Junior

I just logged into the message board for the first time in over a month... I'm in shock. I'm so sorry to hear about Mike. He and "Mrs. Mike" have a been an inspiration of determination and hope. May he rest in peace. God Bless.

Dad's infection has gotten the best of him. Tonight they put him on a respirator. Dad's wish was that if he needed it to try it. If it wasn't helping then he wanted to come off it and leave it all in God's hands. Now one lung has collapsed and the other is failing. He probably doesn't have much time. I will continue to hope and pray for a miracle..... -Junior

Dad is back in the hospital. (the 3rd time since being diagnosed in Jan.) This time, he was having trouble breathing and walking. They now have him on 100% oxygen. The next step is a respirator. He's also had some leg pain. The Dr.'s think that it's a clot. He's already in Coumadin for his last clot. He began having real trouble breathing last week whe the onc started to ween him off of the steroid. So they put him back on...which helped for a couple of days. He was even able to go for his scheduled chemo. The only GOOD NEWS was that his primary tumor shrunk considerably and the small nodes in his right lung were stable. Stable = good. So the bottom line is that no one doctor can come to complete agreement on what's wrong. The oncologist thinks it's an infection, not the cancer. The vascular surgeon thinks it's a clot. The pulmonary (who hasn't seen the latest CAT scan) doc thinks that the cancer has spread. The resident thinks that the lungs are too damaged from the cancer and are failing. We don't know what to believe. Although I would put my stake on the oncologist's assessment. The worst part is watching dad suffer and struggle to breathe. I'm scared. I don't know how much fight he has left. Sorry for rambling..... -Junior

Awesome News!!!!! I'm so happy for you both.

Has anyone had this happen? My dad has had severe shortness of breath lately. He went into the hospital 2 weeks ago because of a blood clot in a leg artery. They cleared the clot and put him on Coumadin. They first thought that the clot was from a "silent" heart attack. They ruled out his heart and checked his lungs (bronchoscopy) for any bleeding. There was none. Needeless to say they are puzzled as to the cause of the clot. It "could" have been from when his lung was bleeding back in January when he was first diagnosed with LC. Anyway......since he has been home from the hospital he has had severe shortness of breath. They lowered his dose of Coumadin. His onc thinks it could be just fatigue. The tumor has shrunk and his O2 levels are normal. His blood count is a little low (10.9) but he has been getting Procrit. There will be more tests (blood & chest x-ray & heart echo) this week. He had to skip his chemo last Friday because he was too weak. He should get it this Friday. This has also been holding up his radiosurgery for his brain met. Any thoughts would be great..... Thanks

Great News!!!!! Have a wonderful wedding!!!! God Bless!!!!

Renee, There are no words that can I can say that can help to ease your pain. Please know that you and your mom are in my prayers. God Bless...

I don't know much about the pulmonary rehab. Although, like you, I would like to know more. My dad has been experiencing shortness of breath. It seems more lately. Although the tumor has shrunk 60% so far, he still has had some trouble breathing. We believe this is from the chemo. If you find out anything more about rehab...please pass it along. As far as doctors go....We couldn't ask for better. His oncologist and staff at SI University Hospital have been awesome. The never talk number or statistics. The have told him from the first day that they will treat him as long as he wants to be treated. They cannot make promises...but they will do their part. They too are treating this as a chronic condition. I think that this is the best approach. ...just my 2 cents.... Good luck...God Bless! -junior

Thank you all for your concern and prayers..... The prayers must have helped, because dad's out of the hospital. They are putting him on a low dose of coumadin. The good news is that he can continue his chemo as scheduled! The other good news is that his MRI for his brain came back and showed only one small tumor. We see this as good news, because he can receive fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery. (The doctor was concerned about there being multiple tumors and having to do whole brain radiation instead.) He starts those treatments in 2 weeks. Next week he gets fitted for the head frame. Thank God all is going well! Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers!!! -Junior

Great news!!! You're heading in the right direction! That's wonderful!!!

I think I mentioned in my last post that dad's tumor has shrunk 60% after 2 rounds of treatment...GOOD NEWS...They also discovered a brain tumor...BAD NEWS...He should be a candidate for Stereotactic radiosurgery...GOOD NEWS...Before he was supposed to go for a MRI to confirm the location and size of the tumor and to get fited for his head frame, he developed a blood clot that traveled to his leg...BAD NEWS...It was in an arterty, so they though it came from his heart and that he must have had a silent heart attack...MORE BAD NEWS...He didn't have a heart attack...GOOD NEWS...They think it might have been from when the tumor stopped bleeding in his lung...OK NEWS...They will do a scope on Monday to check out his lung...GOOD NEWS...They (his pulmonary doctor and cardiologist) warned him that he might need to cut back or change his chemo...REALLY BAD NEWS sice it's been working so well! Needless to say I hate this GOOD NEWS...BAD NEWS rollercoaster! Sorry...I just needed to vent.... -Junior

