blondestarbaby Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 Mom was diagnosed less than a month ago with NSCLC Stage 4; she has 5 cancerous nodules under the skin around her shoulders and back. Is this occurance typical with NSCLC? Dr. think it may have spread to her brain....didn't suggest surgery, chemo or radiation at her age, she's 82. She hasn't complained of pain except when someone hugs her or touches one of the bumps. She has lost 11 pounds this month, has chronic fatigue and loss of appetite. She weighs 70 pounds. Anyone else at this point or been here? Quote
john Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 There have been a lot of articles out on the subject of treatment and the elderly. In general they showed that older people whose performance status is good, do as well with treatment as younger people. Just because she is 82 does not necessarily mean she shouldnt get treatment I think the nodules around her skin and back are kind of unusual, though I am not a Dr. Quote
john Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 There have been a lot of articles out on the subject of treatment and the elderly. In general they showed that older people whose performance status is good, do as well with treatment as younger people. Just because she is 82 does not necessarily mean she shouldnt get treatment I think the nodules around her skin and back are kind of unusual, though I am not a Dr. Did they do a biopsy of the skin nodules? I have read that aspergillosis (fungal infection) can cause skin nodules. Again I am not a dr. but they should do a biopsy Quote
slinaresholz Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 Hello and welcome! I'm sorry your mother is not well. Maybe she can tolerate ensure with ice cream or boost. I guess you have to drink three cans of ensure a day to get all your nutrients if you can't eat. Maybe your Mom could tolerate light doses of radiation for her tumors. The Chemo would probably be awful rough on her if she can't eat as it is. That is just my opinion, the Oncologist might have other thoughts on the subject. Anyway I will pray for her and hope they can help her feel better. Sharon Quote
Guest Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 Blondestarbaby, I would just like to let you know that I am in the same boat that you are in. I have a member of my family that has all the systems that you say that your mother has. There is really nothing that we can exept give them a lot of love. I try to think all the time of things that I might be able to do to help her feel better until someone sit me down and told me that all I could do was love her. We have gotten to the point to where we try to have someone with her all the time. She has some OK days and somedays she can't even sit up. I would really like to talk to you more about this. If you would like to chat, I have MSN and Yahoo Messenger. My MSN is music_collector2003@yahoo.com And my yahoo is music_collector2003 My email is music_collector2003@yahoo.com Hope to talk to you soon, Music_Collector2003 Quote
S. Jane Posted May 27, 2004 Posted May 27, 2004 I'm sorry you have to go through this with your Mom. Have you gotten a second opinion? Are the doctors making her comfortable? It sure is hard to see a parent suffer. Jane Quote
jamie Posted June 1, 2004 Posted June 1, 2004 Hi there, My dad is not exactly where you are, and Im no doctor, but I've never heard of mets to the back. If you think your mom can handle chemo, id give it a try, you never know. Radiation may be easier. Dont give up just cause of your moms age though. Best of luck Jamie Quote
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