New Here - Dad in the Process of being Diagnosed

simplyklb

Hi All,
I am new here and my dad is in the process of being diagnosed with lung cancer. I have cried many tears over the last week. Dad is 70, He was diagnosed with emphysema in late 1994 or early 1995. Dad was diagnosed with emphysema after experiencing shortness of breath. He smoked for nearly 40 years when he stopped smoking in Feb. 1993.

What has led us to now... Back in April, Dad said that he needed to go see the doctor. Mom was coughing and couldn't get rid of her cough. She made appts. for both of them to see the doctor on Thurs., April 10th. Dad had a chest x-ray and a spot showed up on the x-ray. He had pneumonia. We were puzzled because Dad had a pneumonia shot last fall. He went back to the doctor on Fri., April 18th. The doctor ordered chest x-ray and then a CT scan on Dad. Dad went in for the CT scan on April 23rd. We did not get the results until Mon., April 28th. The CT scan revealed a tumor on the right lung along with a few enlarged lymph nodes. A spot on the liver along with an enlarged lymph node was noted as well as. An appt. was scheduled for May 9th with a pulmonary specialist. A CT scan of the abdomen was ordered. On Wed., April 30th, Dad underwent the abdominal CT scan. Dad's primary care physician called us and told us that Dad needed to get into the pulmonary specialist ASAP. On Thurs., May 1st, my oldest brother went to the pulmonary specialist with our parents. The news was not good. The pulmonary specialist ordered a bronchoscopy and a PET scan. The bronchoscopy was performed on Fri., May 2nd. My middle brother and I took Dad to the appt. After the biopsy, the doctor who performed the scope came out and talked to us. She told us that the tumor looked angry and that it was blocking his right bronchial tube. She took several biopsies. Angry tells me that the cancer is aggressive. We should have the results of the biopsy late tomorrow. Dad's PET scan is scheduled for Wed. afternoon. Surgery is not an option for Dad because he has less than 50% of his lung capacity. He did OK with the bronchoscopy. I believed that they used Versed and Fenatyl to sedate him.

That is where we are now.

I have been researching the various types of lung cancer online. I know that Dad's prognosis is not good. His lungs are not in good shape due to the emphysema. I am not a pessimist... just a realist.

We have a support system in place.

I feel terrible for my oldest niece (Dad's oldest granddaughter) as she is getting married next month. She is very close to her grandpa. This is having a huge damper on what should be one of the happiest moments of her life.

I am glad to have found this forum and know that we are not alone.

Kristi

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 803

Kristi,

Welcome to our community but I'm sorry you've had a reason to find us. We will offer you answers to questions, if we know from experience, and pray as things unfold for your Dad. I liked that you said you were a realist -- that's good, but make sure lots of hope is thrown into the mix. (I smiled when I saw you post that, because I always tell my kids I'm not a pessimist, just a realist.) My husband had aggressive NSCLC Adeno and lived 2 1/2 years post diagnosis. He was able to spend good time and we created wonderful memories.

The fact that the doctor was able to get a good tissue sample through a non-invasive procedure puts your Dad ahead of the game. Surgery in the chest area isn't an easy experience -- doable, but not easy. I'm sure you are going crazy waiting for the results. If it does turn out to be NSCLC vs. SCLC, make sure to find out what the cell differentiation is of the cancer cell structure. They can be undifferentiated, poorly, moderately, and well. This will tell how aggressive it is, the poorer the differentiation the more aggressive.

If this is LC, you may well be amazed at how much better his breathing will be once the treatment starts. My husband had his left bronchial tube crushed by one of his tumors and once it began to get smaller, he was breathing fairly well again. He also had emphysema and was on oxygen 24/7 from just prior to diagnosis. We didn't even know that he had mild emphysema until all of this began.

As far as your niece's wedding, the oncologist can time the treatment so he can be in good shape for the event.

Sounds like your Dad's Doctors are proceeding in a timely manner and we'll be holding you and yours in our thoughts as you await the test results. Take heart and keep your humor because this will be a bumpy ride with lots of ups and downs. I go with my husband's motto -- it isn't cancer until they tell me it's cancer.

Best wishes,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

simplyklb

Thanks for the good thoughts and prayers. They are much appreciated.

I've been a realist for all of my life. I guess it comes from all the stuff that I have had to deal with in my own life.

I just want to get the official diagnosis so we know what we are dealing with. I also know that doctors do not have all the answers.

As I posted in another forum here, we have a neighbor who was diagnosed with a grade III/IV anaplastic astrocytoma in late 1999. He's still alive. His story is remarkable. I cried when he married his significant other in Feb. 2002.

There's hope until there's no more hope. But I am not kidding myself... I know that there are things that my dad will most likely never see... Like seeing his three younger granddaughters graduate from high school. Yes, we will make a ton of memories while my dad is still with us.

Kristi

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