prognosis, lets hope in a few months that when he goes for another scan its still as positive, he has 2 small children from his second mariage and they deserve to live and grew with their dad. It's been a tough year to say the least. I really needed to get this out, thanks for listening. Take care, hope to hear from someone soon.
~Mionie30, MA
My mom is going through a similar experience. She seems to have brain metastesis and they started her treatment a week ago.
First , radiation to the head for 2 weeks (Mondays-Fridays for 10 min). Then the doctor told her to wait for 1 month before starting chemo!!! I am worried that 1 month is too much considering that it can spread even more!
I have done lots of research about the different treatments possible and i have asked a friend from Montreal whose dad has squamous cell cancer. There so much possibilities but which one is the best option?
My friend's dad did radio every week day for 30 min + chemo once every 2 weeks.... He is now in remission.... My mom's doctor said that this is too much and told her to do only 10 min of chemo (and since she is currently doing brain radiation, the doctor told her to have a rest period of 1 month before starting chemo as it could be dangerously toxic!!!)
I know that cancer is everywhere but this is the first time i see it up close.... i love my mom so much and i want and need her to survive this. I feel so frustrated and frightened.....
There's supposed to be this new drug CBLB502 from bio lab pharma in Ohio. Apparently, it puts a tag on cancer cells so as radiation can kill them easier... it has been successful with animals and they have been doing human tests.... apparently, it is supposed to come out in the market soon... but that is all the information i have.... does anyone have more info about this???
I hope to hear from you Mionie and i hope that your mom will get better....
Fran0 -
Waiting for chemo after radiationFran83 said:My mom is going through a
My mom is going through a similar experience. She seems to have brain metastesis and they started her treatment a week ago.
First , radiation to the head for 2 weeks (Mondays-Fridays for 10 min). Then the doctor told her to wait for 1 month before starting chemo!!! I am worried that 1 month is too much considering that it can spread even more!
I have done lots of research about the different treatments possible and i have asked a friend from Montreal whose dad has squamous cell cancer. There so much possibilities but which one is the best option?
My friend's dad did radio every week day for 30 min + chemo once every 2 weeks.... He is now in remission.... My mom's doctor said that this is too much and told her to do only 10 min of chemo (and since she is currently doing brain radiation, the doctor told her to have a rest period of 1 month before starting chemo as it could be dangerously toxic!!!)
I know that cancer is everywhere but this is the first time i see it up close.... i love my mom so much and i want and need her to survive this. I feel so frustrated and frightened.....
There's supposed to be this new drug CBLB502 from bio lab pharma in Ohio. Apparently, it puts a tag on cancer cells so as radiation can kill them easier... it has been successful with animals and they have been doing human tests.... apparently, it is supposed to come out in the market soon... but that is all the information i have.... does anyone have more info about this???
I hope to hear from you Mionie and i hope that your mom will get better....
Fran
Fran83 -
I'm fairly close to your Mom's age (53) and diagnosis - NSCLC with mets to the brain. It was only last December when the brain mets were discovered. I had surgery - a breeze - and then 20 or so whole-brain radiation treatments (and 5 more focused sessions), which were less than a breeze and took a couple of months to "recover" from. I say "recover" in a general way - I'm not so fatigued any more but I have some memory problems, never as much as I read about, though.
Anyway, my oncologist also had me wait before starting medication (Tarceva) - it was at least a month. They want to give your body some time to repair itself from damage done by the radiation before slamming it with more toxic drugs
As it turns out I was thankful for the break since I had a pretty bad reaction to the first high-dosage Tarceva (better now, slowly increasing the dose), and I can't imagine suffering through that while trying to come back from the radiation. So there are reasons for waiting.
Best of luck to your Mom!
Deb0 -
Dear Deb,stayingcalm said:Waiting for chemo after radiation
Fran83 -
I'm fairly close to your Mom's age (53) and diagnosis - NSCLC with mets to the brain. It was only last December when the brain mets were discovered. I had surgery - a breeze - and then 20 or so whole-brain radiation treatments (and 5 more focused sessions), which were less than a breeze and took a couple of months to "recover" from. I say "recover" in a general way - I'm not so fatigued any more but I have some memory problems, never as much as I read about, though.
Anyway, my oncologist also had me wait before starting medication (Tarceva) - it was at least a month. They want to give your body some time to repair itself from damage done by the radiation before slamming it with more toxic drugs
As it turns out I was thankful for the break since I had a pretty bad reaction to the first high-dosage Tarceva (better now, slowly increasing the dose), and I can't imagine suffering through that while trying to come back from the radiation. So there are reasons for waiting.
Best of luck to your Mom!
Deb
Thank you for your
Dear Deb,
Thank you for your reply. My mom is set to finish her radiation set soon. She did not do any surgery but I think the doctor wants to kill of the metastises and plan to have surgery later on. I am not really sure.
When were you diagnosed and how is your treatment working? Do you do chemo (how often?)?
They are planning to put her on 1st line chemo cisplatin or carboplatin plus paclitaxel.
2nd line chemo: targeted agents or taxol or gen cisplatin....
i heard avastin is a good one but i do not know why her doctor never mentioned it.
I know that she will probably need to rest and strengthen up after the sets of radiation (wbr) but i am just a bit worried that her cancer spreads even more during those weeks that she will not be doing any treatment.
Did you have any complications while waiting for your treatment to start? Was there more spread?
Thank you again for responding. It is really good to useful to hear from people living with this illness and hear that although prognosis is not good that it seems that some people are able to fight it off.
