any survivors out there?

My sister was diagnosed July 3rd with sclc-exstensive stage and after a pet scan it already has metastasized to her bones and lymph nodes. She is at stage IV. Last week she lost all her hair, got a blackeye (doesn't know how) went anemic, and has all these bruises all over her. Yesterday she started round two of chemo and got a MRI test to see if her brain is ok...she had a sinus infection...thank goodness! Her first treatment she did 4 days with only 2 weeks off.   Does anyone know any survivors of stage IV sclc metastasized to bones and lymph nodes?  What I look up its the most agressive kind you can have and with chemo you have only 10 -12 months..She is only 49 years old!  I'm just sick about this...she quit smoking over a year ago, but not soon enough I quess. At first every time I would see her I would start crying, and she got mad at me saying I depressed her. So I was banned from seeing her, but she thinks she has 3 years to five. I not going to ruin her hope, so I said she will feel better after her 4 months of chemo is finished and you will go in remission for a long time. But I know thats not true...the other night she called me and was crying saying she can just feel like she is not going to last that long. She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope!

Well its been 24 hours and no replies..just what I thought..bummer!

Hey, I'm sorry about your sister.  I wish I had great news to share with you.  Father diagnosed with SCLC, initially limited stage, six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  Had three great months after that.  Then, went into extensive stage with mets to liver and adrenals, tried clinical trial.   Passed away within five months.  But, he had some good times in there and that time with him was the absolute best.  

Oh sorry about your father. It must of been a real hard time for your family. I know it is for us. The chemo is a horrible experience to watch someone just fall apart and be so sick. She still does stuff but is winded real easy and has to stop all the time. I go everyday and clean her house, and to some laundry and make sure her sheets are clean..go to the store, whatever she wants, but I still feel helpless cause I cant take away the cancer. I'm her big sister I always protected her from everything. Did your father get sicker the more chemo he went thru? When did the doc's know if the chemo is working? I'm full of questions cause i never get to talk with her doctors and i ask her questions and she gets real short with me..grouchy since chemo started...which I understand but i get no info...  We still get some laughs though...sjhe was waiting for a MRI test after a session of chemo and she was heating up and started crying saying she thought she was gonna be sick (and this guy next to her moved)ha then everybody waiting was looking at her cause she was upset, and she went in the bathroom for some cool water and came back out with her wig off and a baseball cap on...the looks on those people's faces..priceless..we got the giggles so bad we couldn't stop laughing, they must of thought we were a couple of nut jobs! Which we are..ha                                       On 8/24/2008 Freedom75 wrote:

Hey, I'm sorry about your sister.  I wish I had great news to share with you.  Father diagnosed with SCLC, initially limited stage, six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  Had three great months after that.  Then, went into extensive stage with mets to liver and adrenals, tried clinical trial.   Passed away within five months.  But, he had some good times in there and that time with him was the absolute best.  

 

"She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope! "

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I must admit I have no knowledge of SCLS and I sincerely wish you all the best. 

There Is still room for some hope. Chemo does cause severe fatigue. I think many people would agree that chemo makes you tired much more than radiation does.  I've had radiation twice and it just don't hold a candle to Chemo when it comes to fatigue. Chemo hit me so hard that 1&1/2 hours of trying to trim trees put me in bed for 2 days. Energy becomes nonexistent but it will get better after the treatments stop.

You can't give up hope, it does get better.

Oh Georgenone you were doing great on chemo if you could do something for 2 1/2 hours...She just walks to our swimming pool (150 yards away) and she is out of breathe, exhausted, emotionally upset, wants to quit chemo. She is in bed maybe one day after she get some bone shot, other than that she is just restless, complaining, pain (they have only givin her vicodin and it doesn't seem to work. So she drinks her beer till she passes out, I told her the docs can give her something else so she doesn't drink so much. But she likes her beer, I have even caught her smoking...she told me just to shut up, she already has the cancer, whats it going to do give me more cancer! Well she has a point there I quess. My doc told me not to argue with her just let her do what she wants cause she is terminal and your driving her away from you. So I quit lecturing, I want to be her sister not her mother. My poor Mom she is 77 and all she does is cry, my father who is 79 lost his brother to the same cancer at 33 but it was from work, paint chemicals and stuff, but the treatment is the same as it was then, so for 49 years they have put no money in research for sclc. I wrote the senator about that, kids cancer gets alot of funding for research and they have come along way in helping them, they used to die at 5 now they go into their 20's. But sclc they think you chose to smoke so you deserved it. But thats not true, a lady who worked on the same casino (Blue Chip) that my sister has worked as a bartender for 15 years in Indiana and the other lady worked in Atlantic city working the floor for 25 years has developed lung cancer from secondhand smoke. So you can just go to work and get it...and they need to fund some research now..47 years is ridiculous amount of time for no new treatments......Thanks georgeone for your words of encouragement......I needed to hear that...stay healthy..your in my thoughts.... 8/25/2008 Georgenone wrote:

"She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope! "

     _________________________________________________________

 

I must admit I have no knowledge of SCLS and I sincerely wish you all the best. 

There Is still room for some hope. Chemo does cause severe fatigue. I think many people would agree that chemo makes you tired much more than radiation does.  I've had radiation twice and it just don't hold a candle to Chemo when it comes to fatigue. Chemo hit me so hard that 1&1/2 hours of trying to trim trees put me in bed for 2 days. Energy becomes nonexistent but it will get better after the treatments stop.

You can't give up hope, it does get better.

