CancerCompass message board discussion started by zuma95 on 6/21/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25285,0.htm Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ On June 5th, 2008 my 66 year old husband was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer - Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stage IIIA. Surgery is not an option due to the tumor being 6.9 X 3.9 in the right upper lobe with lymph not involvement.He will be starting his treatments on  Tuesday 6-24.This will be his treatment plan:His Chemotherapy will consist of going the first week 3 times (6-24-06 to 6-27-06) and then no chemo for 3 weeks and then back for 3 times the fourth week. For a total of 4 months. The two agents they will be using on Harvey are Platinol (Generic name- Cisplatin) and VP-16; VePesid (Generic- Etoposide). The Platinol needs to be drip in slowly so he will be there each chemo day for an average of 5 hours. Then he will also have his radiation 5 times a week for 7 weeks starting 6-24-06. All of this just has me so overwhelmed and just devastated right now. I want to help my husband in every way I possibly can. I would appreciate any support and knowledge of what he will be going through.God Bless, Bernice zuma95 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT You have come to the right place, my prayers and thoughts are with you. Misty123 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thank you so much! zuma95 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/21/2008 zuma95 wrote:On June 5th, 2008 my 66 year old husband was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer - Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stage IIIA. Surgery is not an option due to the tumor being 6.9 X 3.9 in the right upper lobe with lymph not involvement.He will be starting his treatments on  Tuesday 6-24.This will be his treatment plan:His Chemotherapy will consist of going the first week 3 times (6-24-06 to 6-27-06) and then no chemo for 3 weeks and then back for 3 times the fourth week. For a total of 4 months. The two agents they will be using on Harvey are Platinol (Generic name- Cisplatin) and VP-16; VePesid (Generic- Etoposide). The Platinol needs to be drip in slowly so he will be there each chemo day for an average of 5 hours. Then he will also have his radiation 5 times a week for 7 weeks starting 6-24-06. All of this just has me so overwhelmed and just devastated right now. I want to help my husband in every way I possibly can. I would appreciate any support and knowledge of what he will be going through.God Bless, BerniceDear Bernice (that's also my mother-in-law's name) I'm so glad you found this site.  My husband, age 57 was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, one of the hard ones to treat, also known as Oat Cell.  His also was inoperable.  He had almost the same chemo treatment you husband is facing and he did very well.  Not once did he throw up.  He did get very tired especially when he had both chemo and radiation at the same time.  but, my husband was (and still is) able to work every day.  You'll receive great support on this site so I hope you stay with us and keep us posted as to your husband's progress.  Also try (it's hard) to take care of yourself.  If his appetite diminishes, let us know.  there are posting on this board about it.  One of the wisest things our oncologist told us was: "Tom, this is YOUR cancer".  Everyone is different.  There are many survivors.  My husband was diagnosed in December of 06.  He will celebrate his birthday in July. Even tho my husband's last PET scan (6/13) told us there was still some lymph nodes affected the doctor said he's doing great and he doesn't want to see him for 3 months.  Praise The Lord.  I know it is very overwhelming to you right now, but all will fall into place.  If you feel overwhelmed by all the info, tell the doctor to talk more clearly and maybe even have a third trusted person with you who is a little less removed from the devestation of having the news.  Perhaps a dear friend or neighbor.  Rely heavy on this site and all the support you will receive and perhaps even your church.  I don't know what I'd do without my church and God and this site.  Our prayers are with you.Kathy chef4u Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/21/2008 zuma95 wrote:On June 5th, 2008 my 66 year old husband was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer - Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stage IIIA. Surgery is not an option due to the tumor being 6.9 X 3.9 in the right upper lobe with lymph not involvement.He will be starting his treatments on  Tuesday 6-24.This will be his treatment plan:His Chemotherapy will consist of going the first week 3 times (6-24-06 to 6-27-06) and then no chemo for 3 weeks and then back for 3 times the fourth week. For a total of 4 months. The two agents they will be using on Harvey are Platinol (Generic name- Cisplatin) and VP-16; VePesid (Generic- Etoposide). The Platinol needs to be drip in slowly so he will be there each chemo day for an average of 5 hours. Then he will also have his radiation 5 times a week for 7 weeks starting 6-24-06. All of this just has me so overwhelmed and just devastated right now. I want to help my husband in every way I possibly can. I would appreciate any support and knowledge of what he will be going through.God Bless, BerniceHiI can understand how you and your husband feel.  