tk1235

My mother has been being treated for NSCLC. She completed 3 cycles of chemo (Cisplatin and Etopocide) and 36 radiation treatments. It went better than I could have ever expected. She just had a ct scan yesterday and we should have the results next week. All along during her treatments the oncologist and radiologist said she was doing great and that her lungs sounded clear. She elected not to have the surgery as she is 77 and was not comfortable having it. She had two of her lymph nodes in her chest that were involved, but according to the doctors, they are not a factor anymore according to the ct scans that she had during her radiation therapy. I appreciate all of your advice along the way. Now, the oncologist wants Mom to have possibly 3 treatments of taxotere. One would be next Monday, then she would be off 3 weeks and then have another and so on. She is worried about getting sick on this as she had no nausea during her 18 other treatments. She took Emend each day she had the cisplatin and she wonders if she needs to take it for the Taxotere. The oncologist has said that this chemo is not nearly as strong as the Cisplatin and that she should not have any trouble, but I just want to make sure. It sounds like these treatments have done the trick but I will await the ct results. God bless everyone on this board and thanks again for all of the advice. Terrye

We just got back from the doctor's office and Mom is really scared to have the surgery. I don't know what to do. When she asked the oncologist what choices she had he told her that the surgery was not the last resort, she could continue with radiation and chemotherapy. Basically, she would receive one cycle of Cisplantin and Etopocide and radiation and then would follow in four weeks with Taxotere once a week every 3 weeks. I know everything that has been said on this board says that surgery is the best option but Mom believes that the chemo and radiation will do the same thing. It might not cure her but it could be controlled. She is scared that she might have a stroke on the operating table or some other serious side effects and would rather go through the continuation of chemo and radiation. I am on an emotional roller-coaster right now. The doctor says that ultimately it is her decision. She thinks I am disappointed because she doesn't want the surgery and I am truly on the fence because if something bad should happen during or after surgery I would not forgive myself. The doctor believes that the thing in her chest was an infection as her white cell count was normal today and she even looked alot better since she had been taking the antibiotics for 14 days. He also said that the surgeon would not know until he actually got in there what this thing was or how much of Mom's upper lobe he would remove. The tumor has shrunk and the lymph nodes are not involved anymore. I really think all of these doctors shoot from the hip when it comes to this disease. He basically said that the medical profession try different combinations of treatments as no one cancer is the same. I am really frustrated. But, I think that I have to let Mom make the final decision. I called the surgeon today and asked him to call me as Mom was having a change of heart, but he hasn't called back. Has anyone been down this road? Thanks to everyone that answered my previous post. Terrye

Once again my thoughts are negative. This should be great news, or so I am told, but I don't know what to think. For those of you who do not know my mom's situation, I will give you a brief history. In July she was diagnosed with Stage 3b NSCLC with involvment in two of her lymph nodes in her chest. She was scheduled for a 3 part surgery in August to possibly remove the tumor in her lung but after a biopsy on the lymph nodes it was determined that she could not be cured surgically and had to undergo chemo and radiation. She finished 2 cycles of Cisplatin and Etopocide and 25 radiation treatments, had a ct scan which showed remarkable improvement, however, there is an unknown fluid filled thing that none of the doctors seem to know what it is. They do not believe it is a tumor but the oncologist and surgeon believe it needs to be drained. We had our 2nd follow up with her oncologist and he informed us that our next step was to contact the surgeon to see if Mom was a candidate for surgery to remove the tumor in her upper right lobe. After he consulted with the oncologist and Mom's physician and after an ekg and echocardiagram it was decided that surgery was a go. A couple of things worry me. One, is that I understand that chemotherapy weakens the immune system and should Mom experience any type of infection it could be really rough. The second, and maybe this is an old wives tale, but I am sure everyone has heard something to the fact that once cancer is exposed to air it spreads like wildfire. Mom is 78 years old and I do not know what to expect from this type of surgery. I know this should be a good thing that is happening but I can't help but be worried. She has gone through everything better than I could have ever hoped (the chemo and radiation) and thanks to everyone on this board all the advice that was given was of great help. You don't know how grateful I am for everyone's help. I hope I can help the new ones that are just starting this journey. The surgeon said that after he removes the upper lobe of her right lung that she would have to continue radiation and chemo. I asked him why and he said to make sure they got it all. He also said that this is by no way a cure all, but that she has this 2-3 week window of opportunity to remove the tumor. I asked him about the lymph nodes and he said according to the ct scan that they were not a factor anymore. The chemo had basically dissolved them to nothingness. Has anyone experienced this? I would be grateful for any information. As always, God Bless and everyone is in my prayers. Terrye

