mamey1 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 My mother in law is 45 and was diagnosed with stage IV Adenocarcinoma of the lung and has spread to the brain. She was diagnosed about a month ago. This was found on one of her yearly CT scans as she had breast cancer 5 years ago. She has started rediation and had a port put in for chemo that she will begin 12-15. I was wondering if someone could help with what to expect. My mother and father in law have 3 sons and I am the only daughter in law. Therefore they are leaning on me a lot for care and support. I wanted to know if she will likely be on chemo for a long time or if it would be similar to her breast cancer and only do it for 8 weeks? I have seen the prognosis and stats and so has my husband and father in law. The doctors are not telling us much. So any inspiration is much apreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe B Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Mamey, sorry to hear of your struggles. Chemo cycles differ alot. If they are doing it simply to assist /sensitive the area for radiation...then typically they are given weekly for about 6 weeks or so. Also, Chemo can be given in "stronger doses" every 3-4 weeks... to ensure that a full "systemic" process if completed. Really depends on your Oncologist and what he recommends along with what you feel is best. Sorry I couldnt have been more of a help on this topic, I am fairly new here myself. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamey1 Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 Joe, Thank you for the info. Really any info is helpful because we are new to this also. It's nice to be able to talk to people with personal experiences that are similar to ours. Thank you Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Mamey, I have little experience with the brain radiation, but many others here have. The chemo/radiation combo can be seriously effective, and there are many types of chemo to use if the first ones do not work as well as planned. The point I'd like to make is, to get informed, stay informed. Write things down. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Your mil has her age going for her, I know they kept telling me that (I was diagnosed at age 43) so the chances for her are very good indeed. Keep your spirits up. And good luck. You'll be in our prayers... MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canuckwebgrrl Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Mamey, Although I'm no expert, the chemo will likely be for 6 weeks. I was told by our oncol. that any more than that (at a time) hasn't shown to be productive. My advice would be to write down your questions, and write down the answers when you meet with the oncologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Mamey, my wife is Stage IV NSCLC, with bone mets. After chemo and radiation, she is doing fine, 14 months after diagnosis. She has a port for the chemo because of her small veins. The thing to be aware of is the port can get infected -- be sure that it is always flushed with saline and heparin after every use. The nurses do this but it doesn't hurt to check them. My wife got a staph infection from its use while in the hospital! Best wishes. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Amy, I never saw where you said anything about radiation for your mth-in-law. Are they planning on doing whole head radiation for the brain mets? That seems to be a very effective way to treat brain mets. My husband had 3 mets and received that treatment and so far they have not reappeared and that was some months ago. He also had radiation and chemo after surgery back in 2002, the radiation and chemo was for the chest for any remains left after removal of the left lung. You may want to go to www.blochcancer.org for some good info. My prayer are with you and the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamey1 Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 Thank you all for the info and inspiration. I am trying to encourage my mother in law to come on here and see that there are people with positive outlooks in similar situations. I did reply to all of your posts--I didn't mean to send them private mess. but thank you for reading and responding I will keep everyone posted on her and her results. Thank you all very much!! And you all will be in my prayers as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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