SarahS

We are still hanging in there. He has had 3 rounds of cisplatin and etoposide. After 2 rounds, the tumors had a 75% reduction in size. We were thrilled with this result! He is maintaining his weight and is tolerating chemo extremely well. The only real side effect is baldness mixed with some slight tiredness about a week after chemo. We are hoping for NED after the next few treatments and are hoping for 6 rounds since he is tolerating it so well. After chemo, we will probably do prophylactic brain radiation and will consider chest radiation at the primary site. It is amazing how this disease can change you. We no longer strive to be the best in our careers. We strive to be the best parents and spouses we can be. I appreciate every day and we celebrate each birthday with new resolve and vigor. This is the worst and the best thing to ever happen to us. Our faith has been restored and we trust in God more than we ever have.

I'm just so angry. My mother in law died last year from adenocarcinoma and now my husband has small cell. My kids are little, 8 and 5. I just feel lost. We started Chemo last week....1 day of cispatinum and 3 days of etoposide. He is tolerating it well so far. He is just exhausted and has thrush from the brochoscopy and steriods he is on. He still looks healthy. He's a big, tall, muscular man. I don't understand how this happens. We are being treated at Indiana University Cancer center in Indianapolis and are heading to Northwestern in Chicago this week for a second opinion. We are talking about MD Anderson in Houston, but wonder if they will just tell us the same thing since it seems there isn't a lot of options with small cell.

My husband is a 34 yr old non-smoker diagnosed two weeks ago with SCLC. He is in the extensive stage because he has a malignant pleural effusion, an 8cm mass in the right hilar lung, a 6cm mass in the lower lobe of the right lung and several lymph nodes are involved. We started Cisplatinum and Etoposide this week. We lost his mother last year to adenocarcinoma (also a non-smoker). We are devestated. Our kids are 6 and 8 and we are scared. I guess I don't know the point of this post, I'm just looking for hope.