Stage iv Lung Cancer Mets to Brain

Barbara,

Hello! Hope this email finds you well. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I continue to learn more and more about lung cancer and other cancers as well.

Sincerely,

Pamela C.

My mother has stage IV lung cancer - diagnosed in Mar 05. She has responded great to her treatments and the cancer in her lungs seems to be inactive. However, there is still activity in her lymph nodes and I am afraid the cancer has spread to her bones. She has a severe pain in her upper back all the way around to under her breast. It sounds like rib pain. I was curious what symptoms your loved ones had of the bone cancer.

Thanks.

Hi everyone !
Kathy mum has sclc and brain mets she has had chemo but couldn't complete the course because her blood counts kept falling . She is now 3 weeks post radiation treatment, we have just had a crisis where she heard voices and became confused, the Drs think it is a flare up post radiation but I am not so sure.
During her stay in the hospice she spoke for the first time of being tired and perhaps not keep fighting. This conversation was the hardest we have had i new then she tired of all the needles and pills and she was I think letting me know she cant go on.
I to want to sleep and wake up as we used to be fighting and laughing ! But we cant go back the tears just come .
I wish you both well and if you need to chat leave me a message justine x

Hi to all. I am so glad I have found all of you who are dealing with the same thing I am. My mom, who is 62, was found four weeks ago to have a 6 cm tumor which was nsclc. Two days later on CT scan they found 5 tumors in her brain, one with several smaller tumors adjacent to it (so more than 5). They also found a tumor on her right adrenal and on bronchoscopy found another lesion in the bronchus of her right lung. Tough news. Hard to swallow so much in just a couple days. She has since had 15 whole brain radiation treatments and has been told 6 months to 1 year. My mom, in the last two weeks has had chest pain in her sternal area and her legs from her knees to her ankles hurt her every day. I have asked the doctor about the chest pain to see if he thinks it could be bone mets. He tells me it does not matter. It does to me. He went on to say that it wouldn't change his course of treatment if it was and that is why he doesn't answer my questions. The doctor told me more like 6 months when I was in visiting with him about other questions he skirted around when my mother was there. He still wouldn't be up front with me. I just wish they would be honest. My sister, brother and I would like to know. My mom cancelled her chemo appt. They had her set up to infuse Carboplatin and Taxol once every three weeks. He said this was for palliation to stave off some of the symptoms she would soon be experiencing, i.e. fluid in the lungs, etc. I just have to ask...would chemo actually be a palliative treatment or one more that would hurt her this late in the game. I have always worried about what it would do to her immune system knowing full well it would take it completely out of commission...what about pneumonia? She is already having horrible coughing, gagging jags where she brings up yellow fluid. I keep trying to feed her healthy to bring up her immune system to fight this awful disease that way. I don't know what else to do for her. She is getting so confused. It is hard to see her this way. I just let her talk even if the story she tells isn't true as I have tried correcting her, and I make her even more confused so just let her be. When later she remembers the true story I find much peace and delight! These are the things I will hold close to my heart. Oh, how these people struggle. I just wish there was something more we could do. For now, I will enjoy every possible moment I can with my dear mother. Rhonda

You are a very lucky woman. Stage 4 is serious, however ca. in general is serious. Nobody can predict how ca. or treatment will affect one. They can speculate all day but their not God. My husband was diagnosed with lung ca. on 1-22-07 with mets to the brain, other than the ca. he was healthy. He died on 3-17-07. He was 44 years old. He only got 51 days from diagnosis. He tried hard to fight it. Radiation took a toll on him fast. He worked up uuntil Jan.15, 07. Not really any warning until it was 2 late. My mother was diagnosed 1-26-06, She died 12-6-06. She lived a little over 10 months. My advice to you, whatever you do,do not take away his hope. When the time is near he will know. When he does start making arrangements it needs to be in his time. For now his body is telling him to fight so you fight with him and encourage him and praise him for his courage. He needs that from you more than ever. Whatever you do make sure he knows hes not a burden and remember to take care of yourself. It's ok if you need a break. Let him know every day how much you love him. Even though this is a very difficult time for you and your family, each day is precious. There is no cure for stage 4. Only treatment and grace from God. My husband did not want to die, in a way our lives had just begun, I had also graduated nursing school in Dec. however the last week and half he spent it getting things in order. Then on Thurs. 3-15-07 he got in his recliner. Friday morning he went into the active phase of dying. Sat. morning at 3:52 am he took his last breath. Ca. patients are special, they know when the time is near. For now love, him because tomorrow things may change. Once hes gone, hes gone. Make sure you will have no regrets. May God bless you and your husband. Pray with him and for him.  I will pray for your family as well.

I am new to this site and would like to thank all for their postings. My husband was diagnosed with lung stage 1 mest to brain stage IV in March of this year. He has gone through brain radiation (10 treatments) and his first batch of 3 (1 per week) chemo treatments. I understand that they are doing a series of 12 chemo's so we have 3 more 3 week treatments to go.

He ended up in the hospital last week for 1 week because of a drug reaction. (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) (very serious and life threatening). He is home now, and doing better; but, because they suspect Taxol as the problem I do not know about further chemo.

This is very difficult to go through. We have been married 31 years and he is young (55). I am lucky, my husband insists on talking about it and that he will not survive this (realism), but has not given up hope or "trying to fight this thing". We plan for the enevitable (worst), and hope for the best, that is all anyone can do.

I have finally broched the subject about natural medical alternatives. He has agreed to go to a clinic in Nevada to take some naturals "cures" when all this MD nonscense is over and we are looking into other health and natural cures also. Even if they do not "cure", standard medicine doesn't cure anything either. Getting into "good" health ..... never killed anyone.

Anyone have any "natural" cures out there, let me know. I am sceptical and I research everything like crazy, but I am not unreasonable. I know that there is a lot of "Natural" voo doo out there. But, standard medicine is full of a lot of voo doo, too.

We are considering the Forsythe Clinic in Reno. I do not know if this is just another sham, but then radiation and chemo could also be considered a sham if lots of money is spent, on nothing but "feel good" cures that do not work, (as well).

I too get a little tired of all the "this isn't curable" nonscence as well. A little bitter and angry. So much is spent on cancer research that you'd think that medical science would have this licked by now (if not for the fact that it would be so financially devistating to someone's interest). 

 

Tony, that was a very positive message that you left Laura - kudos to you.  You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers :)  I too was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago.  Like you said we all have to leave this earth someday - however I pray every day that I stay for at least another 1/4 century - I am a 47 year old female with one daughter who is 22.  I have started some of the funeral arrangements and with your advice I will soon finish it.  In the meantime I will live strong and be positive and trust in the Lord.  Thanks for sharing your feelings on this site.

God Bless,

.... Cat

 

On 11/20/2007 Catrina wrote:

Tony, that was a very positive message that you left Laura - kudos to you.  You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers :)  I too was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago.  Like you said we all have to leave this earth someday - however I pray every day that I stay for at least another 1/4 century - I am a 47 year old female with one daughter who is 22.  I have started some of the funeral arrangements and with your advice I will soon finish it.  In the meantime I will live strong and be positive and trust in the Lord.  Thanks for sharing your feelings on this site.

God Bless,

.... Cat

Cat, Alot of time has passed since I wrote that message,  my dear Jackie ppassed away into God's life on July 4th 2006 not even a year after I wrote that, take it from me, that by sharing and preparing it was easier for not only her but me and my 3 children as well. God bless and take care Tony