I am so sad my Mom has lung cancer

On 6/19/2009 kzfamily wrote:

My husband has stage IIIB lung cancer.   He has a form of lung cancer called neuroendocrine, which is rare and fast growing.  He has been fighting this battle since October, 2008.  He has had 6 chemo treatments and 37 radiation treatments.  When diagnosed he had 5 tumors.  At first the chemo was successful in shrinking the tumors.  Then unfortunately the chemo stopped working after 4 chemo treatments and the tumors started to grow again. The radiation did not help the tumors have continued to grow (the radiation may have slowed the grow) and now there is a new tumor near his heart.  

Everyone is different and reacts differently to treatment.  After his 2nd chemo treatment he started losing his hair and getting sick.  He continued to be sick.  In his case radiation has been just as hard on him as the chemo.  Now that everything is out of his system his hair is growing back and he is feeling alot better.  He has more engery and is able to get up and do things.  He did lose about 25 pounds so far. 

Dealing with chemo is very frustrating and dealing with the doctors is also frustrating.  I really like my husbands doctors but there are times I felt frustrated because I didn't think she was giving us enough information.  My husband has ADD and he doesn't have any questions.  He is ok with knowing the minimum.  I on the other hand am the opposite and of coarse the doctor's respond to his type of personnality.  His doctor did say to me once,  there will come a time when I have to be more firm with him and until then she was going to let him have his denial.  Unfortunately, this week I noticed a big change in her manner in what she said and how she said it.  Which just confirmed to me how serious his condition has gotten.

 The whole cancer process no matter what the outcome is can be very frustrating and draining. Remember you have to make time for yourself.  It is just as important for you to take time for yourself.  You already have a full plate and you need to take time to relax and focus on yourself, even if it is just a few minutes a day. 

 I pray that God will guide you and give you the strength and grace to get through this difficult time.  

 kzfaimly 

      

Hi KZfamily,

Oh my you sure are going through a lot!!!You are so strong!!!  I have heard of this type of cancer and it sounded pretty nasty to me.  I hope my Mom does well.  The tumor in her neck turned out to be benign, thank goodness.  How is your husband? Do you have children?  How do you handle it all?  Tou are tuff!!  I hope that he gets better as I  hope my Mom does tpoo.  We are goint to see a surgeon 2morrow.  I will have to post what her results are.  You hang in there.  I haven't even really gotten started and I am bushed, I cannot even inagine how you must feel.  I am like you, I want to know everything and how it works, my Mom asks me and says I will do what you tell me.  Will keep you posted.. keep me posted on your husb too!!  Thanks!

Heather

On 6/19/2009 melian wrote:

My mom just recently got diagnosed in 2/09 with Stage IV NSCLC and she is being treated at MD Anderson in Houston. They are great there and they started my mother on a new research drug called Dasanitib and it is working. It is keeping the cancer stable and she doesn't have to go through the IV Chemo for now. It does have a few side effects but seem are more managable then if she would have had the IV chemo. Is there any reason why they can not do surgery if it is still in the earlier stages? Best of luck

GOD Bless

- Missy

 

Hi Missy,  How are you?  How is your Mom?  How do you like the trials and how did she become eligible for them?

My mom is really not a candidate for surgery because she has a tumor in the ULL and the LLL.  With the cancer in the entire lung, the doc would have to be a pneomonectomy and her pulmonary functions test results, she would end up being a respiratory cripple.  I am really afraid but don't tell her that.  Has she been to the new hospital?  Is there a change in her treatment plan?  Let me know how things are going.

Good Luck,  Heather

On 6/25/2009 Sacred Moon wrote:

 

On 6/19/2009 melian wrote:

My mom just recently got diagnosed in 2/09 with Stage IV NSCLC and she is being treated at MD Anderson in Houston. They are great there and they started my mother on a new research drug called Dasanitib and it is working. It is keeping the cancer stable and she doesn't have to go through the IV Chemo for now. It does have a few side effects but seem are more managable then if she would have had the IV chemo. Is there any reason why they can not do surgery if it is still in the earlier stages? Best of luck

GOD Bless

- Missy

 

Hi Missy,  How are you?  How is your Mom?  How do you like the trials and how did she become eligible for them?

