famograham Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 It's been a long while since I've posted! Mom and our family have just been enjoying life and trying not to think about cancer too much...this feat is easier for the rest of my family (even my Mom!) than it is for me. I accept the fact that I am the one who does most of the worrying ...LOL! So, after the 20 radiation tx in September, Mom had an x-ray (is this normal...to just have an x-ray?) to see what the radiation has accomplished. Today she went to Victoria to get the results of that x-ray from her radiation Onc (Dr. Joe, Victoria). He said that what they were looking for was any change. There is none. No growth. Mom asked, "What now???" and he said "Go and live your life, and we'll get a CT scan in 3 months!!" So, is this the elusive thing we call "Stable"?? I asked Mom if she was happy with his answer, and she is very happy to just leave it at that and do the CT in Feb. She did admit that what she thought he was going to say, was that it is completely gone...Dr. Joe said it doesn't really work like that...it is still there, but could possibly be dead, hence the watching. I, the fretter...feel like an x-ray might not give enough information to really call things stable (worried about what might be going on elsewhere), but I'm also going with, and supporting, what my Mama feels and wants.. How would you feel about this...and can I call her stable?? My aunt is still having tests. They are saying that with her, it is NSCLC. A brain scan showed up cloudy, and needs follow up. They say she is a candidate for surgery, unlike Mom. So, I feel relief...but also a little bit of concern. Input??? xoxoxo Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 How would you feel about this...and can I call her stable? Sounds like stable to me, and stable + feeling good is a great combination. Sometimes dead tumor or scar tissue can stay visible for a long time, even indefinitely. About the radiation onc's recommendation to "go and live your life" — it sounds like your mom has been doing that already! I love her attitude. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hi Linda. It is good to hear from you. No growth is good. And radiation can take a number of months, beyond what has already occurred to do it's magic. Even so, personally, I would want to be doing something a little more proactive. I have written to you before about asking about chemotherapy. Honestly, I would not let that idea go. I do not mean to scare you but if it is not "gone" then there is more than a bit of potential that it will spread. I think that the treatments in BC are sometimes not as agressive as we LC patients deserve. There is absolutely no harm in asking for an appointment with a medical oncologist (mine is Heidi Martins, she is on leave for a bit and my 2nd recommendation would be Dr. Bester who is my back up of choice). Medical oncologists are the docs who deal with chemotherapy. There are many here who have had their cancer surgically removed who have still opted for preventative chemotherapy. I am not sure what kind of those options are available to patients at our clinic but if I were in your mom's shoes I would surely want to find out. You really want to know all you can know about options. So that you never have to look back and say "I wish we had". I am sure others will ring in here with their opinions as well. Has your mom's lc ever been staged? That information would definitely help in assessing options at this point. I am so sorry that you are the worrier. But honestly, someone needs to be. Someone needs to be advocating on behalf of your mom and helping her to get the best advice and treatment possible. It is a tough role to play, but one that is necessary in fighting this horrible disease. Please keep us posted and my best wishes in pursuing other options carefully. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Kudos to Mom. Stable and Living your life is good. Gone may be better but I don't know what stage she is. Tell mom that even when it's gone if you are a III or IV, they warn the expectation is it will come back. There are just no guarantees in this game. Sandra is a smart cookie and knows cancer treatment in Canada so you might want to follow up on her suggestions while you wait for the CT scan. Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famograham Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 Thank you all so much I've talked to Mom quite a bit about chemo. She's still not sure if she wants to do it. When we talked about yesterdays appointment before it happened, I asked her if it was not good news, would she be willing to give chemo a try. She sounded like she'd give it a shot, but only if absolutely necessary. I agree Sandra...that I don't want to feel the..."if only's". That's why I try to make sure I get all the facts for her. But I then also have to support whatever she chooses to do. I'm pretty sure if her scan in Feb shows anything...that she will at least give Chemo a shot. Yes, it's hard being the worrier...BUT I wouldn't change it for the world. I think a worrier, combined with an obsessive information hound...can make for a helpful combination Ned...thanks so much! I love her attitude too! I can't believe that I didn't shout this from the rooftops to you guys when we found out. Onc says her stage is T1 N0 M0 Does that change things? Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your love and support...you blow my mind every single day... xoxoxoxox Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 It's been a long time since I studied the staging system but I can be pretty certain that it's good, maybe even awesome if you have to have this disease at all! Let's wait and see what our more astute students of cancer come in and say. Meanwhile, bravo on all your efforts on your mom's behalf. Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famograham Posted November 18, 2008 Author Share Posted November 18, 2008 Thanks so much Judy I think the more astute students are busy enjoying life! I do look forward to their opinions, though! xoxoxox Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Judy--My mom is undergoing her second set of chemo treatments. She is 78 and it is not and the treatments are nowhere near as bad as she feared they would be. In fact when the Dr. told her that she needed to do chemo again (after 18 months) she was fine because she knew she could handle it. I thought I'd pass that experience along in case you have to think about chemo in the future. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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