Stage 4 Nsclc

I have a sister in law that was diagnosed with stage 4 nsclc in late August. I'm confused about what her prognosis is. I take her to the radiation treatments five days a week and to chemo once a week. The chemo the doctors have her on is too weak to make her sick or loose her hair. They are not planning any surgery. From what I gather they are not treating her to prolong her life but rather just keep her comfortable. What confuses me is that she has no symptoms and that she appears to be completely healthy. She sleeps a lot because the ratiation makes her tired but they started giving her fluids through an IV because of dehydration. She feels so much better since they did this. The doctors have classified her as "terminal" but how can this be when she appears to be so healthy? I'm really confused after reading all of the other comments about this disease. If anyone has any comments about a similar case and the outcome I would really appreciate the info.
Theresa

Hi Theresa...

I was diagnosed in August as well...I had my top right lobe removed and then the doctor told me had they known I was a stage 4 they would never have operated...that was Sept 14...I still have not had any treatment to date...I feel fine except for some shortness of breath..probably due to the lobe removal..they tell me I'm terminal too...I won't listen to them though..I'm 46 a non smoker have 4 kids and have decided to begin living...I'm going to do everything I've ever wanted to do...and have some fun....I feel for your sister-in-law and you...I know what she's going through...a little harder for me to understand how you are feeling but I have to tell you that care and concern go a long way with us lung cancer patients..we so appreciate it. I'm seeing the drs today (they had a big meeting on Friday) they wanted to talk about whether or not they will offer me treatment yet...this just sucks...so in the meantime I'm doing anything I can...practising visualization, naturopath,..anyone know a witch doctor? I'll try ANYTHING at this point. I went to my doctor for over a year complaining that something wasn't right (I was really tired and every now and again would have some shortness of breath so thought I was developing asthma...didn't have a cough but had colds (runny nose etc) ...he kept telling me i was okay...so when they told me I was terminal my response was..."well you guys couldn't even diagnose me so how do you expect to do that now?"...I swear to God that every yearly check up should involve a regular CT scan...this would have saved my life...whats the use of going to a yearly check up if the doc tells you that you're fine when you're not....anyways Theresa...I am the same as your sister in law except I had surgery and no treatment...I'm feeling just fine....even started my Christmas shopping and told my parents I'm driving them to Myrtle Beach for a weeks holiday (my mom can't fly) we live in Canada...so we'll do that next week. Good luck to you and your sister in law...I hope she feels well for the next 30 years! I know I'm going to! Attitude is everything!
andrea

Thanks, Andrea, for replying. We went to her "treatments" today (today was chemo and radiation day). You and her are so similar for moment I wondered if she was the one replying. She is 46 and the mother of two. She is doing well. Like you, her attitude is the best. Everyday she wakes up and thanks God for another day. I told her today about this site and I'm hoping tomorrow to show her how to get on it. I really think it would be good for her to talk to others with a similar illness. I worry that she's never gotten angry; she's just so accepting of the diagnosis. The problem for me is that I can't think of her as being ill because she doesn't show any signs of being sick. She's never had a cough, a cold, pheumonia, or any of the other symptoms that I've read about. Her annual check ups always come back clean and her blood tests are still showing "NORMAL". (normal for whom, I wonder?) She is really starting to get burned from the radiation but other than the tiredness, she has no other complaints. As long as they can keep giving her fluids to ward off the dehydration she does great. I was wanting to ask today what drugs they were giving her but I don't want to appear nosy. She said if she ever has any questions, she asks her doctor, and she trusts him to tell her the truth, so I just try to be supportive and to pass along any information that I find out about on my own. (I'm a born sceptic so I'm always looking for other opinions and options.)
I hope if they decide on a course of treatment for you, they do something similar. I worry sometimes that they aren't doing enough to try to prolong her life, but she is comfortable and very optimistic that when she's done with treatment she'll live for many years to come. I can only pray that that is the case.
You are the only other person her age that I've heard about with this. Everyone else in the oncology center who are going through treatments are many years older. I hope that you will continue to fight and remain optimistic. I just refuse to believe that you both won't have many more years with your children.
If you want Andrea, please let me kinow what your doctors decide what they want to do. I'm not going through it so I can't begin to claim to understand, but I will continue to pray for her and for you as well.
Theresa

Andrea

What you said

have decided to begin living...I'm going to do everything I've ever wanted to do...and have some fun

is so true. Isn't it horrible that we have to wait to get a terminal disease to decide to do this.

