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Chris

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  1. Hi everyone, it has been another week and again I have good news to report. My mom had her PetScan to determine where through out her body the cancer had spread. She is completely cancer free except for the one spot on her right lung they had already identified. So between the MRI results and this, she is regaining hope big time and mentally doing good. She started her first chemo treatment this past Thursday and she had no side effects for the first two days, but finally kicked in on the third day and she started feeling nauseous with aches and pains across her back. Her Oncologist said it was a result of the type of chemo drug they are using. So she is having a hard time right now keeping food down, and feels a little under the weather but she is doing great. After the initial prognosis it did not look very good, but it goes to show that until all the tests are performed and all the results are in you never know. It would appear that even though it progressed to the point of filling her lung with fluid, it was definitely caught at a very important stage.
  2. Hi folks, I have some good news that came out of this past week. My mom met with the Oncologist on Friday to go over the results of the MRI. She also had another chest x-ray done before the meeting so they could also review how her lung looked since the surgery to drain the fluid. The MRI showed there is no cancer in the brain and everything there is normal. The chest x-ray showed no new fluid in the lung and the two lower chambers that were filled with fluid and not functioning have since re-inflated and started functioning somewhat normally again. Today is my mom’s birthday and she said she got the greatest birthday present she could ask for on Friday. She sounded like a million dollars on the phone. The Oncologist was also very surprised. Originally the tumor was thought to be about 3 cm large and near the breastbone. She goes Tuesday (tomorrow) for a PetScan to identify exactly where through out the body the cancer actually is, and chemo may start near the end of the week. So right now the situation is obviously still serious but some additional hope has been restored and we are all keeping our fingers crossed. Lauire, I took your advice and had my mom sign the consent form so the Oncologist can discuss the situation with my wife and I also. He gave us his email address if we have any questions. Thanks for the tip; I never thought of that it might help to decipher all the information as we struggle through this ordeal. So right now we all feel that a battle or two have been won, but the war is not over and the road is a long one. We appreciate everyone’s comments, information and suggestions. It’s too bad a website like this has to exist because the world is not a perfect place, but the fact that it does exists makes it a better world for those lucky enough to discover it.
  3. Hi Laurie, My mom lives in New Hampshire also, that is where I grew up. My wife and I now live in Texas. She is being treated in Claremont and soon in Dartmouth for certain things. We are holding up good but lack of information and confusion is what's driving us crazy. My mom stayed a fourth night at the hospital because they were having a big winter storm yesterday and the surgeon never made his rounds to talk to her and release her. In talking to her last night I discovered she does have a tumor located near the breast bone on her right lung. That bit of information came from no where, up untill now everything we have discussed indicated no tumors were found. I'll attribute that oversight to too much overwhelming information at once. Not being there first hand leaves quite a gap in the communication line.
  4. Hi folks, it’s been a long week. Last Tuesday was the MRI to see if the cancer had spread to the brain. The results were supposed to be available Wednesday but my mom decided she didn’t want to know the results till after the surgery to drain the fluid from her lung. She figured since nothing would be immediately done, why find out and worry about it. She just wants to take one step at a time. So she had surgery Friday and they drained about 5 liters of fluid from her right lung. Apparently they don’t use Talc powder for this procedure anymore, but now use an antibiotic, which is sprayed in between the two layers of the lung where the fluid collects. The procedure also fuses these two layers together using a suction device to help prevent any more fluid from collecting. It was about a 15-minute procedure and everything currently appears to have went well. She spent Sat-Sun at the hospital with a tube to drain any additional fluid. Ended up spending a third day as apparently the machine was not hooked up correctly and didn’t drain all the fluid out, but after they fixed that she went all day Sunday with no more fluid draining which the doctor said was good. So after a chest x-ray this morning she may get to go home. I believe the next step is to start chemo and radiation ASAP. She has a scheduled meeting with the Oncologist Friday so she wants the MRI results direct from him and not the general doctor or nurses. All and all she sounds very good and is gaining hope and being positive as things now start to happen. I think it was simply all the initial waiting that really depressed her and my step dad. Now that things are starting to happen they are going to need even more support especially if there is any more bad news, we are hoping for the best and keeping are fingers crossed. DaveG, my mom is 61 (birthday Feb 24th)
  5. Shane here, hello everyone; DaveG, thanks for link. I had previously looked there but for whatever reason never made the connection with Lymph nodes being associated with 3B. That makes sense now, as that would most likely be related to the fluid in the lung, (Pleural Effusion). The difficulty my wife and I are trying to over come is, working to restore confidence and a positive attitude with my mom and step dad. At this point they appear to have accepted without question the expected survival rate and prognosis given by the Oncologist. Understandably it is going to be a HUGE shock for them to absorb all this at first, so we are hoping that as time passes we can help turn them around mentally. I believe my mom's situation could vary for better or worse after the further MRI and PetScan has been completed and reviewed. I'm sure the Oncologist did base his prognosis off certain criteria being met, and maybe as an average would apply, but it MAY NOT, we don’t know yet the real extent, only that it is present and isn’t a good situation. Today and tomorrow will hopefully provide additional information. On a side note, my brother (only other sibling) and I gave my mom and step dad a computer for Christmas (they are computer newbies now) and it is turning into a blessing in disguise being able to communicate via email and pass on all the valuable information we discover that could possibly help now. Who would have known back then how important a tool it would turn out to be for them. Shane
  6. Thanks folks, this ID is shared between my wife (Christi) and I (Shane). Right now we are trying to understand what is going on and remain level headed. We understand thinking and believing positive is a major key so we are trying to pass as much as we can onto my mom from long distance. We will read through as many threads as possible to find information. I would like to share what has lead up to this; In November my mom had her annual physical as she does each year and everything was fine. She has never smoked and is in great condition for a 61 year old, other than the present condition. Near Thanksgiving it started out as a suspected cold and after many trips to the doctor’s office for flu symptoms, they now thought it was pneumonia. A CatScan determined she had fluid in her right lung and they drained about 2 liters of fluid from it. That fluid was then tested and she was diagnosed with Stage 3B non-small cell cancer. They have since run another more intensive CatScan, which discovered nothing new, aside from the fact she currently has much more fluid in her right lung again, about 5 liters. They don’t see any tumors at all so far. She is meeting with the surgeon Tuesday morning to schedule the fluid to be drained sometime this week, and she also has an MRI scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to determine if anything has spread to the brain. They suspect it has but don’t know for sure without tests. Once the fluid is drained they are inserting a Talc powder into the lung and immediately starting a combination of chemo and radiation. After about a week they plan to do a PetScan to determine how much and where the cancer has spread within her entire body. The initial prognosis by the Oncologists was not very encouraging but it seemed honest and he appears to be very good. The speed in which all this is taking place seems to be very lackadaisical when it comes to setting up appointments, getting the fluid drained and moving forward. We are all very anxious to proceed but do not know what to expect as far as a realistic timetable to follow. One thing we are confused about is, it’s our understanding non-small cell cancer is associated with tumors. And given no tumors have yet been identified how was the prognosis of Stage 3B determined without further tests. We are assuming there could be small tumors present that cannot be identified by the CatScan that will be identified by the MRI and PetScan if present. Is it possible to have Stage 3B non-small cell cancer without tumors? And if so would that be an advantage in fighting the cancer? Thanks everyone, Shane
  7. I am looking for any information or websites about this. I have found a few but I would like to hear more. Info about treatments etc... She goes in for an MRI on Tues and will have her lung drained this week... they are talking about starting chemo as soon as the following week. She is 2000 miles away from us and we want to do anything and everything we can to support her. Please help
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