Hi All,
I am new here and my dad is in the process of being diagnosed with lung cancer. I have cried many tears over the last week. Dad is 70, He was diagnosed with emphysema in late 1994 or early 1995. Dad was diagnosed with emphysema after experiencing shortness of breath. He smoked for nearly 40 years when he stopped smoking in Feb. 1993.
What has led us to now... Back in April, Dad said that he needed to go see the doctor. Mom was coughing and couldn't get rid of her cough. She made appts. for both of them to see the doctor on Thurs., April 10th. Dad had a chest x-ray and a spot showed up on the x-ray. He had pneumonia. We were puzzled because Dad had a pneumonia shot last fall. He went back to the doctor on Fri., April 18th. The doctor ordered chest x-ray and then a CT scan on Dad. Dad went in for the CT scan on April 23rd. We did not get the results until Mon., April 28th. The CT scan revealed a tumor on the right lung along with a few enlarged lymph nodes. A spot on the liver along with an enlarged lymph node was noted as well as. An appt. was scheduled for May 9th with a pulmonary specialist. A CT scan of the abdomen was ordered. On Wed., April 30th, Dad underwent the abdominal CT scan. Dad's primary care physician called us and told us that Dad needed to get into the pulmonary specialist ASAP. On Thurs., May 1st, my oldest brother went to the pulmonary specialist with our parents. The news was not good. The pulmonary specialist ordered a bronchoscopy and a PET scan. The bronchoscopy was performed on Fri., May 2nd. My middle brother and I took Dad to the appt. After the biopsy, the doctor who performed the scope came out and talked to us. She told us that the tumor looked angry and that it was blocking his right bronchial tube. She took several biopsies. Angry tells me that the cancer is aggressive. We should have the results of the biopsy late tomorrow. Dad's PET scan is scheduled for Wed. afternoon. Surgery is not an option for Dad because he has less than 50% of his lung capacity. He did OK with the bronchoscopy. I believed that they used Versed and Fenatyl to sedate him.
That is where we are now.
I have been researching the various types of lung cancer online. I know that Dad's prognosis is not good. His lungs are not in good shape due to the emphysema. I am not a pessimist... just a realist.
We have a support system in place. The immediate family lives in close proximity. I am one of four kids. The oldest is 47 and the youngest is 42. I will be 44 next mon th.
I feel terrible for my oldest niece (Dad's oldest granddaughter) as she is getting married next month. She is very close to her grandpa. This is having a huge damper on what should be one of the happiest moments of her life.
Kristi near KCMO