Cancer is so unpredictable and scary.  In 2006 I had 2/3 of my right lung removed, adenomacarcinoma and nonsmall cell carcinoma and it was completely gone BUT in 2007 they found cancer in my middle chest.  I had 7 weeks of chemotherapy with radiation and it is now gone.  They say a miracle.Still the dr won't remove the porta-cath because it can come back.....so that's where I am.Prayers, positive thinking and hope.  With radiation I found that drinking aloe vera juice with tea and honey helped my throat and the internal burning effect of the radiation.  Aloe vera on the location site also helps.  My prayers are with you both. JB43973 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi I was also on cisplatin and etoposide....  Joan JB43973 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Kathy,Thank you ever so much for you very encouraging post. It means so much to me to be able to discuss my husbands cancer with someone that understands. My husband and I talk about it all the time and he is very positive about going for his treatments which is wonderful.I was surprised to hear your Mother-in-Laws name was Bernice. I haven't come by very many in my 53 (almost 54 years).My prayers are also with you and your husband.Thank you again!Bernice zuma95 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Joan,I am so happy to see that you have beat the cancer! Miricles do happen and I am prayer for one for my husband. He is such a loving and caring man.Could you tell me a little about any side effects you may of had with these chemo agents that my husband will be starting Tuesday. I just want to be able to do anything I can to make this easier for him.Thank you so much for you encouraging post and my prayers are with you for a very long life with the miricle you received :)God Bless,Bernice zuma95 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/22/2008 zuma95 wrote:Hi Joan,I am so happy to see that you have beat the cancer! Miricles do happen and I am prayer for one for my husband. He is such a loving and caring man.Could you tell me a little about any side effects you may of had with these chemo agents that my husband will be starting Tuesday. I just want to be able to do anything I can to make this easier for him.Thank you so much for you encouraging post and my prayers are with you for a very long life with the miricle you received :)God Bless,BerniceHi,I remember getting weak and tired, low blood count.  They monitor this so that they can give him something to make him feel better.  The best advice is to let the nurses know how he feels  because they can add things to the chemo and let the dr know.  Chemo has improved alot and hopefully he won't have too many side effects.  I had chemotherapy and radiation at the same time.  It worked.  Hope this works for your husband too! Joan  JB43973 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/22/2008 JB43973 wrote: On 6/22/2008 zuma95 wrote:Hi Joan,I am so happy to see that you have beat the cancer! Miricles do happen and I am prayer for one for my husband. He is such a loving and caring man.Could you tell me a little about any side effects you may of had with these chemo agents that my husband will be starting Tuesday. I just want to be able to do anything I can to make this easier for him.Thank you so much for you encouraging post and my prayers are with you for a very long life with the miricle you received :)God Bless,BerniceThank you Joan!I remember getting weak and tired, low blood count.  They monitor this so that they can give him something to make him feel better.  The best advice is to let the nurses know how he feels  because they can add things to the chemo and let the dr know.  Chemo has improved alot and hopefully he won't have too many side effects.  I had chemotherapy and radiation at the same time.  It worked.  Hope this works for your husband too! Joan   zuma95 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/22/2008 zuma95 wrote:Hi Kathy,Thank you ever so much for you very encouraging post. It means so much to me to be able to discuss my husbands cancer with someone that understands. My husband and I talk about it all the time and he is very positive about going for his treatments which is wonderful.I was surprised to hear your Mother-in-Laws name was Bernice. I haven't come by very many in my 53 (almost 54 years).My prayers are also with you and your husband.Thank you again!BerniceYou are so very welcome.  A positive attitude such as your husband's is half the battle.  Hope to see more of your postings on this site.    chef4u Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Bernice,My husband was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 2006.  He had his entire left lung removed and the cancer was gone.  Unfortunately it returned in 2007 in his airway and in 2008 in his right lung.  Surgery was done on his airway to remove that tumor and he is now have therapy using Alimta.  The tumor in his right lung was very small, only 9mm, and shrunk 30% after his second treatment.  He has now had 6 treatments and it has stayed the same size with no growth.  Cancer used to be a scary word but it isn't anymore.  There are so many treatments today and so much that can be done!!  Cancer isn't a death sentence anymore!!Pray, pray continuously because only God can help us through these times!!  He'll give you both peace and strength to get through this!!  