First the good news: My dad went for his first follow-up CT scan after his diagnosis and 2 cycles of chemo. The scan showed that his primary tumor shrunk 60%!!! His doctor was amazed and exceptoionally pleased. (as were we all). The few spots in his right lung showed no change, but that's OK. The doctor said that no change was still good, and that if they didn't respond to this treatment, he'd get them some other way. Now for the not-so-good news: His CT scan did reveal a MET in his brain. Again, we are not panicking yet. He is going to meet with the head of Radiation Oncology at Staten Island University Hospital, this week and discuss treatment. Hopefully his should be a clear-cut case. SIUH has a good reputation with this kind of radiation surgery ( Fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery). They have had much success and hopefully will have some more. Can anyone share any info about this kind of treatment? ....Keeping you all in my prayers! -Junior

That is truly GREAT news!

That's wonderful news! I'll keep you both in my prayers.

I'll be keeping you and your mom in my prayers...

It's GREAT to hear such wonderful & encouraging news!!!! Welcome!

Sandy, I'm very sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.

Good luck! I will be praying that everything turns out well....

I very sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.

There is plenty of hope. You will find a lot of it here. My father was diagnosed in January with Stage IV NSCLC (squamous cell). He too is determined to fight. He is 60 years old and still plans on being around for many more. Dad also did not ask, "how long?" and his doctors would not tell him anyway. Their philosophy is that they will do what they can, but the rest is in God's hands. They cannot promise a cure (no doctor can ever do that) but they promise to help in the fight. He is receiving chemo and trying to keep his spirits up. My mother is a 12 year cancer survivor and I know of several others. Although the statistics are grim, statistics are just numbers. Any survivor I know will tell you that a positive attitude will help you beat the statistics. This message board is full of people with positive attitudes and stories of hope and encouragement. It's a rough road ahead, but there are plenty of people here that wil be along for the ride. God Bless!!!

Prayers and good thoughts are coming your way!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dad dx 1/03 w/ Stage IV squamous cell in left lung, lymph and right lung involvement...Chemo (Carbo/Gemzar)....

Although I am sure you will find people with much more knowledge...here's what I can tell you: My dad's doctors are giving him Caroboplatin and Gemzar along with Celebrex. He goes once a week for two weeks and then is "off" for two weeks. During those "off" weeks he still has to go for a blood test to check his count. His doctor gave him a whole rundown on likely side effects. (not everyone has all or the same side effects, and some might be different with each round of treatment.) Doctors can also counter most side effects with other drugs. The most common side effect is nausea, but they can give him something for that. Hair loss is also common, but it does grow back. My dad also has a nagging "metallic" taste in his mouth, so food doesn't taste all that great. The "metallic" taste is from the Carboplatin, which is a platinum based chemical. Some tiredness and weakness is also common. This is due to a possible low red blood cell count...for this they can give Procrit. Just make sure that his oncologist explains everything...don't be afraid to ask. They should outline the course of treatment and tell you of all the possible risks and side-effects. If he experiences any side effects, he should tell the doctor ASAP. My mother, who has been through chemo herself likes to say that "Chemotherapy is a b*%#!. But it beats the alternative." Hope this helps.... God Bless!!!

I know it's hard...but try to keep positive. My dad was also just diagnosed with Stage IV squamous cell about 3 weeks ago. He started chemo 2 weeks ago. It's not easy to watch someone go through all this. As your father is already a survivor from before...you probably already know some of what to expect. I watched my mother go through chemo 12 years ago, and she's alive and well today, and is an inspiration to my dad. Statistics are just numbers, not absolutes. Doctors will give you odds based on statistics, but everyone is different. People beat the odds all the time. In the short time that I have been visiting this board, I have seen a lot of inspiration and hope. I believe you will too. God bless...

That's Wonderful News!!!!!! There's nothing that gives others better hope than to hear good news like this. God Bless!! Stay Healthy!!!

My dad was recently diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC (Squamous Cell) in his left lung. The only metastisis is to the local lymph nodes and to the right lung. Surgery is not an option. He started Chemo today (Gemzar/Caroboplatin). They are also adding Celebrex to the treatment. I had read about this. It seems to help the treatment. I know that this disease can be beaten. My mother had cancer 12 years ago and is alive and cancer-free today. I'm glad I found this message board. I was searching the Web for stories of hope. There is a lot of depressing information out there. I'm glad I found one of the bright spots. Thank you all for sharing your stories of hope. God Bless you all!!!