40 with cancer

[KellyBaker]

Hi. I am Kelly Baker and was diagnosed August 1st 2015 with stage 4 NSCLC Adenocarcinoma. I just turned 40 years old and have a child that is three. I am a single mom and determined to fight this cancer so I can see my son grow up. I am currently on maintenance Alimta and doing well. My goal is to bring awareness to others about lung cancer. I have realized how little people know about it and how under funded it is.

[Tom Galli]

Welcome here Kelly,

 

I trust Alimta is working for you.  

 

You have a noble goal.  Our disease is so underfunded when a congressman or senator gets it, they are surprised to learn our most effective treatment is hope!  Here is an interesting exercise.  Look at this table - https://report.nih.gov/categorical_spending.aspx - and compare lung cancer funding by the National Institute of Health to AIDS funding.  Now consider that annually lung cancer kills about 160,000 in the US while AIDS kills but 14,000.  I shake my head every time I look at this data!

 

I look forward to continuing to hear good reports from your treatment progress.

 

Stay the course.

 

Tom

[CindyA]

Hi Kelly, 

Welcome to the LCSC message boards. I hope your treatment plan is working out well for you. I know how frustrating the numbers can be. Did you know that LUNGevity is the largest private funder of lung cancer research? It's true!  http://www.lungevity.org/research-we-fund/research-funded-to-date

If you'd like to get more involved in raising your voice please let me know or you can start by clicking here: www.LUNGevity.org/get-involved. Tell them Cindy A. sent you. 

 

Or if we can support you in anyway please feel free to reach out to me. 

 

I look forward to getting to know you,

Cindy

[MaryTD777]

​Hi Kelly,

I am sure that little man has a sweet smile that gives you all of the energy and strength you need to put lung cancer where it belongs!! I was 47 when I was Dx. Since then, both of my husbands kids and my daughter each had a baby!!! Actually, all 3 grand babies were born between Nov 20 2013 and Oct 30 2014!! Each smile is more amazing than the next!!

 

I will keep you both in my prayers!!

[CindyA]

Here is some advice someone wanted to send you:

 

 I too was dx young. 1st was Breast cancer. 4 years later Lung cancer. A huge shock! No one in my family had ever been dx with any cancer except a distant uncle. Here is a few ideas of what I might have done: 1. I would seek a 2nd and a 3rd (if need be) opinion from NCI designated "Comprehensive" Cancer Center. 2. My thoracic surgeon was an excellent doctor; however he was worried the surgery would kill me or totally disable me...he had QOL issues (quality of life) However, he is/was a very capable surgeon. 3. I would have found a surgeon who performed my 1st, 2nd and 3rd operations using the VATS procedure vs. what I call the Fillet of Fish surgery. The recuperation from least invasive VATS would have been much easier. It was 1992, I'm unsure if VATS was available? 4. I would suggest you find a doc who has his mind-set on curing cancer, or stabilizating "The Beast" vs. treating it. So I think that I'm trying to say you might need a tenacious Onc and equally tenacious Doc's all around you. 5. No Doctor can tell the future. If yours is preaching Doon and Gloom, Fire him/her. You need a doctor who will take an aggressive stance against 'The Beast'. Why didn't he take my upper left lung? Now I've had cancer in that lung 3 times and now I've exhausted any traditional treatments - cause no one wants to kill me. No one, absolutely, no one knows when anyone is going to pass away... Again, find a doc who has a mindset to keep on going. Nothe preaching negatives, 'you will pass away in 3-6-9 months' 5. Attitude is everything. Keep yours positive! 

After 5X dx with Lung; 2x with Breast, including bi-lateral mastectomy; and 2x Thyroid... I'm still here. Take Charge of your healthcare! You can't realistically expect any one Doc to keep up with your full history. I just sent my Onc a note about a side effect I'm experiencing... and included this "please let me remind you I'm allergic to Penicillin and Sulfur drugs". It's easier for us patients to keep track of these things vs. our Doc's who often see 25 patients a day! I've got more to say on this topic, but I'm sure you are snoring away reading this. 

Hope it provides even one good idea for you and your treatments going forward. If I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to let me know. Good Luck!

[CindyA]

Here is another response someone would like for me to post:

 

I have stage 3A lung cancer. I just finished 6 rounds of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation.I just turned 56 years old. I have two children who still live at home 24 years old and 26 years old.I lost many family members to lung cancer.Gail is right about everything. And attitude is everything.I treat my cancer as a disease. I say in my mind I am sick,but with every treatment I am closer to being in remission. I try willing my body to fight this beast. I won't let it have me !!! It took to many of my family members.I have to much to still do. And I don't have time for cancer.One more thing make sure you take someone with you to take notes.If you don't have anyone to take notes record what the doc is saying. Ask many questions. And surround yourself with positive people . Join a support group. Good luck .Sending prayers your way.

[KellyBaker]

Thank you for all the wonderful responses. I just had another scan last week and the fluid in my right pleural space decreased by 75 percent, so it is almost completely gone. The mass in my right middle lobe decrease by 33 percent. This is only .5 inches now. The only other area that has small activity is my mediastinal lymph node. My question is has anyone received radiation treatments in this situation. I wonder why we wouldn't try and kill as many cancer cells off as possible since the Alimta is working for me. My goal is to be NED!! Is this too aggressive or unheard of?

[Tom Galli]

Kelly,

 

The Altima is obviously having an effect - wonderful news!  

 

I gather your doctor is suggesting radiation and your question is therefore has anyone received radiation after chemo or in conjunction with chemo.  Yes, I did, twice.  The first was conventional radiation in conjunction with adjunct chemo and the second was stereotactic radiation (CyberKnife) as an independent treatment after a total of 18 chemo infusions.  My oncologist described radiation (both types) as a "sure kill" while chemo is a not so sure kill.  Cancer cells mutate, often during the course of a treatment, and become resistant to the drug or drugs.  Radiation actually destroys the cancer cells and of course it also kills adjacent cells but the radiation oncologist and physicist work hard to minimize the adverse impact.

 

I was not diagnosed at stage 4 but suffered a metastatic spread of my cancer after surgery.  All I was left with was chemo because I already had my one and only round of conventional radiation before surgery.  Both rounds of chemo reduced the size of my tumors but didn't kill them.  But the CyberKnife radiation administered as my fourth line treatment did.

 

There are many mediastinal lymph nodes and depending on the anatomical location, they can be difficult to address with radiation.  I do know a lung cancer survivor who had a problem mediastinal lymph node located in the paratracheal area. It was close to all kinds of important anatomy (major arteries, trachea, spinal chord) but it was successfully attacked with radiation.

 

If it were me, I'd ask your doctor to explain why he or she believes radiation to be important or necessary.  I'm not sure one can ever be too aggressive with lung cancer.

 

Stay the course.

 

Tom