We had our appointment with Mom's doctor today after her last chemo treatment. He said she is doing good, but when they did her blood count her white cell count was through the roof! Over 25,000. I don't know what that means. The doctor asked her if she had been taking any steroids, but she hasn't. He also asked if she had a fever, but she doesn't. She had a CT Scan on Thursday, and the results show a shrinkage in the tumor on her right lobe of her lung and also shrinkage in her two lymph nodes, but there is a larger spot, which the radiologist says was not on the pet scan but showed up after she had the biopsy on the lymph nodes. He thinks it may be a cyst but it also could be from an infection. The oncologist has set up an appointment to see if Mom is a candidate for surgery. She is 78. We are trying to get her into the surgeons office as soon as possible to see if this spot is a cyst or if it is an infection. They have stopped her radiation (she had 12 more to go) until after we meet with the surgeon. Has anyone experienced this in their treatments? She also had a blood culture done today to see if the blood is infected. I was so happy about the shrinkage, now I have this to worry about. I thought this was going to get better not worse. Thanks for listening. God bless everyone who is dealing with this disease. Terrye

Mom had her first chemo treatment the week of September 11. Thanks to all of your advice she handled the treatments very well. No nausea thanks to the emend and only some mild fatigue. The doctor did not think because of the chemo she was on (cisplatin and etopocide) that she would not have any hair loss. We thought if anything was going to happen it would have happened by now. This weekend I called her and she told me that she was losing her hair by the handful. I kind of thought she was exagerating. But today I saw the proof. I think today put this whole nightmare into reality. We went to a shop that specializes in accessories and apparel for cancer patients to look for a wig. We picked out three or four including a redhead. My mother's hair is dark brown. I told her lets see what you look like as a redhead. She laughed. When the sales associate, by the way she was wonderful, asked Mom to take off the wig that she had been given by the Cancer Society to try the new one on, she started to cry. She told me she did not want me to see her with her hair loss. She did not want to put me through this. I guess I was not prepared because I started to cry. I told myself that I would be strong in front of my Mom but I lost it today. It really became real today not just a horrible nightmare that I could wake up from. We picked one out that looks very natural and I think it made Mom feel alot better. In fact, we are all going down to Columbus this weekend to see my son and his girlfriend's new house. Mom hasn't seen it yet and she is very excited. Thanks for listening. I just needed to put my thoughts down. My prayers and thoughts are with everyone coping with this disease. Terrye

Hi Everyone, I wanted to let everyone know that we had our first follow up appointment with Mom's doctor today and he was very optimistic. His goal is to have Mom go through the second phase of her chemo, continue her radiation. Then they will do a cat scan to see if the tumors can be removed surgically. I am amazed at my mother's attitude through this whole thing. She has handled the chemo very well. No nausea and no ill effects. Her blood count is good and her platelet count is good. She is not eating a whole lot though, and I don't think she is drinking enough. I try to tell her how important that this is but I am not there to force her to. The doctor told mom that if anyone has a chance to beat this it would be her considering how she has handled the treatments. He told her she could be the "poster child" for beating lung cancer. But, he also said that the lymph nodes that are involved are "bad" because of their location. I am trying very hard to be optimistic at this time. I know the doctor is trying to keep everyone's spirits up. These next 2 or 3 weeks will be difficult, as we really will not know anything yet. Thank you so much for all of your advice and encouragement. You will never know how much it has helped. I hope that I can do the same one day. Terrye

I am relatively new here, but I am going through the same thing with my mother. She was diagnosed with Stage 3b lung cancer with lymph nodes in her media steinum(chest) involvement. She was scheduled for surgery before it was determined that the lymph nodes were malignant. She had two pet scans which showed the nodes "lit up" and a spot on her right lung about the size of 1cm. The surgeon told us before surgery that the only way to determine if the mass is malignant is through a biopsy. Once the surgeon found out during the biopsy that the lymph nodes were malignant he told us that surgery at that time was not an option and that she would have to go through chemo and radiation. Because of the location of the lymph nodes they were not operable. She has completed one week of radiation and one week of chemo. She is scheduled for her second week of chemo on October 9. Mom has handled this very well. No nausea or ill effects. She has a blah feeling and not alot of energy but her attitude is great. The next step will be after her next round of chemo, they will do a cat scan and then if it is possible surgery will follow. I know how hard this is being a daughter but this web site has been so helpful to me. There is so much compassion here and great advice. Keep everyone posted as to how your Mom is doing. Terrye

Once again, thank you everyone for the overwhelming support. Mom just completed day 4 of her chemo. She is feeling remarkably well. No nausea, just a little tired and no decrease in appetite. Maybe it is too soon for any side effects to show up. She started radiation Tuesday and this will continue I believe for 5 or 6 weeks. Monday she has her 2nd dose of cisplatin and then she is off until the 2nd week in October where we will repeat the first series of chemo. Then she will have a cat scan to see if surgery is an option. We saw the doctor in the treatment room in passing. Mom loves him! She keeps saying how great she feels, how much faith she has in the oncologist and I really believe she thinks this is going to cure her. I am trying to be optimistic but it is very difficult. Sometimes I just wish the doctors would level with us and tell us the truth so when the results of the cat scan show that it hasn't magically disappeared she won't be disappointed. To look at her you would not even know she has this dreadful disease. So far, I am very thankful that she has not experienced the nausea that she was fearful of. Right now, I think she is handling this better than I am. My husband and myself are supposed to go camping this weekend with our neighbors, but I don't know how I will enjoy myself with the worry about Mom. Mom said go and have a good time. She would be fine. Her and her fiance were going back to the lake to their cottage where they spend their summers and were going perch fishing this weekend. As I said she feels great. She even took perch into the nurses yesterday for everyone to take home with them. They catch approximatey 80 a day between both of them. How do you deal with the reality of this disease? Thank you for being here for me to vent. Terrye

