LouT

Arisa, In one year the nodule grew only 1mm...that is amazingly slow and small...I just believe he's weighing this all out and is making a sound decision. Lou

Justin, Your list tells me that you have a lot to be grateful for. Let the doctors take care of frying the mets and you enjoy that loving family. Enjoy it whether you believe it is for six months or six years. Look at results and not just fears. We all have them, but you can get through this and you will. Lou

Justin, Catlady91 is spot on. Stop looking at survival stats. Lots of folks here have had treatment for brain mets and are doing well. Scanziety is a real thing and we all suffer from it so you are not alone. Ten days is a long time, but I can't speak for the medical system in the UK. Here in the US most of us get our scans within a day or so. We are all interested in living...that is our goal. We want to live to enjoy our family, friends and the beauty of life. Yes you're going through a lot right now, but take some time to enjoy those around you...do something fun...find a reason to smile, perhaps even laugh. You will get through this. Lou

Minh, All my digits are crossed that the surgery and antibiotics will take care of the SOB for you and restore you so you can take it easier than the recent past has been. Lou

Justin, To reinforce what Rikke said; don't worry about coming here and venting. My only point is to see that you don't try and tough this out without all the help that can be available to you. Lou

If they didn't do anything then nobody would prescribe or use them. At some point in the future you may need to look into a different doctor as well. Lou

Arisa, As Tom told you having any kind of lung disease (e.g., TB) can create nodules. But under normal conditions 60% are not cancerous. They may just decide to watch this nodule to see what happens. Tom sent some information on biopsies so please discuss them with your mother and/or her doctor. Right now there is very Little growth (6mm to 7mm could actually be an artifact in the scan) over a year so this is not a rush situation. Needle biopsies are difficult on very small nodules. Side effects from some biopsies can occur, but rarely. If the needle biopsy is through the chest wall or back there is a small chance of a pneumothorax, your doctor should discuss these risks and their probability of occurring. But I believe you need to focus on what the medical team determines is the best next step for your mom. BTW, while most people with LC (Lung Cancer) have a history of smoking a sizable number with LC were "never smokers". Lou

Justin, You shouldn't need to suffer like this. Please speak to your doctor and get some help. Anxiety and depression can cause as much torment as any disease. You need to get out of the ethernet and request help...many folks on here have done so and it proved to be very helpful for them. Don't delay...call your doctor and tell him you need help, you do not have to go through this additional pain. Lou

Arisa, Welcome to our forum. So, your mom has a nodule that has grown, but is still very small. At this point your doctor may decide to do some additional testing. Perhaps a PET scan to see if any of the nodule "lights up" indicating it may be cancerous and if there are any other areas of concern throughout your mom's body. But, at the end of the day, a biopsy will need to be performed as that is really the gold standard of testing nodules. If for any reason a needle biopsy is not possible a "liquid biopsy" via a blood test may be able to be performed. One way or another more testing is needed so the doctors can properly determine if the nodule is cancerous or not and if there might be any spread to other areas. With all the diagnostics done your doctor will then present your mom with options ranging from surgery alone to many other forms of treatment for the cancer. Once you have all the test results you can sit down with your doctor and really discuss the best options. After you do that please share here and you'll surely find people who have had the same or similar treatments and they will be able to share their experiences with you. Meanwhile one of our members wrote a great piece called, "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor" and it can be found here. Lou

Lizzy, Excellent news!!! So glad to hear this. Now you move on and forward. Lou

Justin, What a prognosis!!!...1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years... At this point you need to focus on each battle separately. Right now the battle is the brain mets and getting rid of them that is your main focus. None of us actually know when all this will end so, don't lock yourself into a number, but go into each battle to win and remember there are folks here who were told to "get there affairs in order" and they are still here years later. Every month that passes new treatments and modalities are deployed against cancer of all types (including LC). So, every day we're here, we're closer to a new treatment. That is where we should focus and not on a group of numbers that occupy such a large span... Remember, they admitted, "they don't know"...so don't you lock on a number. Lou

Justin, We shouldn't worry about "the end" until someone tells us "this is the end". There are so many folks on here that have had chemo and/or radiation treatment for brain mets and they are still here even though the mets are not. Please don't jump to conclusions before you have all the facts. Your worry does nothing to improve the outcome and only serves to worsen the present. Keep yourself busy today and every time you begin to worry, remember to yourself, "I'm still here and so are treatments", then look to do something you like to do and busy yourself with it. Anxiety is a constant companion with our disease, our job is to keep that monster in a cage so it doesn't ruin our lives while we're living them. You can do this. Lou

Minh, You're in my prayers and thoughts. You surely deserve relief and healing. Lou

Justin, We have all fingers and toes crossed for you and are sending up prayers and good thoughts. We look forward to hearing the treatment plan. Lou

Teri was one of the first people to welcome me to LUNGevity and I am eternally grateful for her clear-minded thinking, approach, and empathy for all who came to LCSC. She was one of a kind and sorely missed. Lou

Justin, Please continue to keep us updated. I've heard about some great advances and success in treating brain mets and I hope you'll respond well to one of those treatments. Lou

Susan, So glad that you're here and doing well. Number 7, 8, and 9 are just around the corner. I hope to celebrate each one with you. Lou

Nur, I'm sorry to hear that the coughing is getting worse. Please speak with your doctor to see if there is anything that can reduce the frequency. Your mother has so much going on that your main focus should be her comfort (palliative care) throughout this process. But there are simple, non-invasive tests that a doctor can do to get a sense of whether a person is showing signs of dementia. I would NOT put her through the electroencephalogram or MRI or the many other tests at this point. My point is that it would be good to see if that is a probably complication here as her reactions to any treatment could be affected by it. Again...no complex dementia testing, but simple one on one session with a doctor who knows the right questions to ask. Best of luck to you and your mom. Lou

