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My dad also diagnosed with NSCLC


LaurieB

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My 78 year old father was diagnosed in mid-Nov. with NCSLC. The cancer is locally advanced, but has not spread outside the lung. Our family is extremely confused about whether he should undergo treatment (a "moderate" course of gemzar/carboplatin is what the oncologist has suggested, if he chooses to have treatment) or just go with palliative care. His health has deteriorated significantly in the last 6 weeks -- he is very weak and fatigued, using a walker, on the couch most of the day and has pain that requires 2xday morphine. He initially said he didn't want treatment, but has now changed his mind and is expressing a desire to try chemo. The oncologist has told us that treatment could improve his quality of life, but could also make him more miserable if he doesn't tolerate it well. My dad has had a very rich life - he just retired from his job as a college professor 6 months ago - and has received an outpouring of love and support from friends and family over the last month that, I believe, has strengthened his desire to make an effort to fight. We want the rest of his life to be the best it can possibly be. How do we help him make this decision?

Sorry this is so ridiculously long. I'm too confused to edit properly!

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Welcome to the site. To help him make a decision, keep reading and learning...lots of good info here. If he has expressed a desire to try treatment than he should. Hopefully he will tolerate it fine. There are other choices if he is unable to tolerate the chemo. You may want to ask about tarceva (an oral chemo). Have they mentioned radiation?

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Hi

My Dad has been fighting lung cancer since he was 76 and now it's 5 years later. The cancer is confined to both lungs. You mentioned your Dad is quite weak and may not tolerate the chemo well. Has your oncologist perhaps suggested something like Tarceva. Tarceva is one of the "targeted therapies". It only goes after the "bad" cells and doesn't impact the "good" ones which makes it easier to tolerate for many people. To be honest, my father had a very difficult time with Tarceva and had to be taken off it. But many people on this board have met with success with Tarceva. It's certainly worth considering.

Keep us updated.

gail p-m

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Welcome, Laurie.

Every decision right now feels so crucial it's hard to know what to do or how to to feel confident about it. I hear you trying to balance your dad's well-being with possible new side-effects. I'm sorry you're in theis position, especially at the most emotional time of the year.

One thing I've learned here is everyone's experiences are different. No way to really know how a treatment will affect you until you try. But, I do think your dad's wish to try is the deciding factor. And the doctor sounds well aware of what this choice could mean and will be prepared to minimize any problems well in advance.

Hang in there, whatever happens.

Leslie

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Hi Laurie.

Yes..we welcome you and your Dad. It is like visiting a foreign country when a love has a cancer diagnosis. There is so much to learn all at once and one feels overwhelmed. Also, much is learned as you go along.

Surprisingly however, it doesn't take long to get the basics down and build from there.

Knowledge is power. So is having a good oncologist who understands your father and will help him through this and help him to make the decision that is right for him.

Does his oncologist understand that your Dad has a new and different outlook on proceeding with treatment?

I am surprised that your Dad has been feeling poorly if the cancer is confined to the lung. Usually there are no symptoms when it is confined. Is he a stage llla or lllb? Or is he stage IV?

Best of luck to you and your Dad.

Cindi o'h

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I so appreciate the kind responses. In answer to some of the questions . . . we honestly were very surprised, because my dad has gone downhill so quickly, to find out that the disease hadn't spread outside the lung. He does have COPD (he was a heavy smoker in the 50's & 60's, but hasn't smoked in 35 years), which he has kept under control for many years with lifestyle choices -- he's a vegetarian who meditates twice a day and (until recently)religiously did both breathing and physical excercises. . . we were told that radiation would not be useful because of the extensive spread of the disease throughout the lung. . . I have mixed feelings about the onc., who comes very highly recommended, but always seems rushed and hasn't explained my dad's situation to us in a thorough way. We have a palliative care doc that we trust, from hospice, working with us on symptom management and we plan to ask him his opinion regarding treatment. It's all day to day at this point and we're just hoping to get through the holiday weekend with as much positive spirit as possible.

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I so appreciate the kind responses. In answer to some of the questions . . . we honestly were very surprised, because my dad has gone downhill so quickly, to find out that the disease hadn't spread outside the lung. He does have COPD (he was a heavy smoker in the 50's & 60's, but hasn't smoked in 35 years), which he has kept under control for many years with lifestyle choices -- he's a vegetarian who meditates twice a day and (until recently)religiously did both breathing and physical excercises. . . we were told that radiation would not be useful because of the extensive spread of the disease throughout the lung. . . I have mixed feelings about the onc., who comes very highly recommended, but always seems rushed and hasn't explained my dad's situation to us in a thorough way. We have a palliative care doc that we trust, from hospice, working with us on symptom management and we plan to ask him his opinion regarding treatment. It's all day to day at this point and we're just hoping to get through the holiday weekend with as much positive spirit as possible.

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Laurie,

Hi and welcome to our site. I wanted to let you know that my particular cancer was locally advanced when diagnosed (Stage IIIB- inoperable). My treatment waas cisplatin/ Etoposide and Radiation---after that I had quite a few treatments of Taxotere. I am now taking Tarceva and have found stability each scan. After the initial treatment with the cisplatin/etoposide and radiation my tumor had shrunk 75-90% and the lymph nodes had shrunk at least 50%. Much success. It was a very hard treatment. They were very aggresive with me because of my young age. Fatigue, pain from radiation mainly, nausea (the worst side effect for me), no appetite were things that I dealt with on a daily basis. The most important thing is that during treatment your dad has to eat and stay healthy. You may want to contact a nutritionist that can assist you with a high caloric diet. I ended up getting a feeding tube to keep myself nourished. It was a lifesaver. The radiation burned the mylar sheaths on my nerves in the back of my neck (so I couldn't eat or drink anything without alot of pain.) I tell you the truth--the treatment was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, but I would do it again and again. I feel great now and normal again. I hope this helps and please feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.

GOD BLESS!!!

Jamie

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Hi Laura,

I want to welcome you here. Since you dad wants to fight now and his Onc. seems somewhat relunquent, maybe you should go for a second opinion. Then you can get another opinion on your dads condition.

I am so glad to see you dad wants to fight this. There are so many memebers here who have beaten the odds and are doing fine. LC is not a death sentence there are so many treatments out there. He just has to find one that will work for him.

I don't know much about Tarveca but many people seem to have benefited from that.

Good luck, we are always here for you.

Maryanne

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