g'sgirl Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Hi all, My grandmother,age 78, was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, stage IIIb at the end of September. She was admitted to the hospital in the middle of September with blood clots and after further testing and a biopsy she rec'd her diagnosis. She has been on blood thinners ever since and will continue those shots until she responds to treatment. She started chemo today and as of tonight is still feeling ok. We are in the process of going to MD Anderson in Houston for a second opinion. We want to make sure she is having the best treatment available. While I am very sad about her diagnosis, she has the best attitude about it. She is determined to fight and determined to beat this!! To quote her " I still have baseball games to see and dance recitals to attend!!" She is crazy about her great grandkids!! I just wanted to introduce myself and let you all know I have been lurking here for several days and am inspired by you all!! Molly:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Hi, Molly, welcome to the group. Your grandmother certainly has the right attitude for dealing with this unfortunate development, and I'll bet she has plenty of baseball games and dance recitals in her future. I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma IIIb over 25 months ago, and I figure I'm almost as active as most 73-year-olds without lung cancer. I didn't feel all that great during parts of my aggressive chemo treatment around the end of 2006, but I was never so debilitated that I was bed-bound or unable to do something productive every day. What chemo is she getting? Some fatigue usually sets in the afternoon of the day after infusion, when the premeds (which may include a steroid like Decadron) start to wear off, then after another 2 or 3 days the energy level typically starts to recover. You'll probably have more questions when some of the less predictable side effects start to appear, and no matter what it is, someone here will have experienced the same thing and will have some tips to offer. Best wishes to you both with Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsC1210 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Hello Molly and welcome! I'm sorry you had need to find a site such as this but I am so glad you found and joined us! You will find tons of support here with many caring and wonderful people who will be able and willing to help you along this journey. Feel free to ask us anything and know that there is always someone here to lean on. MD Anderson is a top notch facility and your grandmothers fighting attitude will serve her well in this fight! Sending you many prayers and hugs Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Hi Molly. So sorry to hear about your grandma, but glad to hear she is in a fighting spirit. I am a one year plus year survivor and was stage 3b at diagnosis. So there is plenty of hope and inspirational stories here. Please stick around and keep us posted. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Welcome Molly. Clots are not uncommon when someone has lung cancer. Most of us get tired with Chemo and it is great if someone is available to pick up the slack as help with laundry, shopping, fix meals, rides to clinic etc. Keep us posted Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coni Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Hi Molly, Welcome and be sure to read the good news board it's great and your grandma's attitude is wondeful, a fighter I love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g'sgirl Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 Thanks for all your kind words! Ned: My grandmother is on Taxol and Carboplatin. She also takes Tagamet the night before and the morning of. And she also has decadron. The evening after chemo she takes tagamet and benedryl. She also has Zofran if she needs it. She also went in for a shot today to boost her red blood cells. I don't remember the name of that. So far today was fine (chemo was yesterday for 6 hours.) Just fatigue, no other side effects yet. If she is going to experiance nausea and vomiting, when would it be? Or does everyone respond differently? Right now the plan is to have chemo once every 3 weeks for 6 hours. After the third round she will have more tests and if she is responding to chemo, then they will start radiation. Has anyone here had chemo followed by radiation? It seems like most people start both together? Thanks again, Molly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyman35 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Hi Molly. Welcome to the site. Grandma is on the same treatment the my Tom had. It was decadron the night before and then the morning of it was an infusion of Aloxi for nausea and benadryl then the chemo. The shot the next day for Tom was called neulasta. Tom was pretty tired most of the time but was never bothered with nausea or vomiting but it is different for each person. Hopefully she will not be plagued with that. A fighting spirit goes a long way. As far as radiation after chemo. Yes we had that. It was 5 chemos and then they started radiation and threw in 2 extra chemo's as a bonus. Tom though has NSCLC Squamous cell stage IV and is approaching 9 months survival since diagnosis. He just had his 73rd b-day this summer. Keep reading for stories of hope. Take care Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Molly: I had the same IV premeds that Denise described — Aloxi, Benadryl, and Decadron. Those are rather standard for the Taxol/Carbo combination, and the Aloxi seems to do a good job of preventing nausea in most people. The Zofran is an antinausea medication to take at home. Instead of Zofran I was prescribed Ativan and told to take a tablet the first three nights after chemo even if there was no nausea (which there wasn't), and I followed those instructions the first two cycles. For later cycles I just kept it available, and I never had the slightest tendency toward nausea during or after any of my treatments. The Neulasta injection which Tom and I received the day after each infusion was to boost the white blood cell count. That may be what your grandmother got too and someone misheard red for white. If it was Neulasta, she can expect some deep muscle and bone aches starting Wednesday, adding to the fatigue which is probably setting in about now. Some people feel that more than others and even describe bone "pain," but mine wasn't that bad, and since I had been told to expect it, it didn't cause me any particular concern. I didn't feel the aches so much during the later cycles. Sounds like she's off to a good start. Her energy level should start improving towards the end of the week, then you can start watching for some of the other side effects that vary a lot from one person to another. Many (probably most) people get some mouth and throat irritation and changes in taste which cause difficulty with certain types of foods, and we'll have lots of advice for you if and when that starts to happen. I didn't have radiation, so can't help you with that question. Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb73 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Hello Molly, I am sorry for your Grandmother's diagnosis, but am very glad you have joined this community of survivors and loved ones. Your Grandmother's diagnosis is the very same as my husband was, at his diagnosis, almost four years ago. Her attitude will see her through this and the treatment. She sounds wonderful, and has the winning spirit. Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patti B Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Hi Molly- Sorry you find the need to be here but you have come to a wonderful site. You have received so much information already and there is always someone around to answer new ones you may have. The Neulasta shot MAY cause her some joint pain - mine was pretty bad but only for the first time, and then it never happened again so in the long run it was quite doable. I NEVER had any nausea with ANY chemos I have been on (lucky, I guess). Grandmas fighting spirit will take her far in this journey. She is truly lucky to have you by her side. Hugs - Patti B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Molly, Your grandmother sounds like she's got the stuff to do this. Like her with her great grandchildren, my grandchildren provide a powerful motivation to do what I gotta do. You've already gotten so much good stuff, I'll just add that don't be discouraged if she has symptoms others haven't there is so much variation. The medication they gave for naseau work for me for the first two or three days then I did have some for a few days after that. But I had a long history of upchucking almost every anesthesia and pain med known to man so handling the naseau was doable with prescriptions they gave me. We're all here rooting for your grandmother, you and all of her support network. Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Welcome Molly Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g'sgirl Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks for all your help! You all were right about the shot and she did have joint pain. However, the pain medicine did help with that. Thank you all for your kind words and advice. It helps tremendously! Molly:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellit74 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Hi Molly, Welcome to the board. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. She sounds like she is a fighter. One of my friends from high school is an oncologist at MD Anderson in Houston, but he is a Gynecologic Oncologist. Good Luck to you and your Grandma. Shelli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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