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DeniseMarie

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Everything posted by DeniseMarie

  1. Hello- My mom passed away almost 2 months ago (NSClC-stage IV with mets to the brain) The last drug she was on before she died was HKI--It did wonderful things for the cancer in her lungs, it shrunk and stopped growth of the cancer. Unfortunately, it was still too late for my mom because the cancer had just spread so far into her abdomen and for some reason (I think related to all of the fluid and swelling) the drug was not able to get to the lower half of her body. Tarceva didn't work for my mom so it was a surprise that hki was working so well on the lung cancer (she was a non-smoker) Anyway, I would try it if you can! Best wishes Denise
  2. Hello- I've posted here occasionally and have been given some wonderful advice and encouragement--anyway--my mom was on alimta, now heading into her 8th cycle--it worked quite well for that time for her--nsclc stage iv with brain mets--her latest scans show some growth so she is starting a new drug next month, waiting for approval--but, alimta was good--very few side effects, mostly fatigue and achiness for about 4 days. best wishes to you both! Denise
  3. Hi Jana- When my mom stopped Tarceva because it didn't work, she had the option of altima or cisplatin/gemzar--the gemzar is more "aggressive" so she went with that combo. However, she recently developed brain mets--don't know if they developed during the two months she was on tarceva--the gemzar was also pretty rough for her. Now she is only doing radiation for her brain mets--she may decide to go with altima after the radiation. Best wishes Denise
  4. Hi--Has anyone here tried tarceva first and then iressa--i'm asking because my mom was told that she was a match for iressa/tarceva, but when she tried tarceva, it didn't work. I know the drugs are related and supposedly tarceva would help a broader range of people, but you never know and I just want to make sure we are not overlooking anything. Thanks Denise
  5. Hi there--my mom had the talc procedure last year and it seems to have worked okay so far--there is still a little bit of fluid, but it hasn't grown a lot--previously they had to drain the fluid twice. I think it was a 2 or 3 day hospital stay--she had an extra complication, when they went in to do the procedure, they found that her lung had collapsed, but she recovered from the procedure and lung collapse okay. good luck and best wishes for a quick procedure and hospital stay! Denise
  6. Thanks guys--I appreciate all the kinds words and thoughts. And yes, i think one of the most difficult things for me is being so far away along wiht just feeling so bad about how she must feel after getting this news--I keep telling her about everyone on this board how they have good and bad days, and that there are people who manage to survive longer than the darn statistics and that she could very well be one of the--no one knows. Best to all Denise
  7. Hello everyone--I had posted here last year after my mom was diagnosed with Stage 111A nslc. I constantly read posts here and am always inspired to keep the faith and to hope for a miracle. Last year i asked if anyone had any positive survival stories and was amazed at how many wonderful responses i received and passed them on to my parents. Today, however, we got some bad news--my mom, who has recently stopped taking tarceva since it was found to not be working and started cisplatin/gemzar was told that she now has at least 5 mets to her brain. her oncologist told us that he does not want to give us false hope--he thinks that she has 3-8 months--maaaaybee a year. I'm just so sad--i live in california with my husband and two small children-2 1/2 year old and 5 months. My mom is in NY. I can't believe that she is facing this at 59 and just when she is really starting to enjoy being a grandmother to her 3 young grandchildren (my sister has a year old son nearby my folks) It all started so innocently with a trip to the dr for a persistent "little cough" I talk with my mom several times a day on the phone at least and i cannot imagine her not being here. It is almost too overwhelming at times to think about how her life and our family have changed since her diagnosis last march. I feel so sad for her because she is scared and I feel so helpless and unable to really help her. All of the chemo and surgeries and radiation have taken a toll on her body and her spirit. We are just taking things one day at a time and i constantly remind myself that she IS still here and fighting this horrible disease that came out of nowhere. I plan on heading out with my children to stay with family and be with her for a month or so. I guess at the end of this unhappy message, what I also wanted to say was that despite her new diagnosis, I AM trying to hope for that miracle that will keep her with us longer and i am still inspired by all of the people--patients and caregivers--who are managing to live with this disease and keep it under control and somehow still have hope. Thanks to everyone here who posts and shares their stories. all the best Denise
  8. Hi there- My mom has IIIA--tumor in her right lung and lymph nodes in medistinum--she did chemo/rad then surgery (removal of upper lobe) and 4 rounds of follow up chemo--her last is tomorrow. She is in the process of testing to see if she is a good candidate for Iressa. We'll know how well everything worked in a few weeks when she has her follow up CAT scan/PET scan. Best wishes Denise
  9. Hi--I asked the forum a similar question a few weeks ago when my mom had fluid building up in her lungs after surgery too. Hers appeared about 3 weeks after surgery. The Dr. removed the fluid about 2 weeks ago, but unfortunately it is now back. She is going in on Monday for an additional procedure to remove the fluid again and to stop the leak--I'm not sure of the name, maybe the "pleurodesis" procedure mentioned above. We hope this works, since it has been causing her to cough non-stop which is exhausting to her body. Best wishes to you Denise
  10. Hello all-- Thank you for your words of hope and advice. My mom had the fluid removed 2 days ago (about 1/2 liter) and her breathing has improved and coughing has eased up. So far, initial test results say no cancer in the fluid--we should know for sure by Monday--till then, keeping our fingers crossed! Best to everyone Denise
  11. Hi everyone--my mom had surgery about 3 weeks ago with a removal of her upper right lung and lymph nodes in her mediastinum. (adeno stage 111A) She was doing well until a few days ago when she started coughing and had a hard time breathing--at the dr. today they determined she has pleural effusion on the right side--does anyone know if this is often a side effect of surgery or if it is often determined to be malignant? thank you! all the best Denise
  12. Hello everyone, I've been reading this board for the last few months since my mom was diagnosed and I have found it to be so informative and inspirational. My mom is a 58 yr old non-smoker who was diagnosed with stage 111a in march 04 after going to the dr for a recurring cough. She has been a trooper so far! She has already gone through 6 weeks of carbo/taxol and radiation. her tumor was initially about 4cm--it shrunk about 50%. She had some lymph node involvment next to the tumor and in the mediastinum area. The hope was that the tumor would shrink and the lymph nodes would be knocked out by the radiation. Well, she had surgery last week and the dr successfully took out the tumor portion of her lung, but still found cancer in the mediastinum--he did his best to remove a lot of scar tissue and take out any visible disease--however the path report just came back and 1 out of 4 tested nodes were still infected. We were just so hoping that everything would be clean. SHe meets with her dr on monday to discuss options. My mom is recovering well physcially from the surgery--she is a strong and otherwise healthy person--it is so hard to believe that she is going through this. I think we are all still in shock. Has anyone had a similar issue after going through surgery--is chemo the next step? I'm sure her dr will let her know what he wants to do on monday, but it is so hard to wait all weekend to hear the news. Thank you and best to all! Denise
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