Carla Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Well I have been reading messages on this site for about a week now and figured I better sign up. About 2 weeks ago my mom called to tell me that my dad (76) had been coughing some blood and that his doctor was sending him for an MRI. Turns out she meant CT scan and that there had been something suspicious on an x ray. The day after the CT scan was done, he went back to his doctor, who told him he had lung cancer. This was a major shock to everyone -- excellent health, quit smoking when I was a baby (45 years ago), etc., etc. We were going to go over just to visit for the weekend (had moved to Florida from Ga. about a year before to be closer to family, thank God; they are now only 2 hours away instead of eight) and then we got another call that his doctor wanted him to check in to the hospital to start tests. I figured, ok, the sooner the better. This was Friday. What was actually going on was that the CT scan showed another tumor on the 3rd thoracic vertebrae that seemed to be putting pressure on the spinal cord. They did some more scans at teh hospital and a neurosurgeon came up to ask questions and said that after looking at the MRI/CT Scan the pressure was so bad he was amazed he was functioning and that they needed to do surgery to relieve the pressure or he could be paralyzed from teh waist down; he wanted to do it the next day. Didn't seem to be much of a choice, so they did the surgery. They removed the tumor, or, as I've learned, what they could see of it, and did a spinal fusion. It had eaten away a good deal of that one vertebrae. Pathology showed that the spine tumor originated in the lung, which was not good but not a real surprise, as I guess that is how it usually goes. Anyway, it is one of the forms of NSCLC. The oncologist wants to do a PET scan to see if it has spread anywhere else and if it hasn't she is talking surgery, which, from what I've read here and elsewhere, is optimistic. They haven't done staging yet. The lung tumor is just over 3 cm. They can't do it (PET) until any inflammation from teh surgery goes down so we are talking maybe another 2 weeks. Meanwhile of course he has to recover from major surgery, which is no small thing, but he is in otherwise good shape and, if you can beat this thing with a positive attitude, then he is the one to do it. He always focuses on the positive -- for instance, when the doctor told him the bad news about the spine tumor (there had been some small chance it was something else besides lung cancer) he focused on her telling him that now they have drugs to make chemo tolerable, and after she left, he said, Oh, I forgot to ask when I could go back to work (he is retired but does volunteer work full time), and when she said he'd be able to work thru the chemo once the surgeon said it was ok, he said taht was the best news yet. Anyway, reading all the messages here, there are things taht are encouraging and things that are scary and this seems like a good place. WE are all kind up up and down -- it all happened so fast and the surgery stuff was so drastic that we all had to deal with that first and leave thinking about the long term stuff for later. I can't help thinking that it has to be a good thing that they managed to catch the spine thing in time so there must be a reason for that. I am hoping that that won't be the only good thing. Well, this has been a pretty long message so I'll sign off for now, but I think I'll be back often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCarl Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Carla, I'm sorry you had to seek us out, but very glad you found us. I can think of no better place to be if you have to deal with this disease. Your Dad sounds like quite a man with a great attitude. And it sounds like he has a good medical team working with him, one that is willing to go after this disease. My hopes and prayers are that that combination will be the ticket to beating this. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Welcome Carla. Those first weeks are a whirlwind for most all of us , then ad spinal surgery on top of that! Keep us posted on your Dad. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Welcome Carla, Your father's attitude will take him far. Just want to welcome you and let you know we're here for you~ Rochelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Welcome, Carla... Sounds like your dad is an optimistic kind of guy. That's great!. I'm glad they got the spinal surgery out of the way first, it's one less complication to face now as things begin to get complicated. Visit us frequently, this is a great bunch of people to help you through the emotional roller coaster of cancer treatments and doctors visits. They're the extended family I otherwise do not have. Prayers for your dad, MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 sounds like your dqd is in good hands with a good plan. At some point, you may want to ask about Zometa since he had a spine met. This has worked well for my wife in keeping bone mets at bay. Since your dad has lung cancer in the spine, that would be Stage IV, and there are survivors of that on this board. Good luck. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheri Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Carla, I was in your shoes about 2 months ago and have found a place of refuge in this wonderful group of people. Our fathers situations sound very similar...you can read my profile on my father. If you have any questions or if I can help you in any way I will be glad to. God bless you and your family. I will keep you in my prayers. Cheri By the way, we live in the Florida Panhandle...I noticed that you also lived in FL... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Hello Carla, so sorry that you have had to join us, but glad you chose this board. There are some great people here who offer "Good listening ears!! I'ts great that your Dad got through the op., well, I would say that that is a sign that he is strong enough to fight the fight! It is also great that you now live nearby and can visit him a lot, I wish my daughters could be nearer to their Dad and so do they.Keep the faith! Paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Hi Carla. It's always nice to see someone find the positive amoungst all the negative. (and you can't get much more negative than LC) A positive attitude is a good thing. My dad reacted the same way with his cancer diagnosis -- he hardly slowed down -- even on bad days he managed to get out in the garden. It sounds like you will be a great asset to your family during the upcoming section of bumpy road you are embarking on. Stay strong and well informed, and keep us posted on your father's progress. Take care. David P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyCW Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Welcome, and I'll be praying for your dad, too. He sounds like such a great guy. My brother also has a great positive attitude -- always has -- and that really helps so much! Glad you posted to let us know your situation. I'll keep you and your dad in my prayers. BeckyCW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carla Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 I'm happy to report that we had a good weekend. My dad got his port put in Friday and seems to really be bouncing back from the spine surgery. He has managed to get up for longer periods and is stretching out the pain medication, using less and less. Today he went to church and we managed a walk down the street. I guess this week will be the calm before whatever, since it will probably be a week or so before they do the PET scan, but that will give him a little more time to build up strength for whatever is next. Another good sign, I guess, is that he isn't coughing blood anymore, but who knows what that means. Still has a great attitude and continues to crack jokes, something he always did anyway. Thanks again for your support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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