Stage 4

My mom has stage four non small cell lung cancer. I was just wondering what we as her family should expect in the up coming months. She was always in good health she just had a back ache from what we found out was a tumor. She will be starting chemo in a few weeks. I just want to know everything i can so please do not sugar coat anything tell me like it is.

Hello

I am sorry to hear about your mother. My father was diagnosed in October so I am moving into 8 months into the journey. It is very hard to say what to expect. People have such different reactions to treatment. Some go through Chemo with minimal side effects and carry on as normally as they did before they got ill. Some people have really bad side effects and can have a lot of trouble functioning. And then there is everyone in between. I can tell you a little bit about my father's experience: He tolerated his first round of chemo pretty well. No appetite loss, no nausea or vomiting. His biggest problems were fatigue and insomnia, which he still has to this day. He put a lot of weight back on but had a mixed resposnse to his first round of treatment and he started a second treatment which took a bit more of a toll on him than the first round of chemo drugs. First round: carboplatin/taxol.  second round: cisplatin/irinotecan. They discovered a few small lesions in his brain and he is just finishing up 14 rounds of radiation. His initial scan was clean when he first got diagnosed and an mri was not done after his second round of chemo so I dont know when they formed. Hopefully they will be eradicated. My father has his good and bad days. The treatments can be tough and effects might not surface right away. I still get angry with him as i used to but I try to be understanding of his situation. As caregivers, life can be very stressful and I suggest crying when appropriate, trying to find someone to talk to, and do anything else that can relieve your stress. you are probably in a lot of shock right now and very emotional but as strange as it may sound now, your life will regain a degree of normalcy even when dealing with this situation. we are much stronger than we believe ourselves to be and when faced with situations like this, it becomes very apparent.  we cannot fully understand the feelings and fears our loved ones with this diagnosis are experiencing so try to be understanding of your mother because there may be times that you do become angry or frustrated with her. I think everyone experiences that. i hope that she tolerates her treatments well and she can get better.

 

On 5/22/2008 Amanda M wrote:

My mom has stage four non small cell lung cancer. I was just wondering what we as her family should expect in the up coming months. She was always in good health she just had a back ache from what we found out was a tumor. She will be starting chemo in a few weeks. I just want to know everything i can so please do not sugar coat anything tell me like it is.

Hi Amanda,

I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom.   But like KC said, everyone responds differently.  You didn't say what type cancer it was.  I was diagnosed with stage 4 also.  And that was 21 months ago.  The only treatment I have ever agreed to take is a chemo pill called Tarceva. 

There is always hope.  It is a long journey for sure and your Mom will need you with her more than ever, even if just to talk and be there.  The most important thing is never, never give up hope.  There are so many new treatments coming on the market all the time.  If one doesn't work, try another one.  Make sure you have faith in your doctors and they answer your questions.  You should also get copies of all your Mom's blood test results and tests and seek a second opinion, from a major cancer center if possible. 

Find out what type cancer she has then get on the computer and do your research.  Knowledge is power and the more you know about her condition when you go to the doctors the more questions you will be prepared to ask and have some idea if what they are telling you is right. 

Like I said earlier, I'm going on close to 2 years and originally they told me 6-12 months tops.  They just don't know and the statistics they quote you are so old they don't mean anything.  So keep your faith and say your prayers. 

God Bless you and your Mom.   

 

Hello.  I just wanted to write and let you know that I will pray for you and your mother.  A very close friend of mine was diagnosed with lung cancer in October and was given 18 months. I'm very sad and I don't quite know how to deal with this because she is slowly deteriorating.  It breaks my heart.  She is so young, and has never smoked a day in her life.  God bless you.

My Dad was just diagnosed this past Monday with Stage 4, non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to his adrenal glands and bones.  It all started because he had a pain in his shoulder.  I was wondering the same questions you are asking . . . what do we expect, what questions do we ask, etc??   He goes back to the doctor on Tuesday to find out the results of his shoulder MRI and his brain scan.  Then they should also figure out a plan for chemo.  Anything in particular that I should ask the doctor?  I actually can't ask . . . I'm in Tennessee and they are in Indiana, so I won't be there.  I pray for all the families that are going through this.

 

On 5/22/2008 Amanda M wrote:

My mom has stage four non small cell lung cancer. I was just wondering what we as her family should expect in the up coming months. She was always in good health she just had a back ache from what we found out was a tumor. She will be starting chemo in a few weeks. I just want to know everything i can so please do not sugar coat anything tell me like it is.

Amanda,

I was DX with extended small cell cancer, back in Dec. of 07'. It had already met to my liver and bones. I did a total of 6 full chemo therapy sessions. It was during my 2nd. chemo session that I started losing my hair. I did have a problem with nausea. However, I received a great anti-nausea pill that helped me with that. Although, during my last day (3rd day of my last chemo session) I was asked if I have problems with becoming nauseated after having chemo done. I told them that I do. They said I was the perfect person for this new ant-nauseated IV drip medicine. I said fine with me, and that stuff was great! The name of it escapes me. It begins with an 'A."  Don't forget to ask about it. It is suppose to keep the nausea away for up to 5 days after receiving chemo. This stuff lasted even longer. I was not nauseated at all after that chemo session was over, and through out that next week.

I found myself feeling totally exhausted during my chemo sessions. I have other health issues to deal with, along with my cancer. I only have 30% lung capacity. Thus, I am on oxygen 24/7.  I have other under line health issues in which I must deal with.  Like, being an insulin diabetic and having a pinched nerve in my lower back. Oh, and I need cataract surgery. I go to a pre-opt eye session tomorrow. I am to have one of my eyes operated on, June 3rd. The other one will be done after this first  eye surgery has healed up on me. There are also a few more diseases, such as in having  severe Rheumatoid Arthritis,  and  still other ones that I have, too.

My first CT/CAT scans had told me, that all my cancer cells in those area's of my body, that I mentioned to you above, had decreased dramatically.  I won't be having scans until the end of June. Since my doctor does not want my white and red cell counts to go down in numbers, she wants me to wait to begin my chmo pill treatments, until after my eye surgery is completed. I am sort of in a holding pattern for now.  I just hope that those cancer cells inside me don't start back up, with me not being on any more chemo.

It will soon be about 6 months, since I was Dx with my SCLC (extended). Each day is a new challenge for me. I don't intend to give up on me. I plan on fighting this horrid disease with everything I have. Everyone is different, dear. How my body handles the care I have received, is not how others may have reacted to the same meds I took back then.  The very best thing that anyone can do for a cancer patient is, be patient, loving, caring, and be around to listen to the patient (loved one), as well as talking with him/her. It's a long haul. But.....NEVER give up hope.

May God Bless, look out over all of ya'all. May he give ya'all the strength that ya'all will need every day, in battle ahead of ya'all. Hugs.

Rosie

Savannah, GA.