mariola82 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Hello! My name is Mariola. I came upon the Lungevity Foundation website after my father, Marian, was diognosed with Lung Cancer in June 2009 at the age of 58. My family and I are participating in the Naperville, IL walk on November 7th. It has been a difficult year. My father had been going through tests (xrays, ct scan, biopsys) since November 2008, to determine what was wrong. His major symptom was a deep cough and coughing up blood. The doctors kept coming back with "inconculsive" results. In May, my father was admitted to the hospital for foot pain, due to a blood clot in the leg. But because the doctors/hospital staff did not know what was wrong with the lungs they did not want to fix the leg. My father had to be admitted into the hospital for a second time in order to get the blood clot taken care of and the final lung biopsy to be performed. The biopsy determined he had Stage 4 small cell lung cancer that has spread to his adreanal glands. We were told that since he is stage 4 and the cancer has spread, chemotherapy is the only treatment he could have for now. In June he began his first Chemo treatment and about 4 months later he has had his treatment changed about 3 times and needed several shots, medications and blood transfusions. It is 100% accurate to say that chemotherapy not only kills the cancer cells, but your entire body. My father is very, very weak and is not able to eat much at all. The only treatments doctors accept in the US are chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. I am trying my best to research alternative medicine. My family and I feel we need to try everything possible and never give up. I am here to find support and motivational stories to keep me going. This has been an terrible year, but I feel that maybe 2010 will be a hopeful and happier year for us. ~Mariola~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michellep Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Welcome to our family. You will find many here who can help you through this heartbreaking journey. My husband was also diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma. Chemo was very hard on his system. He had 6 treatments followed by 8 blood transfusions. Chemo does indeed cause many side effects and fatigue. Just try to keep him eating and I highly recommend ensures. They are full of calories and vitamins as well. Please come back often.....you'll find a world of encouragement and great advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Mariola, Welcome to the Lung Cancer Support Community. I'm sorry to hear that the treatments have been so hard on your father. This is an awful disease and there simply isn't anything good about it. For some treatment offers a meaningful way to extend both the quality ad quantity of life. For others it seems to do more harm that good. I'm sorry that your father seems to be falling into the latter category. There are some on this board who have chosed to forego treatment in order to perserve quality of life for as long as possible. The thread "The Path Less Travelled" contains discussions about this option. There are also many tips and tricks that can be shared for dealing with the side effects of treatments. If you will share some of the specifics about your father's treatment someone might be able to offer some helpful information. For now, just know that we are here to help in any way we can. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilyjohn Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I too want to welcome you here. I hate that you or any of us have to be here. I just want you to know that there is a lot of support here. We may not have all of the answers you seek though I am sure you will get a lot of good information from the people on this board. One thing I can promise you, when you join us you are never alone. We are a family, a family who laughs and crys together. We also pray together in prayers of thanksgiving for good news and hope for those who need it or peace for those who have more than they think they can bear. Stay in touch and let up know how things are going. I know that no one wants to be here but you are now a part of this great family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Hi, Mariola, welcome to the group. I'm really sorry your father has had such a rough time with chemo. As Susan said, the help vs. harm ratio from chemo varies a lot from one patient to the next, and there's really no way of knowing how things will go without trying. May I suggest that you visit cancergrace.org (GRACE — Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education). GRACE is led by Dr. Howard "Jack" West, a Seattle oncologist who is an internationally-recognized expert on lung cancer and who gives high priority to promptly answering questions online. A lot of us are "dual citizens" and have the same usernames there as here. There are two naturopathic physicians on the GRACE faculty, and a section of their website is devoted to complementary/alternative medicine. The biopsy determined he had Stage 4 small cell lung cancer that has spread... As a point of clarification, I'm wondering if you meant to type non-small cell lung cancer? NSCLC uses the numbered stages 1 thru 4 (or I thru IV), while SCLC is divided into "limited disease" (LD) and "extensive disease" (ED). Although it may seem like a minor point, it does make a difference in treatment options. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Welcome Mariola, Sorry to hear about your dad. I was diagnosed in MAY of 2002 Stage IV with mets to my adrenal glands and I'm still here. My only option is chemo. So there is hope. Stay with us and keep us posted on dad and ask questions/research. Glad you found us. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Welcome Mariola. Glad you found us. Will your Dad be having a CT scan soon to see how his tumor has responded? Keep us posted. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariola82 Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Thank you for all the replies. My dad is having a really bad week and has expressed that he wants to discontinue his chemo treatments. He has lost a significant amount of weight, is very exhausted and is unable to eat or drink. Thank you for all the words of advice and support. I hope to come back to the message board often. Thank you for letting me be a part of your group. Have a great weekend everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patti B Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Mariola- Welcome to the boards - sorry you have he need to be here. The others are correct - different people have different reactions to chemo. I have had 63 chemo infusion and have never once gotten sick. So there is hope that they can find one that your dad will do well on. There is also meds to help with his nausea and to help him develop more of an appetite - but you need to ask for them. Someone (probably you) must become his advocate and make sure that the docs know everything going on with him. Don't be afraid to ask questions to his medical team and certainly don't hesitate to get another opinion if you feel the need. Please keep us posted on how all of you are doing. Hugs - Patti B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariola82 Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 Hello Everyone - It has been a rough few months. My father lost his battle to Lung cancer on December 4th. He fought for as long as he could. He had been off of chemo treatments for over a month and a half, so we suspect that the cancer spread rapidly. It has not been an easy journey for my dad, but he stayed strong and fought until the very end. Although my dad is not here to continue the fight, I will do anything I can to help find a cure for this hateful, horrible disease that took my dad away too soon. He is a lung cancer warrior and I am very proud to say he was my dad. I love and miss him so much. He is now my guardian angel! ~Mariola~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariola82 Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 Thank you so much...it has been very difficult. I will be here as often as possible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Matiola, I'm so sorry to hear about your father. He was luck to have you fighting for him and now fighting so that other daughters won't have to watch their fathers suffer from this evil disease. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Mariola, my condolences to you and your family on the loss of your cherished father. Your love for him comes through in your words and intent to continue the fight against this dread disease. Thank you for checking in and letting us know. Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Baker Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I'm so sorry, Mariola. Condolences to you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlemmon87 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 so I read through all your posts and started crying. not just because you have felt the same way i have through your journey, but you had to let go just a day before I did. I feel so strongly about continuing the fight too. I think our fathers would be very proud of us! My dad was so worried that when the chemo wasn't helping that I would be mad at him for stopping or for not doing anything else. But when he was first diagnosed I told him "I just want you to try to fight it, but if you can't handle the way it makes you feel, Its okay, u can stop, I will not be mad. All I want is for you to at least try".... and he did. I reassured him I was not mad at him, that he did what I wanted him to, and that it was okay. How are you holding up? I'm gonna go to a greif support meeting tomorrow or next week. It's actually getting harder for me. i'm a great listener/reader if u ever need to talk... though I suppose that's what this site is for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariola82 Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 My dad looked to me and my mom to make all the tough decisions thoughout his battle. He had no opinion about treatment and procedures until the very end, that is how I knew he didnt want to fight any more. He refused to go back on treatment and just wanted to be left alone. I can't imagine what was going through my dad's head the last weeks of his life, but looking back I realize he knew it was his time to go. I am glad he does not have to suffer anymore. I am doing okay, because I think I accepted my father's death long before he died. Although I stayed positive and wanted my dad to fight, I knew that his situation was bad. My mom took my father's death very hard. She knew how sick my dad was, but denied that he was dying. We are both doing okay, we just try to stay busy and remember the good times. We have to remember that our dads are in a better place now without pain and suffering. We need to keep our heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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