In response to a yearly CT scan, no insurance company would go for that but a blood test for tumor markers could be done easily and inexpensively. If those were elevated, then a CT scan would be warranted.

Bravo to you for driving to Myrtle Beach (a place I would love to go). Have a blast and, if you are a drinker, have one for me!

dotdot

I would ask your sister in law to discuss her prognosis with her physician, but at stage 4 the prognosis is poor. Stage 4 means she has a tumor which has spread to her lymph nodes and she has distant mets. Surgery is not an option in stage 4. Radiation and chemo would be used. It is possible to have no symptoms, but thay will most likely come. Survival is hard to say but most likely a year or two. Make sure she asks about clinical trials. Sometimes they can offer advantages that regular treatment will not.

I am sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. My husband was diagnosed Jan. 2004. He falls into the "older" group. We have a 19 year old daughter. I avoid statistics and negativity. Each person is an individual and no one can predict outcomes. I have read volumes and have taken to focusing on what we can do rather what we can't. We even had to tell my husband's personal physician to talk to the oncologist.
Your sister-in-law is young and attitude and spirituality all play important roles. No symptoms is a good thing not bad. My husband goes for acupuncture once a week and has done so far over a year. The chinese doctor he sees for this works with traditional medicine. He also has an immune booster which was researched at a cancer center in Tampa. He also takes supplements and avoids all sugar. This from a man who loved desserts particularly ice cream. I dont think traditional alone works but you have to let all doctors know what you intend to take. His all concur and have no objections. There have been a few things they told him to avoid because it could interfere with the chemo. Good luck!!

I am a 57 year old male and was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC about 2 years ago. I was also told that this is a terminal disease and that my life expectancy was about eight months. I received surgery to remove the upper lobe of my left lung, followed by Chemotherapy. After the Chemo, a PET/CT scan did not find any sign of cancer, but 6 months later, it returned. I subsequently received another 6 rounds of Chemo and again the scan did not detect any cancer. I think the statistics are only that, statistics. I am still very active. I am a ski instructor and I still love sailing and SCUBA. When I first received the diagnosis I refused to believe that it was happening to me. Now, I just appreciate every day. My attitude toward life has improved greatly. The best thing to remember is that there ARE survivors and that every day is a gift.

Thanks for the info. I know that she has been talking to her doctors and she appears to be completely confident in them. I don't ask too many questions. I figure if she wants me to know, she'll tell me. The cancer center that she visits is the best in our state and the doctors come highly recommended. That said, I know that she and I have talked about clinical trials but I don't think she has talked to her doctor about it. There are several notices of trials on the bulletin board in the waiting room but I don't think she has seen them. She has two weeks of radiation and 2-3 chemo sessions left --- then what? I don't think anyone knows what comes next?
T

Thanks for writing, Diana, and please, I didn't mean anything offensive when I talked about everyone else being "older", it's just that in the oncology waiting room, every person I speak to that has lung cancer is 60 and upward. I was surprised that someone in her 40's could get it.
She also has a daughter, she is 18 and will be valedictorian of her graduating class this year. One of several goals to aim for.
I'm glad to hear that your husband is doing well. I don't know if my sister in law would consider acupuncture or not. She doesn't disagree with alternative medical treatments but she also isn't really pro-active in seeking them out. She seems to be completely confident in her doctors, which is not a bad thing. I've tried to get her into an all natural nutrition center but she's not really intersted.
You said your husband gave up sugar? Is there a reason for doing that that is relative to his cancer or was just to improve his health? The reason I'm asking is because my sister in law seems to be losing her sense of taste but she really likes sweet things now and since she needs the extra calories I was wondering if maybe there was a medical reason she should not be eating them. She has a lot of people bringing meals over to her and her family and a lot of those meals include a desert of some kind.
I'll pass along your thoughts to her. Thank you! T

Just a quick note about sugar. Cancer feeds on sugar so it is said that eating sugar when you have cancer is like pouring gasoline on a fire. My mom also has a sweet tooth so she has not totally given up sugar but has cut way back. She is a 16 month survivor of stage IV NSCLC at this time and doing very well.