 

 

On 8/19/2008 Becky55 wrote:

My sister was diagnosed July 3rd with sclc-exstensive stage and after a pet scan it already has metastasized to her bones and lymph nodes. She is at stage IV. Last week she lost all her hair, got a blackeye (doesn't know how) went anemic, and has all these bruises all over her. Yesterday she started round two of chemo and got a MRI test to see if her brain is ok...she had a sinus infection...thank goodness! Her first treatment she did 4 days with only 2 weeks off.   Does anyone know any survivors of stage IV sclc metastasized to bones and lymph nodes?  What I look up its the most agressive kind you can have and with chemo you have only 10 -12 months..She is only 49 years old!  I'm just sick about this...she quit smoking over a year ago, but not soon enough I quess. At first every time I would see her I would start crying, and she got mad at me saying I depressed her. So I was banned from seeing her, but she thinks she has 3 years to five. I not going to ruin her hope, so I said she will feel better after her 4 months of chemo is finished and you will go in remission for a long time. But I know thats not true...the other night she called me and was crying saying she can just feel like she is not going to last that long. She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope!

 

Of Chemo? I survived one dose. It put me in a tail spin. I felt OK after the surgery 1/3 of  lung removed..... So well in fact I was ready to go back to work. Except my Cancer Doc  talked me into a "lesser" strong second choice of chemo 4 hour drip....I had a horrific reaction. missed ten months of work, hospice was checking on me, funeral arrangements were being set up. I could barely walk to the bathroom from the sofa, my husband could not touch me because my whole body hurt to the lightest touch. I was on morphine, One day a priest came by looking at  work my husband did for his church. Curious to hear the reaction to the job. ..I managed to go into the connecting room....I am not a church goer but this kind man turned to ask if he could say a prayer for me (St. Newman) I said yes as he spoke I felt trust from him ....something I had not felt from any doctor I had met at that time...a few words  brought me to tears. I felt peace and kindness....slowly over the next few months I felt better. I went back to work, not knowing how much work or time that I could handle.I did a full day and came into work the next. 8 months later I am still at work. 3 months ago I had a PET scan. Doc says I have a new cancer spot. I said no to all chemo. I am greatful for my experance. I still don't go to church, I belive in all the prayers from family, friends, bosses and co-workers. People I don't know and have not met prayed for me. If the cancer comes back well we are not built to live forever, and thats the thing I almost forgot.,,, what ever way I meet my end I know I am blessed by having the extra time to know how good life and people can be. I hope this helps. Your all on my list. ;-)    Hay!, where is the spell check?...

Janice2215,

Through that priest you have seen the face of God.  Isn't God wonderful, loving and personal.  Church or no church, who am I to say but wouldn't it be wonderful if the rest of your human life and what ever there is after could be spent in the presence of such love and experienced in the midst of such peace.

 That is where my hope is.  That there is a God who will hold me, care for me and carry me if needed through this human experience and when it is over will be waiting for me, running toward me with arms open in love to welcome me to a  new spirit life experience.

Janice it is worth the effort to find a church community or spiritual family that will let you see God in their eyes, feel God in their hugs, and hear God in their voices.  You can know what it means to live without fear of sickness or death, to find joy even in the sickest days and hope in every sunrise.  

Remember that trust you felt from that priest.  Listen to your heart and trust that small, still voice that even now may be letting you know how often it is when we are feeling the weakest our power is greatest.

God bless you journey,

Godseyes    

 

On 8/19/2008 Becky55 wrote:

My sister was diagnosed July 3rd with sclc-exstensive stage and after a pet scan it already has metastasized to her bones and lymph nodes. She is at stage IV. Last week she lost all her hair, got a blackeye (doesn't know how) went anemic, and has all these bruises all over her. Yesterday she started round two of chemo and got a MRI test to see if her brain is ok...she had a sinus infection...thank goodness! Her first treatment she did 4 days with only 2 weeks off.   Does anyone know any survivors of stage IV sclc metastasized to bones and lymph nodes?  What I look up its the most agressive kind you can have and with chemo you have only 10 -12 months..She is only 49 years old!  I'm just sick about this...she quit smoking over a year ago, but not soon enough I quess. At first every time I would see her I would start crying, and she got mad at me saying I depressed her. So I was banned from seeing her, but she thinks she has 3 years to five. I not going to ruin her hope, so I said she will feel better after her 4 months of chemo is finished and you will go in remission for a long time. But I know thats not true...the other night she called me and was crying saying she can just feel like she is not going to last that long. She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope!

 

 

On 8/19/2008 Becky55 wrote:

My sister was diagnosed July 3rd with sclc-exstensive stage and after a pet scan it already has metastasized to her bones and lymph nodes. She is at stage IV. Last week she lost all her hair, got a blackeye (doesn't know how) went anemic, and has all these bruises all over her. Yesterday she started round two of chemo and got a MRI test to see if her brain is ok...she had a sinus infection...thank goodness! Her first treatment she did 4 days with only 2 weeks off.   Does anyone know any survivors of stage IV sclc metastasized to bones and lymph nodes?  What I look up its the most agressive kind you can have and with chemo you have only 10 -12 months..She is only 49 years old!  I'm just sick about this...she quit smoking over a year ago, but not soon enough I quess. At first every time I would see her I would start crying, and she got mad at me saying I depressed her. So I was banned from seeing her, but she thinks she has 3 years to five. I not going to ruin her hope, so I said she will feel better after her 4 months of chemo is finished and you will go in remission for a long time. But I know thats not true...the other night she called me and was crying saying she can just feel like she is not going to last that long. She is breaking my heart...again I said its the chemo making you so tired, once thats over you will rebuild your cells and feel alot better. I'm praying this will happen...but the facts are not there...I need some hope!

 

Pray like you've never prayed before. Miracles do happen.