How Long and what should I expect?

Hello All, 

My mother was just diagnosed with Small Cell Cervical Cancer.  I have tried to be with her as much as possible but live a couple of hours away and have relied upon my brothers to take care of her when I can't.

The doctors say it is "advanced".  It has even been found in lymphnodes in her neck.

She went to the dr for the first time about 2-3 weeks ago and since then has had cat scans, pet scans, 4 units of blood and stents put in the tubes in her kidneys because they were blocked by the mass (which helped her kidney function to return to normal).

She should have her first radiation treatment on Christmas Eve (Merry Christmas!) and then the following Monday she should have her first chemo and then radiation.

She has always been a very strong and active woman.  She is 72 and is very tired now (she is actually letting us do stuff for her ;-)

 What should I expect over the next couple of weeks?  What can I anticipate?  What can I do to make her more comfortable and at ease?  What should I look for?  What should I be warned about?  I will be with her as much as she needs me from 12/24 through 1/4 but then I need to return to work (unless she really really needs me).

Thanks!

Suzanne

My mom (51 years old) was diagnosed this month (12/05/08) with SCLC and the oncologist also says it's "advanced".  She will begin chemotherapy on 12/29/08 (again, Happy Holidays!) and I am very scared to lose her.  She is staying positive for the most part so I am also trying to stay that way.  Any words of advice would be appreciated!

Suzanne,

Sorry to hear about your mother and this is such an awful time of year for you both to have to go on this journey....yuck!

I can think of a few things that could help:

Make sure she is taking vitamins.  My mom drank gatorade and ensure/boost a lot as well.  Buy straws for the liquids...sometimes drinking something made her gag (when she had nausea) but the straw seemed to help for some reason. 

If she has a lot of nausea that is not controlled by phenergan (what they usually first prescribe), talk to her dr about zofran (used by pregnant women too) and compazine (an older nausea med).  Believe it or not, my mom believed that she found relief from Sea Bands which you wear on a cruiseship and Scopolomine patches you put behind your ears. 

If she does vomit a lot, have her take around a small tupperware container with napkins in it whenever she goes to appointments or leaves the house.  That way, if she needs to puke, she will have a ready made container that no one will know what it's use is.  

Start a journal of her appts and anything that comes up regarding side effects, complaints, physical issues.  You think you can remember everything but you just can't.  Too much info overload. 

Get her a lovely nightlight for her bathroom and bedroom so if she has to stumble to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you will be lighting her way. 

Make sure she is mobile as much as possible.  When you get older and do chemo and lay in the bed a lot, you are much more prone to blood clots (my mom had one go from her leg to her lung which resulted in one of the emergency room trips). 

Her immune system will be very low and she will feel the worst starting at probably about the 5th day after treatment.  If she is like my mom, she will have about 5-7 pretty decent days until the chemo starts all over again.   And as she continues her treatments, the symptoms may worsen or intensify which is normal. But at that point, we can pray and hope she will be getting some good scans that will make it worth it.        

If I can think of anything else I will let you know.  Take care,

Laura

 

 

Laura,

Thank you for the response.  My Mom has now been through 8 radiation treatments and did her second chemo today.  She gets fatigued easily and has some discomfort from the mass but not too much else (so far).  Her throat has been very dry so I bought some small, portable gatorade bottles so she always has something to drink and she'll get some electrolytes/energy, etc.

 Four more chemos and about 25 more radiation treatments.  Then she will be re-evaluated and will most likely be hospitalized while they do internal radiation.  Anyone have any experience with that?

