What to do????

tobie · Regular Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 22

Hi All,
My mom has now been diagnosed with stage IV metastic lung cancer. It has spread to the lymph nodes, bones (upper left arm, upper right leg). She will be having a brain scan today to see if it has spread there too. She has been taking a steady diet of Tylenol 3's to control the pain from the bone cancer but they have made her quite constipated. She's not eating well and has lost quite a bit of weight. She also has a pain in the area where her liver is located.
The oncologist wants to radiate the lung tumor, bones and brain if necessary. Then they want to do chemo. I guess that my question is this: Is there any point to all this? She is 71 years old and resigned to the fact that she is terminally ill. She doesn't want to live longer if that existence will be pain filled and uncomfortable. Any ideas on time frame if she denies treatment? What about with treatment? Quality of life vs. quantity?? Thanks.

emyahmr · New User Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 7

It is hard to give opinion about this. I may not be able to give my opinion on the treatment.

As human being we can do as best as we can to be able to survive in this life.

Give her word of encouragement and spend time together with her would be the best..just my humble opinion.

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
-- Abraham Lincoln --
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heathwill2000 · New User Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 2

Hi Tobie,

Sorry to hear about your mom. My mom was diagnosed last month with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. It has spread to her bone, lymph nodes, and adrenal glands. She is 64. She has a large tumor on her femur that is causing her severe pain. She is on constant pain medication and they help some, but it is not complete pain relief. She had surgery a couple of weeks ago to put a steel rod in her leg to stabilize the bone so that she can undergo radiation on the leg. The radiation of the leg tumor is supposed to alleviate the pain in her leg. I'm not sure if it will be total relief or just partial. After that, she is going to go through chemo to slow the cancer growth and spread in the other areas of her body.

As you know, even with treatment, the prognosis for stage iv lung cancer is not good. If my mom decided not to go through chemo, I would be alright with that as long as her pain is controlled. Right now the pain in her leg is the main concern because it keeps her from sleeping, walking, going to the bathroom, etc. And yes, the pain medications do cause constipation. My mom got a prescription from her doctor for a gentle liquid laxative and she takes stool softeners, which seem to help.

My advice to you would be to honor your mom's wishes, but make sure that she is fully informed about the consequences either way. Sit down with her and her doctor (or team of doctors) and make sure you walk away with all the answers to your questions and your mom's questions.

I'm sorry you have to go through this.

Heather

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