Mom w/NSCLC stage IV

mark`edmonds · Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:24 am Post subject: staging

I had stage 3a1 nsclc which was one tumor in lung and 3 affected lymph nodes in the centre of my chest. I jjust had a pet scan which revealed the cancer in all lymph nodes were gone as well as the tumor in my lung.

I have one spot showing activity in my pelvic region which I am to have scans on in 1 1/2 weeks. I had 6 weeks radio with chemo each week then 2 lots of chemo 3 weeks apart after i finshed radio.

I think they staged your mother 4 because of the spread to the lymph nodes under the arms as this was not close to the affected lung.

Mark Diagnosed sept 8 2005

autransin · Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: Mom w/NSCLC stage IV

UPDATE!!!!
Well Mom went back Tuesday for her last round of chemo. Dr. told my parents that is GONE... I have to say that you really know what family is when faced with something like this. I see how my parents dealt with this has a team. We still have a lot ahead of us but she still has alot of fight left in her. She will go back in about 2 weeks for the PET/MRI and if things are good she will do the Avastin every 3 weeks. Anyone have info on this?? I would like to tell everyone Thank You for the Help.

Bill

daughterinlaw · New User Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 1

This is my first post and I wish I knew about this website 6 months ago.
My 80- year old mother-in-law was diagnosed NSCLC in Jan this year.Doc said it was Stage 3B. She did radiation & chemo with minimal results, tumor did not shrink, but did not grow, either.She has been taking Tarceva for over a month now.For the longest time she refused to do Nebulizer breathing treatments, and refused the oxygen. SHE decided they didn't help. The family is in denial about her diagnosis-they have come from out of state over the last 6 months to "take care of her", bringing their kids... & heading for the beach, letting HER cook for THEM.Oblivious to the fact that she is struggling to breathe, and not taking her meds regularly. They are complacent about her situation, reporting back home the belief that she is "just fine".Last week she had a very BAD episode of near suffocation- she couldn't breathe.Suffered ALL DAY- she lives alone & didn't call for help.Didn't take her meds & got into a very distressed, confused, exausted physical state. My husband & I live less than 1/2 mi. from her & we are the primary caregivers.My husband works out of town A LOT, I work full time & have 2 kids. I am generally the one checking on her, getting her groceries, taking her to Doc appt.s, picking up Rx.s, Putting up with her criticizing the groceries I bought for her, all her anger & complaining about this n' that.
Last week I found her gasping for breath, begging for it all to be OVER. I freaked (quietly, on the inside )and called Hospice. They very calmly told me not to call 911, because they would only give her a breathing treatment & send her home when she stabilized. So I gave her a breathing treatment, calmed her down, cranked the A/C,filled her prescription for prednisone & called my husband- (her son.)He came home, he witnessed her in a similar but not as severe distress situation & began calling the family to come see her- she was nearing the end.2 of my sisterinlaws came to be with her & decided she needed 24/7 care.We put her on anti-anxiety drugs & it knocked her out for 2 days. The hospice nurses guessed she might live maybe 2 days, maybe 2 weeks .The Oncologist put a timeline of 1-4 weeks.We started putting 2 & 2 together & figured she had not been taking her meds regularly, as prescribed.This situation traumatized her & myself, to say the least. I cried for this whole last week.
Since then, (approx. week & 1/2) we backed her way off the anti anxiety drug & she is up & around, breathing better than she has in a long time, (on oxygen 24/7 now)eating much better than she has in a long time and everyone says she looks GREAT.We temporarily hired nursing care 5 hrs. per day, 4 days p/wk. She intends to cancel them when the 4 days is up.
My question is...is this the PREDNISONE? or has she truly recovered? Will she beat all odds & live another 3 years? Or is she "rallying" as they call it? I feel as though my inlaws think we have "jumped the gun" or over reacted. I am very angry with this response from them- I have been dealing with her situation directly for the last 6 months- and I feel like no one believes she was "that bad". I mean, who are we kidding here? She has stage 3 probably stage 4 lung cancer by now. A Week & 1/2 ago she COULD BARELY BREATHE. Is this a cruel joke?
I feel like they will be complacent again, leave her alone & she will crash again & die struggling, the awful realization that no-one is there with her & she is dying a horrible death. I cannot bear the thought of this and I am angry and resentful that they are not here to be with her in her last days. Or are these her last days?

autrans · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 1

Hi All,
I have not being on here in awhile but i regret to say that my Mom past away July 27th at 8:00pm @ IVCH in IL. It is hard enough to have lost a parent but it does not help the matter when we feel that Dr. had a part in it. We had made it all thru the RAD/Chemo with the normal bumps. Her last round and vist with the DR. was on July 17thand he showed us that it was clear and that all we had to do is go home and recoupe from the treatments and to come back on the 24th/25th for a PET Scan and MRI. Well Mom made it to the MRI but had to be put in ICU that night. They told us that she had really bad Phmonia and she past away. After all of this went down i started digging into it. The test that were done that night in ER showed her white count down to .8 that is why she got the infection. Her plan for chemo was blood test/x-ray the first week and the next 2 weeks was to go in once a week and get her blood count will for some odd reason that he to this day still not giving us an answer why he stopped the weekly Blood count. What do we do now?

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