NSCLC - General questions - Long post

flawebworks · New User Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 2

My mom is 82, and was diagnosed with NSCLC just over 2 years ago. She was staged at stage 2. The tumor was perfectly round,
sitting at the bottom of her lung, 5 cm. You could see it clear as a bell on the xray. (That was how they found the cancer, during her yearly checkup.)

Longtime smoker, won't/can't quit.

She went thru radiation fine, with no ill effects except vertigo and a 10 pound weight loss. The docs say she is too "frail" for chemo (and she disagrees with this, she thinks she can handle it. The doctor thinks it will kill her, The lady is frail, but not that frail.) Surgery is not an option either.

Anyway, she did very well with the radiation, the tumor shrank some, and she put back on the weight she lost. Every three months
she goes for a pet scan. I love her oncologist. He's a terrific guy.

You can set your clock by my mother. I mean, she's always stayed at the same weight, never goes up and down, rarely gets sick (she hasn't even had a cold for 20 years up until a couple of weeks ago - when she got something "bronchial" she had a sore throat and ran a fever.) A couple of months ago she ran a fever for a few days and experienced pain in the area of the lung that has the tumor. I took her to her regular medical doctor (*I* wanted her to go to her oncologist) who took a quick glance (and I do mean glance) at her and said she had shingles, gave her steroids and sent her on her way. She had dropped some weight, it was
enough to alarm me, but not her medical doctor, apparently. I have no confidence in the medical doctor at all. He took no blood, nothing, didn't even call her oncologist (and he said he did, the liar.) Turned out to be a broken rib.

Other than the lung cancer, my mom is in pretty good health for her age. She's never had to take medicine for a heart issue or anything like that - she does have osteoporosis.

She also still lives by herself - and she does her own cooking. She's on a walker as she doesn't get around so good anymore, and I'm her primary
caregiver (I guess that's what you'd call me) - and she has home health care a few hours a week.

She has also never shown symptom one of lung cancer. She does have a cough - which she has had for years, and it hasn't changed alot since her diagnosis - except since the "bronchial" thing last
week - and then - it's only if she smokes, go figure.

So I consider us very lucky. I've read this forum since January 2006 but never registered to post. I've read, and kept up with at least the lung cancer forum for the most part. Cancer strikes me as a very strange disease - you simply don't know what's going to happen. When Mom was first diagnosed (she took it much better than her kids!) we all prepared ourselves for the worst. Luckily, we've always been able to talk about it without any pussyfooting around.

On her last visit to her oncologist, he expressed concern with her losing weight, and the fact that her tumor markers have been steadily increasing over the last few months.

When my mother experiences something, like the pain near her lung, a fever, something bronchial, I feel she should go see the oncologist, because she does have lung cancer, and I don't trust her medical doctor. Frankly, I get the feeling the medical doctor is just waiting for her to die. My mom and I always argue over this, and I know it's her decision - but she also feels the same way I do.

So after my ridiculously long post, my question is this. What is better for us to do when she experiences something outside of the lung cancer, but (to me) related to the lung cancer? See her medical doctor or the oncologist?

Also, another question. After her last bout with the sore throat, fever and bronchial thing (the doctor never gave it a name) she tells me this morning that her throat is hurting again. Is this common with lung cancer patients?

Thanks.

Regards,

Flawebworks

brainman

flawebworks, I am very sorry about your mother's lung cancer. The question you ask is not as simple as it sounds due to the fact that you are not the patient. I think what might be happening is lack of clear communication between her primary medical doctor and her oncologist. Sometimes if a medical doctor makes a referral to an oncologist, he/she leaves anything that could possible be related to the cancer up to the oncologist to deal with. However, if the oncologist does not think it is related to the cancer, he/she will leave it for the medical doctor to deal with. It can get kind of complicated very quickly and it may seem like they are not doing all that they can do.

As for her sore throat, fever, and bronchial problems, it may be something to do with the radiation she received, although that was some time ago so it is unlikely that the radiation is to blame. Nevertheless, you might want to have your mother checked by an ENT or a pulmonologist for their input.

You and your mother are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1404

Fla,

I'm sorry that your Mom has been visited by lung cancer. It is frustrating to know who to call, but I'd go with your gut and dial up the oncologist. He/she will tell you if you should be contacting the regular doctor instead.

You said she is scanned every 3 months. When is her next scan due? If you have some nagging fears, see if it can be bumped up.

Best wishes for you and your Mom.

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

	Cancer Forums Forum Index -> Lung Cancer Forum	All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

A website for discussions about any type of cancer, including lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and others