Once you get started with treatments and CT Scans and doctor visits, etc., it will all become "normal" to you both.  I'm not saying it's easy, but it does get easier.  As with all other bad situations you've been through, you'll get through this one too!!  As someone else posted, "your husband's cancer is his cancer".  By this I mean that he will respond differently than all others with the same type of cancer.  It's hard to say what he may feel during chemo.  Be SURE to let his doctor know if he's feeling badly because they can give him medicine for most any problem.  I believe a positive attitude is the VERY BEST medicine.  He'll have good days and bad days.  Be as supportive as you can for him and, if you need support, ask at his oncologist office for caregiver support groups.  These really help alot!!  Also, have your husband always let you know the truth about how he's feeling.  Don't let him try to "protect" you.  It's better for you to know.  Okay, hope this helps a little bit.  Also, hope the treatments are going well and your husband (and you) are doing alot better!!!  God Bless you both!!!Laurie  Ossipeegirl Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/26/2008 Ossipeegirl wrote:Hi Bernice,My husband was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 2006.  He had his entire left lung removed and the cancer was gone.  Unfortunately it returned in 2007 in his airway and in 2008 in his right lung.  Surgery was done on his airway to remove that tumor and he is now have therapy using Alimta.  The tumor in his right lung was very small, only 9mm, and shrunk 30% after his second treatment.  He has now had 6 treatments and it has stayed the same size with no growth.  Cancer used to be a scary word but it isn't anymore.  There are so many treatments today and so much that can be done!!  Cancer isn't a death sentence anymore!!Pray, pray continuously because only God can help us through these times!!  He'll give you both peace and strength to get through this!!  Once you get started with treatments and CT Scans and doctor visits, etc., it will all become "normal" to you both.  I'm not saying it's easy, but it does get easier.  As with all other bad situations you've been through, you'll get through this one too!!  As someone else posted, "your husband's cancer is his cancer".  By this I mean that he will respond differently than all others with the same type of cancer.  It's hard to say what he may feel during chemo.  Be SURE to let his doctor know if he's feeling badly because they can give him medicine for most any problem.  I believe a positive attitude is the VERY BEST medicine.  He'll have good days and bad days.  Be as supportive as you can for him and, if you need support, ask at his oncologist office for caregiver support groups.  These really help alot!!  Also, have your husband always let you know the truth about how he's feeling.  Don't let him try to "protect" you.  It's better for you to know.  Okay, hope this helps a little bit.  Also, hope the treatments are going well and your husband (and you) are doing alot better!!!  God Bless you both!!!Laurie Hi Laurie,Thank you for your most encouraging post. My husband started his radiation and chemo on Tuesday and so far he is doing very well. They have given him meds so that he does not have nausea and they are working well.I have to admit that the first time I went into the chemo room with him ( I always stay with him during his treatments) I was just devastated to see how many people were going through the same thing. Just this week alone I have talked to many caregivers, nurses and  patients and you are absolutely right. It becomes a new way of living life. We take each day God has given us and enjoy it to it's fullest.My husband is very positive and will do anything and everything they tell him to do. The only thing he always says to me is "Sweetie, I don't want to leave you and our life any sooner then I have too." I know together him and I will fight this and God willing we will have many more wonderful years together.My prayers are with you and your husband.Thank you so much.God Bless,Bernice  zuma95 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Bernice,I'm so glad to hear your husband is doing well :)!!!  It's so scary to have the one you love have to go through this and I think it's much easier once you get through the first treatment together.  Now you know what the room looks like and have seen the procedure done.  This made a big difference for me.  After the treatment, I waited anxiously hoping my husband wouldn't react to the chemo at all.....but he did.  He didn't vomit but he did deal with mild stomach upset.  The worst part for him was the severe fatigue.  His first chemo was strong, Taxotere and Cisplatin.  Pretty strong stuff.  I hated to see him so depleted of energy but I stayed positive for him.  I didn't talk it away because I feel everyone's feelings are important.  I just asked him not to be upset that he was so fatigued but to go with it.......sleep, sleep, sleep because that's what your (his) body needs.  I just took really good care of him and made sure he ate and drank his supplement drinks, etc.  I made him whatever he wanted and tried my best to help him feel safe and loved.  When you feel that terrible, there's not too much you care about, huh?  We got through all 4 treatments (1x every 3 weeks), thank God!!!  