Joe Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 It seems so long ago that my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer but in reality, its only been 1 1/2 months. He goes for his 3rd chemo treatment in the beginning of Sept, which is about 3-4 weeks from his last. I'm getting very anxious having to wait to see if there are any results. His oncologist told me that he would wait until about 3-4 weeks after his 3rd treatment before he would do more scans. So much can happen in that amount of time! What if the tumors are growing instead of shrinking? I feel as though the waiting gets harder every day. I'm trying to just take things one day but I'm not doing a good job of following my own advice. Like everyone else, I'm praying that the medications are working as hard as it can and destroying every cancerous cell. Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaMRG Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 My dad will finish chemo next Thursday, he is 3a like your dad. Onc has him waiting three weeks before scanning because he said he wants the chemo to have the most amount of time to complete its job for the best result. Chemo continues to work for weeks after. My father was first on Carboplatin and it continued to affect his blood count for weeks after stopping it. Hang in there, I know how you feel!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Joe, try not to dwell on the what if's like so many of us before you have done. It really don't get one anywhere but it does give us gray hairs Try and think good thoughts. See the chemo killing all those bad cells. Actually, try and think of other things that makes one happy. What will be will be and there is nothing any of us can do to change any of this. We can hope that it will go away, we can hope the next treatment will be the ONE. Will pray for you and your father.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Joe, I am an old lady who lately has been forgetting to log in. That is my message above.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carleen Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Joe, I understand what you are feeling. The worst part of everything is the waiting, and not knowing and the inability to control the things in your life that matters most. I hate waiting. Like everyone says, try and not look to the future but live for today. It's a hard one, and a philosophy that I haven't mastered yet, but in theory it is the right way to go. Enjoy today, don't waste your time in misery when you can live each moment you have together. I will be praying for you and your dad Carleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny G. Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Hi Joe, How is your father feeling? The NSCLC doesn't grow so fast, but I know just how you feel. Even the first scan may not produce the results you will see at the end of the treatments, so there is a lot of waiting involved. Enjoy spending time with your dad, encourage him to rest and eat well and have faith that the treatments are working. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DaveG Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Joe: When you are the patient, the waiting is just as bad, if not worse. The patient is the one who goes down and gets down. We want to do things but hardly have the energy to roll over in bed. We get through it all somehow. And we pray that it has been successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 Thanks to all of you who responded. Just like those who have cancer, the support people have good and bad days. I've been down for the last few days. My mom told me that dad seem to be getting tired of the chemo side effects and that if the scans don't show any progress, he may stop treatments. While it is quite understandable to become tired of all the side-effects of chemo, I really don't want him to give up. I still think he can beat this (and it's not just because I want him to!). There are too many treatment options out there that he hasn't tried or heard of. The only encouraging news right now is that despite the continued nausea, he is still looking forward to his next chemo treatment. Right now dad is having back pain which I think is due to sitting in a chair all day. I've been encouraging him to get up and walk when he can but he is tired and still has nausea from the chemo he had 3 weeks ago. It seems to be worse when he moves so he likes to stay in one place. I also just found out that he has had blood in his urine long before his cancer was diagnosed. Since he hasn't had any problems other than that, it's being attributed to an enlarged prostate. (He will be telling the doctor at the next appointment). Speaking of appointments, my parents are becoming increasingly unhappy with the oncolgist. He seems to be way behind at all appointments with people waiting up to 3 hrs for a visit. The nurse who referred him said that it is because he is very good so everyone wants him. I guess if he is that busy, he should limit the number of patients. I found a different oncologist they could see if the decide to switch. They are going to wait and see what the scans show before deciding. Thanks again for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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