Nur, Has your mother ever been diagnosed with dementia. While lung cancer can affect people in many ways, much of the behavior and inabilities you describe appear more like dementia than cancer caused. I've had significant experience with it and you should seek a review by a neurologist and an answer as to whether or not she is suffering dementia deterioration. If it is present that will complicate treatment considerably as people with dementia often do not react to even simple medications the same as those without the condition. I pray that I am wrong, but I read over your response a few times and see it as a possibility based on your words. Lou

Nur, Having a loved one with cancer is always a terrible situation. I lost both my parents to cancer and understand how helpless you must feel. But right now you need to make a decision regarding telling your mother and not telling her. Are you sure the doctor said that your mother would not survive the operation? If that is the case then I would have expected the doctor to discuss a different treatment such as chemo and/or radiation. WHAT I'M SAYING NOW IS MY OPINION ONLY: Please go back to your doctor and make sure you heard clearly that your mother will not survive the operation. I'm not saying that is not true, but if it is and no other treatment will offer hope then you need your mother to decide what risks she is willing to take or not take. If she decides to not have treatment then you need to arrange for Palliative Care or Hospice (where the patient is kept comfortable and pain-free until the end of the disease). My father had terminal cancer and my stepmother didn't want to tell him how serious his cancer was because she felt it would be too hard on him. He kept asking me what was wrong with him and I told him the truth. Once he knew everything, he made different treatment and comfort decisions and always thanked me for telling him what his condition was. In summary, please have a conversation with the doctors. Make sure what you are hearing and what treatment options might help your mother more than harm her. Then decide with your brother what is best for your mother and then you can help her to take the best steps for herself. Your love for her is obvious and strong...be clear on everything now and help her to get through this as best as is possible. Lou

Nur, First of all, I'm sorry to hear about what your mother is going through. Proper full diagnosis of Lung Cancer is rarely something that happens quickly. In almost all of our cases we had to have multiple tests before a full diagnosis could be made and then a treatment plan. I have no knowledge of the medical system in Uzbekistan, but it sounds like they are having to take the testing easy with your mom because of her present condition. Let me share a few things here. I'm sorry, the people in our forums and organization cannot review your mother's records and assist in the diagnosis. We're not equipped for it and your mother would not benefit from it. You need to meet with the doctors there to see how they will proceed. You did say they were going to do a biopsy through the chest and they may actually go through the back. But regardless of how they go they can make your mom comfortable and will use a rather long needle to go into the lung and take a biopsy so they can determine the kind of cancer it is. They can also use the tissue sample to look for biomarkers and other tumor characteristics. They will be able to tell about tumor size and any metastasis via CT Scans and PET Scans. CT Scans can show location and size of nodules or tumors while a PET Scan will help to indicate of a growth is benign or malignant. In my case they did surgery, went into the lung and took a biopsy. They then determined it was cancer and removed a part of my lung. Depending on your Mom's condition they'll need to use diagnostic methods that she can tolerate. Even once the diagnosis is made she may not yet be strong enough for the treatment. Being hit with Lung Cancer is hard on the patient and the family. One thing we do not do well, especially in the beginning, is Ask the Right Questions. There is a section you can read called "What To Ask Your Doctor". and you can find it here. It contains very helpful information that can help you in the beginning and along the way. Learn about the best places for your mom to go for medical treatment in your area. People often do that here in the USA and it helps them out later on. You will likely hear from others very soon. You and your mom will be in my prayers. Lou

Tom, CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is indeed a great thing to celebrate! You service to our country, battle with cancer is inspiring for so many of us who came here for help. But, what continues to amaze me even more than your Army years or even your difficult treatment is how many others you are helping out each and every day. The first thing I give to almost all newcomers is your "10 Steps..." and I often after reading your responses to complex questions I wonder, "where the hell did he learn all this?!". Then I realize you've fortified your personal experience with an acquisition of a lot of knowledge so that you could help people today to navigate their journey through this disease. You have my deep respect and you're a great role-model for the rest of us. Thank you for all the time, effort and caring you've put into this support effort. No doubt you've saved lives and reduced grief and pain for many. Congratulations again on your 18th Anniversary of Life. Lou

Hi Jason, Tom has done a great job of summarizing information for you already so I'll just welcome you to the site and tell you that the "3 month wait" is something many of us went through (including me) for a variety of reasons. I'll join Tom is hoping that your tests are negative for cancer and you won't need our support. But if you do, then we'll be here to go on the journey with you. Lou

Hi Nick, Welcome to our Forums and sorry you need to be here. My LC treatment was surgical only, but there are plenty of people here who will be able to share their stories about therapies similar to yours. There is much to be learned from their experience. We have many folks diagnosed at Stage 3 who are great examples of what today's treatments can do that wasn't possible even 5-10 years ago. In the meantime let me make two suggestions for you. Take a few minutes to read a blog titled "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor". It was written by Tom Galli and has invaluable information in it, regardless of where you are in your treatment. It can be found here. Please copy your post into a new one under this "Introduce Yourself" heading. This way people can focus their responses on you rather than having them mixed up with Oceanna's responses. I look forward to learning more about your journey and you can rest assured that you'll find excellent support here.

Minh, Oh wow...another complication. Okay, it appears that "trapped lung" is the inability of the lung to expand properly against the chest wall. I'm assuming that whatever they do will be with the purpose of releasing tissue so it can expand properly as it should. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Know that we are pulling for you. Lou