I just got home after my Mom's first chemo treatment. This was very emotional for me. I was very positive while I was there, but on the way home after I took Mom and her fiance home, I cried all the way. All in all it was not as bad as I expected. She took her emend before her treatment and then they gave her medicine to help combat the nausea in the IV. She got a dose of cisplatin and etopocide. The treatment took about 3 1/2 hours. She was great. She was very hungry afterwards and very positive. We have to go back every day this week where they will give her etopocide only. I guess I expected her to feel bad right away if it was going to happen, but the nurse said it could take a few days. She also has radiation treatments scheduled for the same days as chemo. Next week she has only one treatment of the cisplatin. I am trying to be strong but it is very hard, especially after seeing other patients there that had recurrance of their cancer after years. If she will have side effects from this when will it first appear? The nurses said that each case is entirely different. The thing that bothers me is when I picked up Mom this afternoon she said she almost changed her mind and said she wouldn't go through it. I am afraid when and if everything catches up she will just give up. She is strong physically but not mentally. It hurts so much to see her go through this. I will keep everyone posted as to how everything goes this week. Thanks for being there for me. Terrye

I am overwhelmed by the response I have received from this support group. It truly is appreciated. Yesterday Mom had her "marking" to start radiation. Her first radiation appointment is Tuesday morning.Then it is every day after that for 5 or 6 weeks. I also stopped at the oncologists office to confirm Mom's chemo schedule. Now, I find out instead of 3 times a week, she has to go every day for the first week. She will receive the cisplatin and etopocide on day 1, I think and then the rest of the week she gets just the etopocide. She will have radiation and chemo on the same day. This is so overwhelming I am a little confused. Can anyone tell me what to expect after the first couple of treatments? Will the nausea start right away, or will it take a few days. She has been prescribed Emend to take the first 3 days and the nurse said she will also receive medicine in the IV to help stop the nausea. When I think about all that she is going to have to go through, all I do is cry. I know I should feel thankful that these treatments will help her but I have seen other patients in the waiting room and they just look like the life has been drained from them. I don't want this to happen to Mom. I love her so much and I am all she has. She has a gentlemen friend that she has been with for over 20 years. He is the sweetest man and he lost his first wife to pancreatic cancer 25-30 years ago. I have to believe that this is going to bring back alot of memories. He also lost two sons in a car accident right before his wife passed away. In fact, his wife was never told about the accident. I know he will support her and comfort her as that is the type of person that he is. My husband thinks I am a very strong person but I am not so sure. This support group right now is a life saver to me as I don't know where to go to get answers. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Terrye

Thank you for your support. I am so very sorry to hear about your husband, Carleen. Sometimes I wonder if all of this is worth it as it seems that there is no cure for lung cancer. The treatments just extend the life. I will tell my mother what you send about the emend. She was told by the doctor to take it 1 hour prior to her treatment and then 1 the next day and 1 the day after that. I honestly believe that she can take all of the other stuff that goes along with this but the nausea scares her to death. My mother quit smoking 23 years ago. Who would have ever thought that her smoking when she was younger would have caused her to have cancer. The sad part of this is that if she would not have had a routine x-ray because of bronchitis this would have never got caught, as she had no other symptoms. Her doctor said she has asymptomatic lung cancer. She was scheduled for surgery two weeks ago. The surgeon said that there would be 3 parts to the surgery. The first they did a broncoscopy, which was negative. The second part would be a biopsy of the lymph nodes that lit up in her pet scan, and if the lymph nodes were negative than he would remove the upper portion of her right lung. The third part of the surgery never happened as the lymph nodes were malignant and now we are at the treatment level. My worst fear is if she has a bad experience with the first week of treatments that she won't want to go on with the rest of the treatments. Thank you again for the support as I know from experience how much support helps. I lost my 20 year old daughter 10 years ago and if it wouldn't have been for the support group I attended I would have lost my mind. Terrye

My mother who is 78 was just diagnosed with lung cancer. She has Stage IIIB with lymph node involvement with the media steinum (chest area). The tumors are very small less than 1cm but because of location are not operable at this time. She starts radiation treatment next week in addition to chemotherapy. She is to have radiation every day for five or six weeks and the chemo is 3 days every 3 weeks. She is scared to death of getting sick from the chemo. The chemo the doctor is using is cisplatin and etoposide. He as prescribed an anti-nausea drug called emend. Will this do the trick? I am not dealing with this very well as I am her only child and my father is deceased. I am very upbeat around her but when I come home to my family I am a basket case. What can we expect? I am happy that there is a support group that I can talk to even if it is only online. Any information you can give will be appreciated.