Introduction

[elyana]

Hello,

I am Elyana. My dad is officially diagnosed with Stage VI NSCLC adenocarcinoma on November 21, 2013. He never smokes.

It started with coughing in August 2013 which got worst until October. On Oct 4 he was admitted into the hospital. Chest radiograph was done which showed pleural effusion. The fluid was removed. He returned home with pneumonia diagnosis, and did not recover. Returned to hospital with respiratory problem for second fluid removal. This time he was staying for 2 weeks. Powder was blown into the pleural space. Bronchoscopy and biopsy was done. EFGR was tested positive and he is now with gefitinib (Iressa and the generic version geftib). Had to use oxygen mask because he was very very weak. He had also guided tapping in the lung. He has lost 10 kilo during hospitalization and have sinced gained only 1 kg.

He is also diabetic and has hypertension.

Side effects: not so mild. First rashes on face, scalp, then chest, back and whole body. The itchyness is solved with calamine lotion and shampoo and body oil for highly sensitive skin (Eubos). Diarrhoea was also one of the side effects, but i think it is less now. Diuretic, i am not so sure.

He cough a lot, and i am worried if this is normal. He cannot do heavy activities, or he will be short-breathed. He participate in tai-chi every mon, wed, fri. He can drive short distance. Overall, my dad is a very positive person and happy, and does not complain a lot. But i am worried if he is not telling things so that us the kids won't be worried.

Anyways, it would be nice to be in touch with somebody of similar situation or someone with whom i can discuss not only about the medical side of it, but also how i can take care of my dad.

Thanks.

[CindyA]

Hi Elyana,

I'm glad you found us. I want to let you know that there are a lot of members on here who are surviving well after being diagnosed with stage 4 lc. My close friend has been a stage 4 survivor now for 5 years and almost 3 months. I hope this gives you hope.

LUNGevity has many avenues to support you. I'm attaching a link that you can take a look at to see which might be a good fit for you in addition to posting here within LCSC http://events.lungevity.org/cg/peer-discussions.html

Please continue to post here often and update us on how you & your Dad are doing. We will be here for you.

Sincerely,

Cindy

[dianew]

Elyana - I am glad you found us, but am sorry that you have reason to. I am a patient, and not a caregiver, so I can't relate to that aspect of this disease, but many many of our members have been exactly where you are now. As Cindy says, there are many people with stage 4 who are surviving for years. It may seem strange to say that anything having to do with this disease is fortunate, but it is a good thing that your Dad is EGFR positive.

Please keep us posted as to how your Dad is doing.

Diane