I hope that things are looking bright for you.
All the best,
Fran0 -
Waiting for chemoFran83 said:Dear Deb,
Thank you for your
Dear Deb,
Thank you for your reply. My mom is set to finish her radiation set soon. She did not do any surgery but I think the doctor wants to kill of the metastises and plan to have surgery later on. I am not really sure.
When were you diagnosed and how is your treatment working? Do you do chemo (how often?)?
They are planning to put her on 1st line chemo cisplatin or carboplatin plus paclitaxel.
2nd line chemo: targeted agents or taxol or gen cisplatin....
i heard avastin is a good one but i do not know why her doctor never mentioned it.
I know that she will probably need to rest and strengthen up after the sets of radiation (wbr) but i am just a bit worried that her cancer spreads even more during those weeks that she will not be doing any treatment.
Did you have any complications while waiting for your treatment to start? Was there more spread?
Thank you again for responding. It is really good to useful to hear from people living with this illness and hear that although prognosis is not good that it seems that some people are able to fight it off.
I hope that things are looking bright for you.
All the best,
Fran
I was diagnosed late in 2005, had a couple of months of radiation and chemo at the same time - I had Etoposide and Cisplatin, then Taxotere, all or any of which may have helped to shrink the tumor in my lung. Then my oncologist found a clinical trial for me, a targeted drug, which shrank the tumor still more and kept it stable for 3 years. (although I had absolutely NO bad side effects from the drug except for a day of numbness around the mouth, once a week, other people did, it was cardiotoxic) I would probably still be on it if a mini-seizure hadn't revealed brain mets...no matter how wonderful XL999 was it didn't protect my brain.
As far as waiting, there was no more spread, in general cancer doesn't grow that fast I know it's worrisome, though, you can't help feeling like the sooner she begins treatment the better. Remember, though, the radiation is still doing its magic well after her last session - I guess it's cumulative; my doctor wouldn't even do a scan for a couple of months after I finished because it was too soon to see improvement.
Thanks for the good thoughts, Fran, my best to your Mom.
Deb0 -
I don't know where to beginFran83 said:NSCLC adenocarcinoma
My mother was recently diagnosed with NSCLC adenocarcinoma.
She had a malignant mass in her mediastinum and it spread to her lungs, lymph nodes.
First the doctor said that she was stage 2 but recently we found out that she might have metastisis in her brain and her bones (skull and right upper arm)....
She has started brain radiation to take care of the brain metastisis and she will soon do some rounds of chemo.
What is your story exactly? Where did yours metastisised?
I am getting really frustrated and frightened because we got several medical opinions and each doctor has a different interpretation of the best treatment possible.... Do you have any advice with regards to the treatment that you had.... Did you have radio + chemo...? how often?
i would really appreciate your advice since my mother seems to have the same illness as you do... P.S. My mom is only 51 years old.
Thank you in advance.
Fran
Just got the news yesterday mom has stage 4 lung cancer. Her lung is collapsed and they give her 3-4 months. Chemo not an option because she is too weak. I, too, am an only child and my world is falling apart. Her drs and nurses are wonderful and have taken a liking to her/us. But she'll be leaving this week and I'm so scared.
She is strong, hasn't shed a tear, instead saying ok, this is what you gotta do... She says God's ready for her and she trusts He knows best. And selfish me just says "What about me? I'm not ready for her to go!"
My problem is I don't know where to begin looking for help. They talk about sending her home which is in a small town 40 miles away from me. I have a roommate situation so bringing her home with me not possible. I plan to rent a 1 bedroom this week for us, but then what? Do I quit working to take care of her? I'm so lost and yes, I too cry in the shower so my little one who is 14 doesn't hear me.
Reading the entries here so that my mom is not alone is helpful. Blessings and thanks to you all.
Ruth0 -
hang in thereMariasdaughter said:I don't know where to begin
Just got the news yesterday mom has stage 4 lung cancer. Her lung is collapsed and they give her 3-4 months. Chemo not an option because she is too weak. I, too, am an only child and my world is falling apart. Her drs and nurses are wonderful and have taken a liking to her/us. But she'll be leaving this week and I'm so scared.
She is strong, hasn't shed a tear, instead saying ok, this is what you gotta do... She says God's ready for her and she trusts He knows best. And selfish me just says "What about me? I'm not ready for her to go!"
My problem is I don't know where to begin looking for help. They talk about sending her home which is in a small town 40 miles away from me. I have a roommate situation so bringing her home with me not possible. I plan to rent a 1 bedroom this week for us, but then what? Do I quit working to take care of her? I'm so lost and yes, I too cry in the shower so my little one who is 14 doesn't hear me.
Reading the entries here so that my mom is not alone is helpful. Blessings and thanks to you all.
Ruth
hi ruth,
i understand exactly how your are feeling. My mom was diagnosed quite recently as well and it is indeed very frightening
It's good that you are staying strong for your mom. You have to continue to be strong for her and for your child. I know it's hard but you will find the stregth somehow.
if you can find a way to live with your mom it would probably be best.
Have you seen different doctors and gotten several opinions. Perhaps there is a another solution like immunotherapy (strengthening the immune system)... or a lighter dose of targeted agents.
I know it is difficult. We have to be ready for the worst scenario but we also need to remain hopeful until the end. we have to fight this battle till the end and try all the possible options... there's hope. some of the stories shared here will give you strength... people getting better or even going in remission when it seemed like all hope is gone.
hang in there and keep us updated on your mom's health. My prayers are with you and your mom.
Good luck.
Fran0
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