 Suzanne

If it's any consolation to any of you, I was diagnosed with SCLC in Feb. '05; underwent a year and a half of chemo and thirty radiations; was hospitalized with superior vena cava syndrome in August '06, which required ten pin-point radiations to reduce the tumor; spent over a year with home hospice care before they "expelled" me (for not dying on them); and today walk three to four miles every morning. I still have the cancer but my decline is blessfully slow. My breathing diminishes more with each passing month but for whatever reason, I'm still very much in the game--of life! JR

 

On 2/6/2009 catsdad wrote:

If it's any consolation to any of you, I was diagnosed with SCLC in Feb. '05; underwent a year and a half of chemo and thirty radiations; was hospitalized with superior vena cava syndrome in August '06, which required ten pin-point radiations to reduce the tumor; spent over a year with home hospice care before they "expelled" me (for not dying on them); and today walk three to four miles every morning. I still have the cancer but my decline is blessfully slow. My breathing diminishes more with each passing month but for whatever reason, I'm still very much in the game--of life! JR

Hi JR         thanks for giving us hope my husband to has SCLC  he was diagnosed in feb.08 has under gone all the treatment and he is still here to.  God Bless you and keep you I love when i here that there is some hope.    Suzette

 

Suzette, I have a website containing all the health updates I've sent to friends and family since diagnosis. Feel free to access it if it will help in any way. Also, I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have along the road of this troublesome journey. My website: http://web.mac.com/jr106 JR

 

On 2/6/2009 catsdad wrote:

If it's any consolation to any of you, I was diagnosed with SCLC in Feb. '05; underwent a year and a half of chemo and thirty radiations; was hospitalized with superior vena cava syndrome in August '06, which required ten pin-point radiations to reduce the tumor; spent over a year with home hospice care before they "expelled" me (for not dying on them); and today walk three to four miles every morning. I still have the cancer but my decline is blessfully slow. My breathing diminishes more with each passing month but for whatever reason, I'm still very much in the game--of life! JR

Hello Catsdad:

Can i ask wat stage were you in?  What kind of treatments - drugs on chemo were given to you?  What percentage of radiation unit was u received (4000 per lifespan according to the radiation specialist). What symptoms did you have?  How are you feeling now?

My mom was diagnosis in oct08 and just finished chemo (eptoside/carboplastin) in late Feb 09.  However it did not work. Her left Lung grows new tumor as she was in ER past weekend on her cold-like coughing symptoms.  Her oncologist told us today that our Mom condition is grave as it was spread to her bones and spines back in 08. Her bones start crumbling now...  I am scared n would like to receive more advices and recommendation from survivors as I just lost my Dad in late oct 07, I dont know if I could handle of loosing mom now.  Pls help...

Regards,

Victoria

 

On 1/5/2009 i_am_suzanne wrote:

Laura,

Thank you for the response.  My Mom has now been through 8 radiation treatments and did her second chemo today.  She gets fatigued easily and has some discomfort from the mass but not too much else (so far).  Her throat has been very dry so I bought some small, portable gatorade bottles so she always has something to drink and she'll get some electrolytes/energy, etc.

 Four more chemos and about 25 more radiation treatments.  Then she will be re-evaluated and will most likely be hospitalized while they do internal radiation.  Anyone have any experience with that?

 Suzanne

Suzanne,

How's things at your Mom's end?  I hope she is getting some improvement? Did your mom develop any diabete symptoms as drinking too much sugary drinks - Ensure / boost do have a great amount of sugar per can.  I let mom tried the glucose-free type instead.

 I heard / searched internal radiation is scarrry, high potential of infection if not carefully care.  I lost my Dad for chemo pickline left too long caused serious infection... 

Let me know your Mom progress so I can encourage myself and mom.  Take care, God bless you all.

Thx,

Victoria

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/small-cell-

Dear Victoria, I am sorry your having to go through this again, first with your dad and now with your mom. I have small-cell lung cancer in my right lung. I underwent a year and a half of chemo plus thirty radiations at the same time. The only chemo drugs that I remember were the first and most difficult ones: cisplatin and carboplatin, or was it etopside? I don't recall. My tumors never shrank but for some reason they haven't grown either. I was diagnosed in Feb. 2005. For details of my treatment and journey, click on "Updates" on my website at http://web.mac.com/jr106. If you still have questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them. JR