rwielatz1

Hi everyone. What a roller coaster this cancer ride has been. My dad was diagnosed two months ago with stage IV lung cancer that had spread to the brain. He had the gamma knife/stereotactic surgery for the brain tumor. We got good news on that one, last week the doctors said that there is no evidence of the tumor in his brain. The tumor in his lung is another story. It has grown in spite of the radiation and chemotherapy. My dad is having a terrible time wtih the chemo and radiation. They had to put an NG tube in. He cannot swallow anything by mouth. It is being aspirated into his lungs. His voice is almost completely gone. They told him that his throat may never work again. The tumor is apparently pressing on his esophagus/nerves (????) Not suprisingly he is very depressed and angry. My stepmom asked about antidepressants but was told that there were none in liquid form. Has anyone heard of this? When my brother-in-law was sick with prostate cancer 10 years, I know that using antidepressants toward the end really helped him a great deal. Any suggestions? Thanks. Rita

There has been no involvement of the lymph nodes and his PET scan came back clear. He is pretty worn out between the chemo and radiation. I am worried about how he is going to weather the wholebrain radiation. Thanks. Rita

Here is some more information that might help to know. My dad's brain tumor was abuot the size of an olive, the lung tumor was about 2.5x bigger. His chemotherapy drugs were cystplatin and another one that I can't remember the name of....seems like it began with tax....something. I am not sure. Any information would be very much appreciated. Thanks. Rita

Hi everyone. I am fairly new to this list. My dad was diagnosed about 8 weeks ago with stage IV NSCLC. It has spread to his brain. We are still in shock, but the docs have moved quickly and he is undergoing chemo and daily radiation to the chest. He has also had stereotactic surgery on the brain tumor. They want to start whole brain radiation next week. The doctors told my stepmom that this can cause dementia. Does anyone have any experience with this? My dad was so healthy up until he started having rapid onset of severe memory problems and confusion. They actually diagnosed the brain tumor first and then found the lung cancer. Can you really have quality time left with all of this chemo and radiation ??? It just seems so brutal. They have not given my dad a timeframe and I know that everyone is different, but does anyone know how long he could survive? Thanks, Rita