Heather J Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Hello to everyone, My name is Heather. My Mother was diagnosed with SCLC with mets to the brain on 6/2/03. This has been a very trying summer and I have been trying to do as much research as I can. Just as others have mentioned the information on SCLC is very bleak. My mother has been on chemotherapy since 6/6/03 and it's finally start to take it's toll. She was on carbo/taxol once a week for her first 6weeks along with radiation to the brain. On 7/23/03 we were told that her two small tumors in the brain were gone and that her mass in her lung had decreased by more that half. She started carbo/taxoteire(sp) on 7/29/03 Once a week every three weeks and is beginning to get very tired. I have been very active in her treatment, However all of this is beginning to take a toll on my mental well being. I'm so glad this website is here. It will be so nice to talk to others and have them understand. I look forward to talking to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelleyu Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Heather: Saw your post and reminded me of me alot. I am in same position with my dad(51years old). He has completed 5 0f 6 scheduled chemos, but has tolerated them wonderfully(so far). He says he is feeling stronger everyday! I too am very active in his care/treatment and know the mental toll it can take(on anti-depressants myself). Please feel free to post to me or PM me anytime. We are all in this together. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Heather, I am so glad to hear the treatments are working for your mom! (My FIL's ONC wouldn't allow the chemo and brain radiation at the same time and I wonder if that would have made a difference. Hard to know, but when I read about others treatments on here, I wonder if the ONC made the best decision.) Is it possible for you to also find a support group in your area? Have you read any of Connie B's posts? She is a big part of a support group somewhere in Minnesota along with Donna and I would think getting together with folks like her would be a good dose of "medicine" if you don't want to go the anti-depressant route. It is very normal to get tired after the amount of treatments your mom has had. Check out any posts on feeling tired and read the replies. Sometimes it just helps to know what our loved ones are dealing with is very normal for that situation. There is also a site called Alliance for Lung Cancer www.alcase.org that has a phone buddy system. Might be good for your mom to talk to someone on the phone if she doesn't have the energy to go out. There is a woman who had extensive SCLC back in 1994 and has been a phone buddy for cancer patients with similar diagnoses since 1998. My FIL didn't like the idea of talking with a stranger but maybe your mom would be okay with it. Keeping you and your mom in my prayers. Karen M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanS Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Are you sure your mom has SCLC, because the standard first line therapy for SCLC is cisplatin with etoposide, or cisplatin with CPT-11. Although sometimes oncologists substitute the cisplatin to carboplatin in small cell patients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natalie Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Hi Heather- I understand what you are going through too. It is very trying on a person's mental well being. You feel like you can't ever escape thinking or talking about the cancer. To watch a parent vulnerable to this disease is so heart wrenching. The best thing I did when I felt I was about to just "lose" it,was take a 2 hour moment to be just by myself reading Better Homes and Garden. I was spending every moment researching, reading every book there is on cancer, that I realized I needed a few moments just reading something enjoyable. I felt selfish doing it, but it ended up being the best thing because I felt "refreshed" afterwards. Now I make sure each day that I take an hour for myself just watching a program I like on TV or reading the paper. Heather, we are here for you. Feel free to email me anytime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny G. Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Heather, It sounds like your mom is responding very well to treatment. Natalie is so right about taking time for yourself. Visiting this site can also help. You are definitely not alone. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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