Since then, we've gone through another life threatening, major surgery to remove the tumor from his airway and now we are in treatment again for the very small tumor in his right lung.  I know it is very, very serious to have cancer but it doesn't feel this way for us most of the time.  We talk about everything including death but we're not afraid.  We're just going to keep on fighting until there's a cure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are very active and go camping almost every weekend.  We're not ignoring it, we're giving it to God!!!  Isn't the human spirit amazing??????  As you wrote,  so many people have this disease.  You and your husband are not alone in your fight!!!!!!!  People who have cancer are the nicest, kindest people!!!!!!!  It's amazing how positive they are!!!!!!!My husband will have his 6th treatment of Alimta this coming Monday and then a CT Scan shortly afterwards to monitor the tumor.  (Don't know why we need the scan since the tumor is gone!!!!!)Keep me updated with your husband's progess and write anytime.  You can send me a personal message if you'd like my e-mail address.God Bless You and Your Husband!!!!!!!!!!!!Laurie  Ossipeegirl Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi,My husband was dx in 6/06 with non-small cell  and I can tell you it has been a roller-coaster ride!! BUT, for now he is doing well and we are vacationing in Fla. , where he is fishing, etc. One thing this disease does for you is get your priorities right!! He has had chemo/radiation and then more chemo and then more chemo. He is also a diabetic so his system is rather compromised before cancer.He has had Gemzar, carboplatin, taxol, taxotere, and alimta. All at different times. He has been hospitalized 5 times and had 2 surgeries, one to drain fluid from his right lung and one to drain fluid from his pericardial sac around his heart. (others hospitalizations were pneumonia)He has gone from using an oxygen pack to no need for it. Just know that you can live with cancer and still have wonderful times. It makes you aware that you shouldn't waste time with unimportant things.I tell you all of this to encourage you that with all of this, he is still going strong. There have been days and weeks when I didn't know if he would survive all these complications, but he did and does.We both have been so blessed with family and friends and their many prayers He is currently on Tarceva and it seems to be working for him. The only treatment that hasn't sent him to the hospital with complications. I have read that some folks have had long term results with this med. and that is encouraging. He just had another PETscan and it shows very slight activity on his right adrenal gland... same as 3 months ago.Just live each day with joy and loveIt can be a bumpy ride, but just hang on and enjoy the good times.I wish you all the bestClara  Caregiver44 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/29/2008 Caregiver44 wrote:Hi,My husband was dx in 6/06 with non-small cell  and I can tell you it has been a roller-coaster ride!! BUT, for now he is doing well and we are vacationing in Fla. , where he is fishing, etc. One thing this disease does for you is get your priorities right!! He has had chemo/radiation and then more chemo and then more chemo. He is also a diabetic so his system is rather compromised before cancer.He has had Gemzar, carboplatin, taxol, taxotere, and alimta. All at different times. He has been hospitalized 5 times and had 2 surgeries, one to drain fluid from his right lung and one to drain fluid from his pericardial sac around his heart. (others hospitalizations were pneumonia)He has gone from using an oxygen pack to no need for it. Just know that you can live with cancer and still have wonderful times. It makes you aware that you shouldn't waste time with unimportant things.I tell you all of this to encourage you that with all of this, he is still going strong. There have been days and weeks when I didn't know if he would survive all these complications, but he did and does.We both have been so blessed with family and friends and their many prayers He is currently on Tarceva and it seems to be working for him. The only treatment that hasn't sent him to the hospital with complications. I have read that some folks have had long term results with this med. and that is encouraging. He just had another PETscan and it shows very slight activity on his right adrenal gland... same as 3 months ago.Just live each day with joy and loveIt can be a bumpy ride, but just hang on and enjoy the good times.I wish you all the bestClara Hi Clara,Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.This is so a very hard thing to accept and deal with. But everyday gets a little easier. It seems as we get more and more into my husbands treatments of radiation and chemo, the side effects are surfacing. Right now he is having pain in both lungs and his chest. The cancer is in his right lung and some lymph node attachment. This has me a little concerned that he is having pain in his left lung. We will talk to the Oncologist today hopefully it is just from the radiation.I am so happy to hear that you and your husband are vacation in Fl. and enjoying yourself. I pray that my husband and I will get to that point where we can just relax and live life, rather then worry everyday about what will happen next.Thank you again.God Bless both you and your husband.Bernice zuma95 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT