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Caregiver to mom who's been diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung cancer


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Hi! I'm so happy to have discovered this community. Last March 3rd my mom, who is 78 years old,  was diagnosed with Stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. It was a devastating diagnosis for us because on top of this, my mom has end stage renal disease (she goes on dialysis 3x a week) and other chronic illnesses. She will soon be started on Tarceva. I would appreciate any help or info about how Tarceva could affect someone on kidney dialysis. Is there any member who is in the same, or similar situation? Thank you and God bless.

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Mommy's Girl,

Welcome here and so very sorry to learn of your mom's diagnosis. I had Tarceva as one of my chemo treatments but not with the complication of renal disease. I wouldn't begin to know the complications involved. I trust her oncologist has performed the research before prescribing the medication. 

I hope Tarceva works. I've know many who've had a very good response. 

Stay the course. 

Tom

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi, Mommy's Girl,

Welcome to LCSC. We are glad that you found this community too. Just wanted to check in and see how you and your mom are doing? Hope to hear from you soon.

With gratitude,

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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Hi mommy's girl.. your story hits close to home with me. My mom was diagnosed with NSCLC March 17, it was a shock to say the least as my mom had no symptoms until abdominal pain landed her in the ER.. fr there they found her cancer in multiple places. I hope you and your mother are doing well. :)

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

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Thank you Tom, Katie, Lauren, and Ashley for all your replies. I wasn't aware of them until I searched the word "Tarceva" in this forum. I apologize. 

My mom started taking Tarceva 150mg on April 13th. So she has just been on it for a month or so. Her oncologist prescribed it to her after her molecular test returned a positive result for egfr mutation. She was taken to the ER on March 1st because she had difficulty breathing and non stop coughing. The fluid they drained from her lungs was about 1.5 liters. Two days later she was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. A week later a pleural catheter was placed in her chest cavity so they can drain her further. No treatment plan was discussed just yet because we were still waiting for the results of the molecular test, which I was told would take a while to complete. 

    Two weeks after she was discharged, on March 29th, she was back to the ER because of intense pain in the catheter site. The doctor decided to have the catheter removed because there wasn't much fluid that was draining from her lungs. On April 4th that was when my mom's oncologist announced that she got the results and the cancer cells were positive for this egfr mutation. She also told us that the mass on her left lung has grown to about 4.2 cm. That's big! She said the tumor has spread to her right lung and nowhere else.

    The first few days she was on Tarceva her coughing completely stopped. So we enjoyed a few nights of uninterrupted sleep because of that. But then her nausea started, and then vomiting. But it went away after a while. The cough returned 2 weeks into the treatment, as well as the pain in her side. And that has been the case until today. 

    All these things and she still going to her dialysis treatments 3 times a week. She's had 2 blood transfusions since started treatment because kidney patients do not produce hemoglobin anymore, and it's made worse by the cancer treatment. 

      My mom's will to live is what's keeping her going. She lives with me and was the one who took care of my daughter when she was little. Taking care of my mom is the least I can do for her to repay her for all her sacrifices. She always tells me she wants to still be around when my daughter goes to college. My daughter is only 9 years old right now. 

    We are now living day to day, thankful that I still have my mom with me when we go to bed at night. 

   But I can see how cancer has taken a toll on her already frail body. I'm torn between giving up and fighting on. We are fighting this war on all fronts - physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological. We are begging friends and family for prayers. 

     I don't want to suffer anymore than she already has. Dialysis itself takes a lot out of her, and then this? But she wants to live. And I will support her all the way. 

 

 

 

 

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Hi, MG,

It sounds like she is just as lucky to have you as you are to have her! Please continue to keep us posted. As Katie mentioned, we have support programs for survivors and caregivers, and I'm happy to provide you with more information or help you find resources. Several members on this site have experience with Tarceva, so I'll encourage them to join this conversation.

With gratitude,

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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