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kadams06

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My mom whom is 48 was diagnosed last January with small cell lung cancer she was a smoker of 25 years. Her tumor was pretty big and wrapped around the main artery to your heart from her lung so it was inoperable. She went through the chemo and chest and brain radiation, and actually did very well and stayed very positive. As of her last scan the tumor has not grown and the cancer is stable and not spreading. Her breathing is not so good and she is so fatigued it seems to have gotten worse since the treatment stopped, but the worst part is the depression she has basically given up she just sits on the couch for days and does not even try to make herself feel better. We are a very close family, my sisters and I go over and clean and try to get her up and positive. Her grandkids are her world and she is even shutting them out. I am at a loss she is taking Lexipro, but I think she may need to try something else but trying to get her to do that is a different story. This has been the worst thing I have ever dealt with and has just been so terrible. She said the worst part is waking everyday knowing this cancer is in her body and will never be gone. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts please let me know I want my mom to be positive and optimistic and I know she wants to be but just do not know how to get her there again.

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Welcome kadams - I'm sorry for your situation but glad you found the board. You are in the right place! I have no words of wisdom for you but I know others here will. I too have a Mom fighting cancer (her story is in my signature below - you can update yours if you'd like by going into My Profile and adding a signature).

Please keep us posted on how things are going. Prayers for you and your family -

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Hi Kelli and welcome.

My hubby has had serious issues with depression. When he was first dx he was still very upbeat, but as the treatment started to take it's toll he became more and more withdrawn. The onc prescribed zoloft which did nothing, then cymbalta which did nothing. then our primary prescribed Lexapro which did nothing. He finally went on Wellbutrin 200 mg twice daily and it has helped. Not a major change, but enough that he is less withdrawn and is more interested in the world around him, and has gone back to working on his artwork.

I guess the moral to my story is to try to get Mom on anti depressants, but if at first they don't produce results, please keep trying until you find one that does. I wish there was a 'one size fits all' but there isn't. Unfortunately these things take time to get into the system and you can wait for up to 6 weeks to see any results. Then if no improvement, you have to go on to the next. I understand what you're going through and wish you well. Good Luck & God Bless

wendyr

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Hi and welcome-my Mom was also DX with Extensive Small Cell that was wrapped around her aorta in sept/06-her Dr put her on Zoloft last Novemeber and it did wonders for her attitude and outlook-I highly recommend it. Please tell your Mom there are lots of survivors of small cell-read her the stories here....

That is all I did for 2 months that my Mom lived with me when she was first DX-that was the only hope we had-knowing others have survived it.

Please let me know if you need anything

Dar

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Welcome. I hope your mom finds an antidepressant that works. I used them for a while. they helped me. Eventually I stopped and the only time I think about my lc much is scan time. One has to find other things to do and think about...still, I got mad at my cancer today. I called it a name.

Don m

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Welcome Kelli

So sorry to hear about your mom and what she is going through. I agree to keep trying to find an anti-depressant that works for her. I was on Lexapro and just couldn't take it - felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest at night.

Has your mom checked into any support groups near her home?? That might also help her to get out and be with people who know what she is going through.

You and your mom will be in my prayers - please keep us updated on how she is doing.

Hugs - Patti B.

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Kelli,

Sorry to hear about your mom. I think one has to understand that you can live with cancer as well as being cured. I decided that I wanted to live either with the cancer or without. Cancer is such a catch 22. Having cancer and feeling positive about it is hard to do. I realized that stress can cause disease and it can hinder your healing. This is a medical fact. So one of the first things I had to do was get a positive attitude. If you become too stressed out worrying about your cancer then it will not help with your treatment. There is a verse that I think of when ever I may have a problem staying positive, it is:

MATHEW 6:27

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

What this tells me is that if you worry enough, you can actually shorten your life. Maybe if your mom would read some of the stories on this web site she would become a little more positive. Keep us posted.

Stay positive, :)

Ernie

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Welcome Kelli. I'm sorry for what you and your Mother are going through. Does someone go with her to her doctor's appointments? Do her doctors know that the meds. for depression aren't working very well for her? Have they prescribed anything to help her breathing? There are a lot of things out there that might help. I hope that someone can make certain that her doctor knows about these problems. Patients don't always tell doctors the things they need to know. Good luck and let us know how things are going.

Muriel

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Welcome to the boards. Please, please, know that we are here for you. This horrible disease robs us of all normalcy, and we try as hard as we can to start living with a new normal. The news on your mom sounds good! If you read my profile you will see that my dad has been in remission for 1.5 years. It is such a blessing from God that I thank Him for every day.

My dad has gone through some severe depression, and I can say that the worst of it was both during treatment and after. Is your mom on meds for depression? We found this made a HUGE difference. Dad has gone off of them, and we are hoping that he will go back on, because while he isn't sitting in the chair, watching the birds outside, with his head in his hand, he can get pretty crabby, and we think the meds just made him more even, and able to take each day for what it is...a blessing.

Keep us informed.

Blessings,

Jen

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Hi,

Welcome to the board! The people and advice are wonderful here. Depression meds sometimes take up to 6 weeks to work unforutunately. Keep trying new meds until you find one that works. I'm sure her feeling the way scarry for her too. Support groups are great. Most cities have these and it might help her to be around and talk to other people that are in the same boat.

Just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you both, and if you need to talk to someone person to person just let me know and we can hook up by phone.

Many Blessings,

Denise

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