HOW WILL DEATH OCCUR?

I have been diagnosed with metastasized renal cell carcinoma manifesting itself in my lungs.  My oncologist estimates I will die in about 6 months.

How does death occur?

How will I know when my time is near? 

 

Hello,

I am a survivor of Renal Cell Carcinoma. My operation was  in September 2006 and I am here to tell you my story.  Today there are so…so…so…many new drugs that are available to help you survive. Since 2006  five new  state of the art drugs are available on the market.  Please go immediately for a second opinion! Do not settle for second best. 

Please keep in touch

Cleo

 

On 6/25/2009 Shotgun wrote:

I have been diagnosed with metastasized renal cell carcinoma manifesting itself in my lungs.  My oncologist estimates I will die in about 6 months.

How does death occur?

How will I know when my time is near? 

 

 

Good Morning!

This is my first day on this site.  I don't believe any doctor can or should predict how long a person will live.  Only the good Lord knows that, Honey!

My husband has metastised RCC to lungs also.  He will start on the drug (pill at home) Sutent tonight.  Why isn't your oncologist prescribing this drug for you?  It's had great success and has been out several years now.  You need to call and ask for it.

Know that I'm here for you!  I will also add you to my prayer list.

Love and Prayers,

Ingrid

 

On 6/25/2009 msgrace wrote:

 

On 6/25/2009 Shotgun wrote:

I have been diagnosed with metastasized renal cell carcinoma manifesting itself in my lungs.  My oncologist estimates I will die in about 6 months.

How does death occur?

How will I know when my time is near? 

 

Good Morning to you also Ingrid!  Thank you for your reply.  My oncologist has prescribed Sutent, but my wife and I live on Social Security and can't afford it.  I have a Plan D pharmacy supplement to my Medicare, but the co-pay for a 28 day supply of Sutent is $4,805.70.  It might as well be a million dollars at that price.  I've applied to the drug mfg'er for help, but haven't heard back yet.

 I have vowed two things if it ever came to this. One is that I'm not going to leave my wife with a bunch of debt she can't pay back especially since she would have to give up her Social Security check upon my death to assume my higher one, but it's not enough to pay back any big depts run up buying high priced cancer meds; and number two, is I'm not going to ruin the quality of life for any days I have left taking any cancer meds that have horrible side effects as some do.  So unless Pfizer comes through with some help on getting the Sutent, I plan to just go untreated and let the cancer take it's course. That is why I pressed the oncologist to tell me about how long I have if I go untreated. If I can get the Sutent, I'm going to take it as long as I don't have horrible side effects.

Good luck to your husband.  I hope things work out well for him and thanks for your prayers.

Shotgun

Good Morning!

This is my first day on this site.  I don't believe any doctor can or should predict how long a person will live.  Only the good Lord knows that, Honey!

My husband has metastised RCC to lungs also.  He will start on the drug (pill at home) Sutent tonight.  Why isn't your oncologist prescribing this drug for you?  It's had great success and has been out several years now.  You need to call and ask for it.

Know that I'm here for you!  I will also add you to my prayer list.

Love and Prayers,

Ingrid

 

 

On 6/25/2009 rcc surviver wrote:

Hello,

I am a survivor of Renal Cell Carcinoma. My operation was  in September 2006 and I am here to tell you my story.  Today there are so…so…so…many new drugs that are available to help you survive. Since 2006  five new  state of the art drugs are available on the market.  Please go immediately for a second opinion! Do not settle for second best. 

Please keep in touch

Cleo

Cleo, thank you for your reply.  My operation was in July of '08 when they removed the kidney. They thought they got it all, but it has metastasized and reappeared 10 months later first in my right lung and now the left one too. I've been told about the new meds, but they are incredibly expensive.  My cancer center has a Financial Counselor who is trying to get me some help, but unless she or I, are able to find some, I just refuse to leave my wife covered up in debt buying drugs that may not work. She has been my partner and staunch supporter for 49 years, and I'm just not going to leave her that way.  I haven't given up, but it just doesn't look very promising at this point.  It is frustrating to know you have a killer cancer 'cooking' inside you and to be walking around with a prescription you can't fill.  The Sutent folks said they can usually get an decision on the financial help in 48 to 72 hours after the paperwork is received and I got the forms filled out yesterday, but I'm not holding my breath.  I still would like to know how death will come.  I assume if it's in your lungs as the tumors grow you will have trouble breathing.  I already have COPD so I suspect that is how I will go.  Anyone know for sure?

My husband has the same thing and now  he has pneumonia. He was on Torisel for 7 weeks and it ran him down so much he had to have blood. Now we are waiting to see if the pneumonia will go away and then they want to put him on Sutent. What a battle we are in 31/2 years now. It is truly amazing what a body can endure. He hasn't been able to have any treatments around 2 months now. So the cancer has been growing in his lung but has not spread anywhere else that we are aware of.

 

 

 

On 6/25/2009 perkins7 wrote:

My husband has the same thing and now  he has pneumonia. He was on Torisel for 7 weeks and it ran him down so much he had to have blood. Now we are waiting to see if the pneumonia will go away and then they want to put him on Sutent. What a battle we are in 31/2 years now. It is truly amazing what a body can endure. He hasn't been able to have any treatments around 2 months now. So the cancer has been growing in his lung but has not spread anywhere else that we are aware of.

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply.  This is the kind of information I was hoping to find.  So he has made it 3 1/2 years which is incredible, but what has his quality of life been like?  Have the other drugs been as expensive as Sutent?  The cost of the Sutent has been mind boggling.  I'm afraid I'll leave my poor wife impoverished if I have to buy these terribly expensive drugs.

I understand how you feel about the expense of the drugs.  We ran tnto the same problem and my huband would not take treatment until the cost was contained.  His torisel treatment was covered for out-patient hospital infusion and we got help for the sutent and the cost put him in and immediately out of the medicare gap.  Unfortunately, neither of the treatments worked and he has opted not to try any further treatments. His only recourse was a clinical trial.  His kidney was removed 14 years ago and it took this long to return and become a problem.  There is help available tor sutent and your doctor should know all the avenues - ours did.  Good luck to you. 

 

On 6/25/2009 Shotgun wrote:

 

On 6/25/2009 perkins7 wrote:

My husband has the same thing and now  he has pneumonia. He was on Torisel for 7 weeks and it ran him down so much he had to have blood. Now we are waiting to see if the pneumonia will go away and then they want to put him on Sutent. What a battle we are in 31/2 years now. It is truly amazing what a body can endure. He hasn't been able to have any treatments around 2 months now. So the cancer has been growing in his lung but has not spread anywhere else that we are aware of.

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply.  This is the kind of information I was hoping to find.  So he has made it 3 1/2 years which is incredible, but what has his quality of life been like?  Have the other drugs been as expensive as Sutent?  The cost of the Sutent has been mind boggling.  I'm afraid I'll leave my poor wife impoverished if I have to buy these terribly expensive drugs.

Shotgun,

The quality of his life has been pretty good except for the last couple months. Side Effects from the Torisel have been rough. We have good insurance but the Dr told us if we need help with the Sutent they would fill out the paper work and etc for us and we would get some help. I have seen good results on the Sutent on the web site. I believe you can get help financially with this drug.  I am sure she would like to have you around as long as possible. God Bless..

 

Thank you and good luck to you and your husband too.