azgirl

I haven't been on here in a long time; I'm not sure if anyone remembers me or my mom's story. I had my first baby in Sept. and haven't had the chance to get on here much. Anyway, I thought I'd give a little update on my mom. I know when I was coming on here a lot it always helped me to read encouraging updates. My mom was diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC June 07. The cancer had spread to her brain. She had two surgeries (brain and lung) followed by chemo. Today she is NED!!! She is doing wonderfully and I am so grateful. There were a lot of people who didn't think she'd still be here today, but we never gave up hope. I know this terrible disease can come back at any time, but for now we are LOVING LIFE and enjoying our blessings.

I'm so proud of you!!!! I know it isn't easy even with the Chantix--keep up the great work!!! Maryea

My mom started taking Chantix just before she was diagnosed and continued to take it afterwards. I believe she was on it for about 3 months. It worked for her without any side effects (that I know about). And she had smoked for over 35 years. Not sure if it would have worked as well without the dx, but she had tried quitting so many times over the years and the Chantix was the only thing that worked. I know there has been some bad press, but I'm not sure what it was all about. Good luck to you--I'm not a smoker but from watching my mom struggle with her addiction I know how terribly hard it is to quit. Maryea

Chris-My prayers are with you and your family. I'm so sorry. Maryea

Susan, Yes, it was your mom's story I was reading. Thanks for clarifying that she had a CT scan before her bone scan. Thank you for your input. Maryea

Thank you all for your always helpful answers. It is so nice to have a community of people so willing to answer questions and help someone they don't even really know! Maryea

I was just reading a profile in the "My Story" forum (I'm sorry, I can't remember the name right now...) that indicated her mother had a scan and was told she was stable, then a bone scan revealed she actually had bone mets to her spine and hips. Do PET scans often miss bone mets? I am asking because my mom recently had a PET scan and was told there was no evidence of cancer. However, she has been having terrible back pain for a while now, so I am worried that something may not have shown up on the PET scan. Is that possible? Should she have bone scans for all of her follow-up scans, or are PET scans suffice? She was stage IV with a solitary brain met. that was removed last summer and then she had lung surgery. She thinks that the pain could be lingering from the lung surgery. I don't know what to think but it scares me that something could have been missed. What do you thinK? Thanks for sharing any wisdom you may have in this area. Maryea

Horray!! Wonderful news!!!! Maryea

If it metastasized to six locations, that means it was stage IV! I love to hear all long term survivor stories, but I especially love to hear stories about stage IV long term survivors since my mom is stage IV. It always lifts my spirits!

My thoughts are with you and your sister. My mom received WBR last August. It did cause her fatigue and she lost all of her hair, but it is tolerable. I wish you the best. Love, Maryea

My mom is a 11 1/2 month stage IV lung cancer survivor. Her one year anniversary is coming up on June 6th. She has a scan coming up next week, and she lives fearful that the cancer will come back. She is still dealing with the side effects from chemo and WBR. She is grateful to still be alive, though, and tries to stay positive, even when sometimes it is difficult. Hang in there and know that you are not alone!

6 years!! Wow! You are an inspiration! Maryea

I agree with cat127. I live across the country from my mom (she's in Michigan, and I live in Arizona), but I called her every single day when I wasn't there. She told me several times how important that was for her, even when she couldn't talk long because she wasn't feeling well. If you can't be there physically, at least let your sister know you can always be there emotionally for her.

We told the doctors ahead of time to NOT to let my mom hear any prognosis. My brothers and I knew what the stats said for stage IV lung cancer because we'd researched it on the internet, but we didn't want our mom to hear those numbers. A few doctors had casually mentioned to us that her prognosis was not good, which only angered and upset us. Never did my mom hear anything like that though, and her attitude was always that she was going to beat this. She's no longer treated at the original hospital she was treated at, but I wish those doctors who acted like she was already dead when she was there could see her today!!

We got a juicer for our mom and it really helped her during chemo. Sometimes she couldn't eat whole veggies, but she could always drink them. Plus most juices you buy are full of added sugar, so it was good to know she wasn't getting anything extra that she didn't need. My husband and I bought a juicer, too, and we love it!