This is an update to a thread titled "Our Mom's Have NSCLC (update thread) which updated an early thread titled "My mom has NSCLC" In case people want to follow our stories from the beginning.
First let me say that I am sorry for anyone who finds this site because it means Cancer has invaded your life and touched someone you love. Having said that I am glad you found just this place because it is wonderfullyy suppor and informative.
Here is a little bit about my mom and where we stand today. My mother was diagnosed out of the blue with NSCLC that had already spread to her brain and spine when the diagnosis came. Not a sick day for her before the dx. She was healthy, happy and leaving in a month or so to build her dream home in Mexico. She is a young 67 and spends most of her time traveling with my father to all sorts of places in the world.
She was dx on December 26th the night before my father's surgery for kidney cancer (also a dx out of the blue). We thought she was just overl worried about my dad when she complained of dizziness. The next morning while my father was having his kidney removed my mother found out she had metistatic lung cancer and would die in a matter of weeks if not treated IMMEDIATELY. My father woke from surgery to find out the news.
My mother has now been through 15 rounds of whole brain radiation and 4 rounds of Carboplatinin and Taxol, plus 4 rounds of Avastin (2 of the Avastin were with the Carboplatinin Taxol - so 6 chemo rounds total). Here CEA (the marker for her type of cancer went from 175 to 11.5). The tumors in her brain shrank 50% and her lungs looked much better. However, she found out yesterday that her latest brain scan shows one of the tumors is growing again. We are devistated. Everything was going in the right direction and my mom was going to get a 6 week break from treatments, something she desperately needed because she is sick all the time and can't eat. Now we will have to wait to see what the radiation specialist says. Can they do more radiation (on the one spot), surgery what????
My mother was told by her first doctor she would die in a matter of weeks without treatment. The radiologist said with treatment a few months. The oncologist said if she responded well 6 months to a year. After treatment looked so good we began to hear 18 months or longer. My mother has survived 5 months since the original diagnosis so far.... The sadness I feel at this latest news is inexpressible (sp). My parents were starting to have some hope, despite my mother feeling sick all the time and throwing up the knew that would pass eventually. I have not spoken to her or my father as we live in seperate time zones (9 hours difference) and they sent me the message overnight, but I will update when I know more. Hugs. Jen