My mom is really not a candidate for surgery because she has a tumor in the ULL and the LLL.  With the cancer in the entire lung, the doc would have to be a pneomonectomy and her pulmonary functions test results, she would end up being a respiratory cripple.  I am really afraid but don't tell her that.  Has she been to the new hospital?  Is there a change in her treatment plan?  Let me know how things are going.

Good Luck,  Heather

Hi Heather,

How are you doing? My mother was not a candidate for surgery either because she has cancer cells in the pleural space to the right lung. I totally know how you fell because I can not even go one day without shedding a tear for my mom. I am very scared as well and I don't want to even imagine life without my mother. My mother is my best friend and I call her for everything so just thinking about not having her in my life brings tears to my eyes. I hate this disease and what it does to people! My mother's doc recommended that she try this trial because he thought she would be a good candidate for this drug and he knew that it was working on others. There are certain labs and tests that they run for certain trials to see if you qualify. For example, my mother had to have good kidney function to get on this certain drug and she had certain tests that she has to do to follow protocol of the drug to see the progress for research. the good thing about beginning on research is that you get the drugs free and they follow you very closely. I am glad that the doc recommended this because the first doc we went to wanted to give her the usual IV chemo that everyone else gets then she wouldn't have had all these other options. I like how her doc put it, he said that all these drugs are like tools and so he wanted to start out with the research first so that we could have more tools to use and when one tool stops workng then we will move on to the next, but he wanted to save the usual stuff for last when we really needed it. He also said my mom was in control and if she didn't like something she was on we could stop and move on to the next. He told her she had 2 good things going for her and that was that she was in good health except for this illness and that she had an aggressive doctor. So we were so lucky that we did go get a second opinion. Sorry for this short book I wrote. How is your mom doing? What is the plan of care for her? Best of luck! God Bless you and your family.

-Missy

Lung cancer are of two types:- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer & Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer is very common one and it takes several years to progress but more aggressive too. It responds well to certain treatments.

Small Cell Lung Cancer accounts for 20% of all the lung cancers. 

Treatment for Lung Cancers is based upon the type of cancer, size, location & patients health status which is important. 

Hi there,

Well my mom is back on traditional chemo because of a number of reasons.

One thing I would like to tell you - is to have your mom speak to the doctor about her options including the clinical trials.

A lot of patients opt to go through all traditional and FDA approved treatments before looking at clinical trials.
Many other patients including my mom, keep the clinical trial options open throughout their battle.

Here is the point to be careful about, all clinical trials have exclusions and inclusions. many of the exclusions have to to with prior treatments;  for example if you have taken a specific medication or class of medications, then you may or may not qualify for the study.

as many patiens do end up getting ,more than one treatment, they may get automatically disqualified from some of the trials/

So be very careful and know what is available, what is not, and what your options are.

My best wishes to you and your family and eveyrone on this board.

FOM

Hello....

      My wonderful Dad passed 6 months after they found out he had lung cancer.....BUT this was with NO treatment. When I went to the oncologist Office with my husband for his appointment ...I met an older gentelman there. He shared a wonderful story with me AND all I could do was smile with amazement.....He had lung cancer AND BEAT that....He had prostate cancer and he also beat that....AND they still have to take his stupid blood???? L.O.L. This IS an AMAZING man....BUT it also shows you ANYONE CAN WIN this fight.

   As far as a Clincal trial....YOUR oncologist CAN AND SHOULD tell you about what IS being offered. Maybe she will be a canidate and maybe she wouldn't be....she would have to meet certain things to be accepted. I WOULD ask about what IS out there and what she maybe able to get into. As I have seen someone HAS told you that you MUST be your own ADVOCATE and you must feel comfortable with the treatment your Mom is getting OR you need to go elsewhere. Sometimes you HAVE to leave your local area to get THE BEST treatment being offered. IF you can find a GOOD SPECALIST....THEY WILL AND CAN work with a local oncolgist so she can be home and you will only have to traval when she needs to see the SPECALIST......I use Google alot and am sure you can find a GREAT one doing your research.....

                  Good luck and please DON'T give up.....POSTITIVE THINKING .... Good luck and God Bless.